The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between 5 and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books.

“The Kids & Family Reading Report “also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer. At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day.

The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years. The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study. But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop.

“Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day,” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report.

One in four kids between 5 and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week. One of the key reasons kids say why they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like—a requirement that parents underestimate.

The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday. The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to-eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to 11-year-olds—exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop.

“Parents’ engagement in their children’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading”, adds Carter.

You may be old enough to remember Evelyn Wood’s name for speed reading and speed learning. Inspired, her former business partner, Wechsler, shares four of the techniques successful speed readers use.【小题1】

Hold your book, or whatever you’re reading, at a 30-degree angle to your eyes. 【小题2】 Wechsler says reading from flat material is “painful to your retina, causes eye tiredness, and after about two hours often leads to dry eye and irritation”.

Moving your head slightly back and forth while you read helps stabilize images on your retina. 【小题3】 Wechsler says, “The secret of reading multiple words at a time is widening your vision.” This practice alone will help you increase your speed from 200 to 2,500 words per minute.

Wechsler advocates using a pen, or pointer of some kind, even your finger, to underline each sentence as you read. Your vision will allow you to move through a sentence six times faster than reading each word. 【小题4】 “When using a pointer, never permit the point to touch the page,” Wechsler says.

【小题5】 “It sharpens your vision and activates your sight to speed up your learning speed,” Wechsler says. “This daily one-minute exercise may help you avoid eye-muscle tiredness.” Focus on a single spot on the wall 10 feet in front of you. With your hand extended at eye level, trace a symbol with your eyes.

The news of Harper Lee’s second novel broke the internet. Go Set a Watchman would be published in July. Lee became a recluse (隐士)after the publication of her first book, To Kill a Mockingbird, in 1960. Although the author has been out of the public eye for more than 50 years, the wave that followed the announcement showed her novel’s beloved place in the American literary works.

In 1991, The Book of the Month Club and the library of Congress conducted a survey that made readers identify books that had made a difference in their lives. Lee’s book followed only The Bible. Alongside the works of Shakespeare and Twain, To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of the most widely taught books nationwide, reaching an estimated 70% of American public schools. What makes it such a perfect read for young people?

English class is a place where young Americans come to know themselves. In the folds of dusty books, students can make contact with humanity beyond the superficial(肤浅的) conversations of the school hallways. Literature promises relief, a place to figure out one’s problems and get to know oneself better.

To Kill a Mockingbird particularly distinguishes itself in this regard. It speaks in child’s voice without treating its readership as children. People have called it an ‘impossible’ achievement, a children’s book penned in the prose(散文) of a well-educated adult—it’s unlikely that a child like Scout could exist in the real world. But that’s exactly what makes it such a charming read for young people. It alludes to (转弯抹角地说到)the consciousness of a well-educated adult going through difficult realities, but shows it through the light and playful voice of a curious little girl.