HomeLibraries nationwide proclaim

Contact:  Larra Clark
Media Relations Manager
312-280-5043
lclark@ala.org

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2004 

Libraries nationwide proclaim "It's Alive @ your library"during
Teen Read Week, October 17-23

Reading for fun key to developing lifelong literary habit

CHICAGO -- What do Odysseus' escape from the Cyclops and Stephen King have in common?  The horror of it all - and the teen audience whose appetite for scary stories has made classic and modern tales very strange bedfellows.  Teens can indulge their appetite for all things that go bump in the night during Teen Read Week, October 17-23.

This year's Teen Read Week theme is "It's Alive @ your library," and library events nationwide will celebrate the intersection of horror, suspense, black-and-white movies from the '50s, and even genetic engineering.  Teen Read Week is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Hennepin County Library in Minneapolis is so excited about the theme that they've created a full month of teen programs that include "scary-oke," monster quizzes and teen art contests.  Fresno County (Calif.) plans a Mad Scientist Lab and programming, while Middle Country Public Library (N.Y.) is decorating with a mummy motif and hosting an "Eerie Egyptian Game Night."

"The thing we should all be truly afraid of is that young adults will lose or never gain a love of reading," said YALSA President David Mowery.  "Horror has been a part of storytelling from the very beginning, and it continues to 'grab' teen readers.  Reading for fun is key to developing and maintaining a lifelong reading habit."

This summer, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) made headlines with its "Reading at Risk" report showing a decline in literary reading that was most marked for the youngest age groups surveyed.  Literary reading by adults age 18 to 24 dropped 28 percent between 1982 and 2002. The NEA linked this to information from the National Institute for Literacy information showing that a smaller percentage of 13- to 17-year-olds read for fun.

Teen Read Week is the only national adolescent literacy initiative.  Since its inception in 1998, the event has focused on the importance of teen recreational reading. Teen Read Week's objectives are to give teens an opportunity to read for the fun of it, allow teens to select their own reading materials, and to help teens get in the habit of reading regularly and often.

"The observance of Teen Read Week reminds us that every teen is a potential reader, and that it is important for parents not only to encourage their young children to read, but provide the time and support for their teenagers to read, as well," Mowery added. "Parents, teachers and librarians also can serve as role models for teens by reading for fun themselves."

This year, young adults also are being invited to decide what are the 2004 "Teen's Top Ten" books by voting online at www.ala.org/teenread.

Teen Read Week supporting organizations include: American Association of School Administrators; American Booksellers Association; Cable in the Classroom; International Reading Association; Kids Care; KIDSNET; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Council of Teachers of English; National Education Association; National School Boards Association; SmartGirl.org; The N/Noggin; Speak Up Press; and TeenInk.

HarperCollins is a corporate sponsor, and Houghton Mifflin and Scholastic, Inc. are corporate friends of Teen Read Week. Special thanks also to individual friend Pamela Spencer Holley.

For more information, visit the Teen Read Week Web site at www.ala.org/teenread.