Teens Reading More than Ever!

I found a couple articles that I wanted to share with all of you. They are a bit dated, but still validate what seems to be a surge in teen reading as of late. We have so many new readers at Skyline this year -- it's exciting. We have been scrambling to find new books for them to read (looking for lots of vampire books...thanks to Stephanie Meyer)! We were hoping that it was a result of our superb marketing displays, but we just do think that kids are reading more. If you have a chance, check out these articles. In Teens Buying Books at the Fastest Rate in Decades, the author attributes the surge to better writing and more great young adult authors (and J.K. Rowling):

Not only are teen book sales booming -- up by a quarter between 1999 and 2005, by one industry analysis -- but the quality is soaring as well. Older teens in particular are enjoying a surge of sophisticated fare as young adult literature becomes a global phenomenon.

Do kids have more time on their hands? ...more disposable income? It's not just that there's more great Young Adult literature, though. They are just reading more. That's an interesting statistic in light of increased computer use, social networking, and increased use of tech gadgets. Research Reveals Teens Read More Magazines, Not Less also indicates that teens are reading more magazines than ever before.

Hm-m-m, an interesting thought -- teens are reading MORE even as many thought MySpace, social networking entities, and computer use would steer kids away from reading. So...thank you to the J.K. Rowlings' and Stephanie Meyers' of the world, great marketing by publishing companies, and to us -- for providing the services we provide!

Question: What other authors are really grabbing the kids' interests? ...Westerfeld, Tiernan? What are the books that you just can't keep on the shelf?