When I was about 10, there were lots of us bored, bookish children in the 1970s. Television was largely rubbish, and our parents’ bookshelves were what was left. I thought of this when I heard author Claire Tomalin complain that children are growing up without the skills to read classic works of English literature, such as Charles Dickens and that they are not being taught to have the lengthy attention spans (时段) necessary for his texts. She blames this attention shortfall on the terrible television programmes.

It is true that children have never had more entertainment (娱乐) to choose from than today. And it is probably true that this generation’s attention span is shorter; my children have dismissed as “too slow” or “boring” most of the childhood books I saved for them. I was quite upset about this until I reread some. It is not just entertainment that moves at a faster rate. The world does, too. And, frankly, Dickens is dense, and hard work, as are many writers of that period.

Another fact is that not many children of my generation read Dickens for pleasure either. It took me years to come to Great Expectations and The Pickwick Papers, and then it was only post-university when I became independently hungry for knowledge.

Dickens might be one of the greatest creators of characters in English, as Tomalin says, but today’s children see Greg Heffley’s nature in The Wimpy Kid of Jeff Kinney’s novels. And they are so interested in the resourceful Baudelaire children in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. They can recognize the adolescent difficult situation of Harry Potter.

You can’t insist that childhood tastes not change for a long time. My mother encouraged me to read anything on the basis that all reading was valuable, and would act as a gateway to more challenging works later on. In turn, I believe that my children will come to the classics when they’re ready. Until then, I’ll take comfort from the fact that the 1969 classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar is still the most-read children’s book in Britain. It has underdeveloped characterization, yes, and the vocabulary is limited. But as a starter to give children an appetite (食欲) for reading, it is priceless.

Many teenagers like detective stories. They enjoy going behind the scenes with the main character—a detective. Here are three of the most popular detective stories for teens. Which of them do you want to buy?

Nate the Great (Book 1 of 26)

Nate the Great has a new case! His friend Annie has lost an expensive picture. She wants Nate to help her find it. Nate must get all the facts, ask the right questions and find out the list of suspects. Join the great detective as he solves the mystery, will you?

Paperback(平装书):$5.39              E-book: $4.99

>Buy it on Amazon

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective(Book 1 of 28)

Encyclopedia Brown is Idaville neighborhood’s ten-year-old star detective. He solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids. His dad is the chief of the Idaville Police Station. Every night, Encyclopedia helps him solve his most difficult cases. There are ten cases in each book. Not only Encyclopedia but the readers have a chance to solve them.

Paperback: $4.99                     E-book: $2.80

>Buy it on Amazon

The 100-Year-Old Secret: The Sherlock Files (Book 1 of 4)

Xena and Xander Holmes have just found they’re the great-great-grandchildren of Sherlock Holmes. They are given Sherlock’s unsolved casebook. The two start to solve the cases. Can two 21st-century kids succeed where Sherlock could not?

Paperback: $7.79              E-book: $5.67

>Buy it on Amazon

Look around when you’re on the subway. What is the most popular time-killing activity? Your answer may be playing on your smart phone. But in other countries, many people enjoy reading.

According to a survey in 2018, each American reads 21 books on the subway and a Japanese reads 17.

In many foreign countries, people read at any time. Even backpackers (背包客) enjoy reading books when they are on a break at the beach or relaxing from a trip. Reading books builds a bridge between our lives and the unknown world.

Many hotels abroad also offer book exchanges for visitors. Simply drop off your finished books and take different books that others left behind.

In most US middle schools, teachers develop students’ reading habits by giving them a reading list every few weeks. Some schools even hold the reading party for students to share their opinions.

Good reading habits can lead you to a lifelong love of books. In order to encourage people to read more, China is planning to set laws for reading. Although this has both good and bad sides, it can be seen as a way to develop one’s reading habits. The following advice may be helpful:

·Read in short periods. 10 minutes on the way to and from school, 10 minutes waiting for friends, 15 minutes before sleep.

·Make your own reading list. Your list can be the best-selling books on famous websites or the books your teacher recommends (推荐).

·Talk about your reading with your family or friends.