Pacific Northwest Library Association

PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 63 No.1 Fall 1998

More Rip-Roaring Reads for Reluctant Teen Readers

Presented by Bette Ammon, Missoula Public Library, and Gale Sherman, Marshal Public Library Reported by Judy Moore, Edmonton Public Library

Co-presenters and co-authors of several publications including More Rip-Roaring Reads for Reluctant Teen Readers (Libraries Unlimited, 1998), Bette Ammon and Gale Sherman teamed-up to relay to attendees at this session those books that are the "easiest sell" to the "hardest sell group."

The presenters highlighted many characteristics of what constitutes a good book for a reluctant teen reader.

  1. How recent a book was published. Teens like what is new, cool and what their friends are reading and hopefully nothing too long (a thick book can be daunting).
  2. An eye-catching jacket where the front cover accurately depicts the story.
  3. High interest and written at the appropriate reading level.
  4. Very important. Kids like to read about characters who are slightly older than they are!
Ammon and Sherman discussed many YA titles included in their recent publication. Their delivery was a model of how book talks should be done. Their enthusiasm for YA materials and presenting them to reluctant readers was catching!

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