There is always a book in senior Beth Wilkins’ hands and it’s always different. Even though she’s a senior and spends a lot of time with college applications and schoolwork, she still reads for fun.
“I read when I finish homework early, before I go to bed or sometimes on the bus,” Wilkins said. “I read a lot on the weekends, too.”
Wilkins says that her interest in reading was what made her want to join the book club. Every couple of months, the club chooses a new book to read. Usually, it’s a fictional novel, but the club is always open to new genres and novels.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center states that teenagers between the ages of 16-29 are more than likely to use a library in the past year. In other words, 83% of teenagers between 16-29 have read a book in the past year.
However, the study also mentions that this pattern may be influenced by needing books for school.
Sophomore Jay Baccay also spends a lot of his free time reading.
“I like to read any fiction books, but my favorites are sci-fi,” he said. “Right now I’m working on the Sherlock Holmes series. I just finished the ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ and am going to start the ‘Valley of Fear’ in a bit.”
Baccay says that when he reads for fun, he prefers to read the words as what they are: a story.
However, senior Sarah Kinnard says that her literature classes have taught her to become a better reader. She says that her teachers have taught her to read the book critically instead of just looking at the basic story.
“I always look for the hidden meaning in books and I always try to figure out the author’s points,” Kinnard said.
By: Ellie Papadakis