Reading on the Rise

For the first time in more than 25 years, North American reading rates are increasing, according to a study released in January 2009 by the National Endowment for the Arts. Reading on the Rise shows the number of adults reading fiction for pleasure has increased for the first time since the organization began studying reading rates in 1982. 50.2% of respondents report reading fiction, up from 46.7%. And, young adults display the most rapid increase - 9% in reading literature.

Educational experts agree that the more young students read, the more they'll enjoy reading and the better readers they're likely to become as adults.

Sylvan Learning, along with Book Adventure, a free, reading motivation program for students in grades K-8, recommends the following books and literary classics based on grade level.

Kindergarten: The Hundred Pound Problem by Jennifer Dussling
Grade 1: Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Grade 2: Ponies from the Past by Jeanne Betancourt
Grade 3: The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Grade 4: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Betsy Bao Lord
Grade 5: Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
Grade 6: You Be the Jury series by Marvin Miller
Grade 7: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Grade 8: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Grade 9: White Fang by Jack London
Grade 10: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Grade 11: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Grade 12: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Interested in finding more books for summer reading? Log onto www.bookadventure.com!