Children who continue to read for information and pleasure have a better chance of being lifelong readers. On the other hand, children who turn away from reading now may not get back into the habit.

Research shows that children are more likely to read if their favorite material is available. Here are some suggestions of reading material to keep on hand:

• Sports books and magazines
• Comics (more for younger middle schoolers)
• Mysteries and detective stories
• Your child’s favorite section of the newspaper
• Biographies and autobiographies of famous people
• Stories about people your child’s age
• Popular teen magazines
• Historical fiction

Don’t limit yourself to these. Ask your child what other kind of material she’d like to spend time reading. Then help her find it! Make plans to spend an afternoon at the library.

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