CRDL Celebrates Teen Read Week

Area teens will be reading for the fun of it as the Chippewa River District Library System celebrates the eleventh annual Teen Read Week, October 13 – 19, 2008. They join thousands of other libraries, schools and bookstores across the country who are encouraging teens to celebrate this year’s theme, "Books with Bite @ your library®." Teen Read Week is the national adolescent literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association. This year’s theme encourages teens to read a wide variety of books and graphic novels, from animals to vampires to cooking, just "for the fun of it."
Today’s teens seem to have less and less free time, and there are increasingly more activities for them to take part in during what little leisure time they have. That is why it’s important to encourage teens to set aside some time to read. Literacy is a topic of both local and national concern, and falling test scores and lower graduation rates among teens today are a serious issue.
Studies show a regular reading habit increases reading proficiency. One of the most important ways teens acquire the habit is by watching adults they respect. Being around adults who are avid readers can counteract the latest statistics from The Nation’s Report Card (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard), which indicates that in homes across America the number of different types of reading materials has decreased, and a smaller percentage of seventeen-year-olds saw adults reading in their homes.
The Chippewa River District Library hopes to increase teen literacy locally by offering a series of programs for teens during Teen Read Week. Pizza and Pages on Tuesday October 14th at Veterans Memorial Library follows the Books with Bite theme as we munch on some pizza while discussing Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Twilight is the hugely popular story of Bella Swan, a 17 year old girl who falls in love with a Vampire. CRDL Teen Night: Gaming, Gabbing, and Good Food on Tuesday October 14th at Faith Johnston Memorial Library gives teens a chance to gather, play some games, and maybe even learn a thing or two while their doing it. CRDL Cook and Book on Thursday October 16th at Faith Johnston Memorial Library is a book discussion group and cooking group for teens.
Parents of teens are encouraged to celebrate Teen Read Week at home. Your Chippewa River District Library offers these ideas:
Visit the local public or school library with your teen to attend a program or to check out books.
Set aside time each night for the family to read.
Give books or magazine subscriptions to your teen as a gift or reward.
Share your favorite book with your teen.
Surf the Internet with your teen to learn about new books or authors. A good place to start is YALSA's Booklist's page.
Join a book discussion group at the school or public library.
Teen Read Week is held annually during the third week of October. An updated sponsors and supporting organizations list can be found at the Web site, www.ala.org/teenread. For other events and activities happening at your Chippewa River District Library call 989.773.3242 or click www.crdl.org.