What Kids Are Reading The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools Introduction by Roger Farr, Ed.D. 20 13 Edition Why do kids read what they read? See inside for commentary from Avi, Doreen Cronin, Donald Driver, and Christy Levings.
What Kids Are Reading The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools
Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Reader Best Practices, Accelerated Reader Enterprise, Accelerating learning for all, AR, AR Best Practices, AR BookFinder, AR Enterprise, ATOS, NEO 2, Renaissance, Renaissance Learning, the Renaissance Learning logo, Renaissance Place Home Connect, Renaissance Place Real Time, and STAR Reading are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries. iphone, ipad, and ipod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. 2013 by Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Introduction 2013 by Roger Farr. Why Do Kids Read What They Read? 2013 by Avi. Why Do Kids Read What They Read? 2013 by Doreen Cronin. Why Do Kids Read What They Read? 2013 by Donald Driver. Why Do Kids Read What They Read? 2013 by Christy Levings. This publication is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. It is unlawful to duplicate or reproduce any copyrighted material without authorization from the copyright holder. For more information, contact: RENAISSANCE LEARNING P.O. Box 8036 Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036 (800) 338-4204 www.renlearn.com answers@renlearn.com 4/13
Preface Welcome to the fifth edition of What Kids Are Reading: The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools. Upon publication each year, we hear feedback from educators and parents alike that this report serves useful in helping find books that whet students reading appetites. What Kids Are Reading ranks the books students are reading cover to cover based on the Accelerated Reader Real Time database, the largest of its kind, which for the 2011 2012 school year houses reading records for more than 8.6 million students in grades 1 12 from 27,240 schools nationwide who read more than 283 million books. This year s report explores the question, Why do kids read what they read? To that end, we sought feedback about student book selection from authors, educators, and, of course, kids. Commentary from authors Avi (Nothing But the Truth), Doreen Cronin (Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type), and Donald Driver (Quickie Makes the Team), as well as Roger Farr, Ed.D. (Professor Emeritus of Education at Indiana University), Christy Levings (National Education Association), and the kids can be found sprinkled throughout the report. In addition, the book lists within cover many possible influences for student reading choices, such as award winners, reading requirements, and college- and career-readiness standards, such as the Common Core State Standards. So, turn the page and dive in to see what kids are reading and why. Below is a quick look at some trends that caught our attention. What will you find inside? Influence of pop culture The billboard ranking in Section I (p. 5), which tracks how a book fared during the 2011 2012 school year compared to its prior-year ranking, shows the significant impact of popular culture on student reading. Many of the fastest risers are books recently made into movies, such as The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (rising from #210 last year to #28 this year for third graders), The Help by Kathryn Stockett (rocketing from #1,273 last year to #24 among this year s high schoolers), and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the first book of a trilogy that has historically ranked highly in the middle grades and above, but this year had a new spike in elementary school readership, rising both in grade 4 from #1,478 to #24 and in grade 5 from #92 to #4. Text complexity drops as high school reading requirements evolve In conducting our review of high school required reading from 1907 to 2012 (p. 35), we noticed a tremendous amount of change, with very few titles demonstrating staying power by authors not named Shakespeare. Also, the complexity of assigned texts has sharply declined, from about 9.0 in the early 20th century to just over 6.0 in the early 21st century. This finding echoes other studies that have concerned policy makers about whether students are presented with sufficiently challenging material to help them prepare for college and career. Early impact of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Although newer works tend to dominate the top of the lists in this report each year, a number of classics have had notable jumps in popularity. Those making the most striking comebacks in grades 9 12 (p. 24) were William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (published circa 1597 and 1606, respectively), Arthur Miller s The Crucible (1953), and Mary Shelley s Frankenstein (1823). Likewise, examining the popularity of the CCSS exemplars revealed that, although not intended to be used as a curriculum, almost all of the Informational Texts and Stories Exemplars were read by a slightly greater proportion of students in 2011 2012 than the prior school year, suggesting the new standards may be influencing both curricular choices and less formal recommendations. Will that trend continue? It will be interesting to continue monitoring readership of the exemplars and the extent to which those titles become more prominent as assigned texts in high school. iii
Contents Preface...iii Introduction by Roger Farr, Ed.D., Chancellor s Professor Emeritus of Education at Indiana University... 1 Section I: Overall Reading... 5 Why Do Kids Read What They Read? by Donald Driver, author of Quickie Makes the Team... 7 Top 40 Books Read Overall and by Gender, Grades 1 12... 8 Section II: Award Winners... 27 Why Do Kids Read What They Read? by Doreen Cronin, author of Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type... 29 Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 2013... 30 Newbery Medal Winners, 1922 2013... 32 Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present... 35 Why Do Kids Read What They Read? by Christy Levings, National Education Association... 39 Top 40 Books Required in High School, 1907 2012... 40 Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars... 49 Why Do Kids Read What They Read? by Avi, author of Nothing But the Truth... 51 Common Core State Standards Exemplars Informational Texts and Stories... 52 Appendix: About the Report... 59 Table Table A1: Students, Books, and Words by Grade... 60 Figures Figure A1: Sample AR Quiz Screen... 61 Figure A2: AR BookFinder Screen... 62 iv
Introduction By Roger Farr, Ed.D. Motivation Is Not a Mystery Can students be motivated to read through encouragement, providing rewards for reading, or proclaiming that reading is the key to all future academic success? All of those, and similar attempts to motivate students, may have short-term impact on getting students to read, but they do not produce lifetime readers. Roger Farr, Ed.D., Chancellor s Professor Emeritus of Education at Indiana University, has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He is past president of the International Reading Association, which awarded him a citation for outstanding lifetime contributions to the teaching of reading and membership in the IRA Reading Hall of Fame. Farr was co-editor of Reading Research Quarterly for more than a decade. His program authoring includes numerous national basal and supplemental reading/ language arts programs, including those targeting struggling readers, and a number of national and state assessments. During his tenure at Indiana University, Farr served as associate dean of the School of Education, Indiana University dean for research, director of the Reading Clinic, and director of the Center for Innovation in Assessment. Becoming a life-long reader is not based on badgering or rewarding students to read. Before discussing some of the factors that instill a motivation to read, we need a general definition of motivation. Motivation Motivation is a connection between the interests and experiences of a person that can be met through engagement in a particular task. is a connection between the interests and experiences of a person that can be met through engagement in a particular task. How might that definition be exemplified in classrooms and promoted by teachers? Motivation to read is the result of the interaction of three conditions: (1) a student s interests and experiences, (2) a book or article that matches those needs and interests, and (3) a student s success in reading. The task is to bring those three conditions together. It is not an easy task to accomplish but it is not only possible, it is accomplished by successful teachers all the time as the reading lists in this report suggest. Knowing a student s interests and experiences and matching those with a book or story that truly matches those interests and experiences will produce readers. However, a student s interests and experiences are not merely a listing of things about which one may express interest. Interests are expressed when a person s attention, concern, or curiosity is engaged; interests draw attention and arouse curiosity; interests direct actions and shape lives. Interests are what grab a student s attention because he or she wants to engage in the activity even if the engagement is vicarious. To capture a student s attention, the book or the article has to meet the interests of the student at the action level and not merely at the topical level. For example, a young boy who is a big fan of NFL football may want to read about famous NFL players. On the other hand, that may not be his interest at all. He may not care about those players. What he wants to do is to play football and not read about famous players. He might be enthralled with a story about a 1
boy a bit older than he is who overcame some problems to have success in sandlot football. Might he someday later in life be interested in reading about famous players? Perhaps, but not now. Now he wants to know about how to have success playing football and maybe about other kids who have struggled to make it. It is not an easy task to find the match, but the result is worth the effort. A thoroughly researched conclusion about learning is that students will put in the time and energy necessary to learn if they are interested in what they are learning and if they can relate to it. A thoroughly researched conclusion about learning is that students will put in the time and energy necessary to learn if they are interested in what they are learning and if they can relate to it. Is that all there is to motivation, bringing a student s true interests and the right book together? Not at all, there is another extremely important component. That component is making sure a student has success in meeting his or her needs. Reading with students as they read, making sure thoughtful discussions take place after reading, and providing opportunities for students to use what they have gained from reading can all foster both a feeling of success and learning the value of reading to meet goals. What do students who are not motivated to read say about reading? Responses from student interviews and first-hand teacher experiences offer a window into what turns students off from reading: Reading is boring. I have to read about stuff that is dumb and not interesting. Reading is too hard. I don t know all those words, and I don t know what the story is about. Reading is not for me. Reading is not any fun. I want to play games and see things happen. I can see stuff on television and I learn from that. What do teachers need to do to build motivation and reach students who are reluctant to read? To be effective, one must provide the components necessary for motivating all students. Learn a student s interests not just at a topical level but at the action level. A student might be interested in airplanes. But how is the interest viewed by the student? Does he or she want to build model airplanes? Has the student just visited a space agency and wants to know as much as possible about becoming an astronaut? Perhaps the student is just intrigued with what makes an airplane fly. Have a student read a book or article he or she already knows something about. This is one of the best ways to get students into a story or book. Connect reading to a subsequent activity. The activity may be as simple as explaining to others in the class what it takes to become an astronaut, or making a diagram that shows the comparison of the sail on a ship to the wing of an airplane. Do everything you can to make sure the reading experience is successful. This may mean reading aloud with the student at first. The first few pages of an article or the first chapter of a book is often make it or break it. If a reader does not get interested, even more so than before the reading started, the experience will probably be a loss. If the first few pages are difficult, the student will get little out of the reading besides that it is a struggle. As you read with the student, show your excitement and interest in whatever topic they have chosen. High-interest books motivate students to read. When books that engage readers feature interesting topics; appealing formats; rich imagery or description; important, valuable and relevant ideas; elements of surprise or excitement; and/or personal meaning and connections, such as to prior knowledge or 2
experiences, students will read. The right books do not just sustain a reader through a particular text, but instead can have broader effects of increased intrinsic motivation to read more generally. Reading, and learning activities that draw from text, should be purposeful and purpose driven. Providing students with a purpose question at the beginning of a reading helps activate schema and background knowledge, which in turn aids comprehension. Specific and general purposes for reading and learning are essential if we are to promote effective reading. Teachers can suggest a reading purpose, but then the teacher has to engage students in a discussion of the purpose so it becomes relevant to each student s background and interests. Is motivation different for struggling readers? The only difference is that struggling readers likely have not had exposure to positive reading experiences that will lead them to read more. Reading instruction for struggling readers should include a strong interactive and social component, fostering collaboration and providing community, and thereby inspiring motivation. These students benefit cognitively and affectively when given regular opportunities to read, write, and talk about text; reading, writing, and oral language skills improve as does a sense of competence, as well as responsibility for one s own learning and the group s. In conclusion, motivation is not magic but it has to be understood if it is going to become effective, and without the impact of motivation, positive reading habits and increased reading ability are almost impossible to achieve. In talking about reading motivation, I often ask the group of teachers, or whomever the group might be, if they like to read and are positive about reading. Almost all of them proclaim their love of reading. I then ask them if they would like to borrow from me a book called, Statistics for Psychologists. Almost all of them decline vociferously but then quickly tell me what they want to read. The point is that it is not reading as a physical or mental activity that they are motivated to engage in. It is the topic and their reason for reading that is the motivation. This is even more important for those who are learning to read and beginning to develop an interest in reading. A wonderful book with which you may be familiar is Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. The title alone is engaging by its invitation for an answer to what happened because of Winn-Dixie. If you have wondered and then read this book, you know what motivation can be and maybe it is magic. Roger Farr, Ed.D. Chancellor s Professor Emeritus Indiana University Co-author of Successful Reader 3
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Section I: Overall Reading The Accelerated Reader Real Time database includes book-reading records for more than 8.6 million students from 27,240 schools nationwide who read more than 283 million books during the 2011 2012 school year. The lists that begin on p. 8 rank the Top 40 Books Read Overall and by Gender, Grades 1 12. For comparison to prior year data, these lists also include a billboard-style ranking to show where each title placed in last year s report. Please note: Because schools may optionally record demographic information about students in AR, gender data is available for approximately 66% of students. Thus, on the following pages, the overall category compiles student records for boys, girls, and students for which gender was not recorded, whereas when we report information for the boy and girl categories individually, records for students of unknown gender are excluded. Why do kids read the books they read? What influences students reading choices? There is no doubt that many factors come into play each time a student pulls a book from a library shelf or downloads a new title on an e-reader. To explore in more depth what may be motivating students to choose one book over another, Renaissance Learning sought feedback about student book selection from authors, educators, and students. In this section, guest essayist Donald Driver, author of the Quickie book series, provides commentary (p. 7). I m reading Superfudge because my mom said it was good. -Third-grade girl I m reading Little Women because it looked like an interesting book and I wanted to know who the little women were. -Sixth-grade girl I m reading Wings. I read it before and enjoyed the story line so I read it again. -Seventh-grade girl I m reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows because I like wizards. -Seventh-grade boy I m reading Hatchet because it is a survival book; I love those. -Fourth-grade boy 5
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Why Do Kids Read What They Read? By Donald Driver First, I d like to thank Renaissance Learning for being such a wonderful resource to kids everywhere and for giving me the opportunity to write this piece on why kids read the things they do. One thing people may not know about me is I read all the time. I love reading so much it drove me to write three of my own children s books and an autobiography that will come out this fall! Reading is a gift that I have proudly passed on to my own kids and, hopefully, to the thousands of other children that have read my books. Now, for the question at hand why do kids read what they read? There certainly isn t only one right answer to this question, in fact, I bet there are hundreds. That being said, when I was preparing to write this, the word I kept coming back to was joy. Kids read what they read to have fun! No other activity invites kids to use their imagination quite like reading does; and for kids, using their imagination is fun because they get to make all the rules. They are the kings and queens of their own imaginations, and what little boy doesn t want to be a king? What little girl doesn t want to be a queen? There aren t parents, teachers, or anyone else telling them what s right or wrong and that makes reading truly special. I can t stress enough just how important reading is. No matter how fast I could run, how high I could jump, or how well I could catch a ball, I wouldn t have gotten anywhere without the ability to read. Reading, just like sports, takes practice. It is something you need to do every single day in order to be successful. I encourage all of you to find your inspiration in one of the millions of wonderful books out there and, most importantly, to use your imaginations and have fun! Donald Driver Donald Driver is the Green Bay Packers all-time leading receiver, a Super Bowl Champion, and a four-time Pro Bowl performer. His inspirational rise to the top of the game after overcoming countless obstacles, such as being homeless as a child, made him one of the most beloved players in franchise history. In addition to his successes on the field, Driver has written three children s books based on the bedtime stories he tells his own children at home. A portion of the proceeds for each book sold goes to benefit the Donald Driver Foundation, which helps underprivileged youth through scholarships, school funding, and meal programs. 7
Section I: Overall Reading Top 40 Books Read Overall and by Gender, Grades 1 12 Grade 1 In total, 940,387 first graders read 37,022,855 books and 23,881,603,535 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 23,405 for boys and 25,441 for girls. Approximately 25% of the books were read to students, 10% were read with students, and 65% were read independently. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 1 Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Overall Boys Girls Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) 2 2 The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (0.6, LG) The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (0.6, LG) The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (0.6, LG) 3 3 Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.4, LG) Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.4, LG) 4 4 Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) 5 5 6 7 7 6 8 8 9 11 Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) Biscuit Goes to School, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Biscuit Finds a Friend, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1.7, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.4, LG) Biscuit Goes to School, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Biscuit Finds a Friend, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) Go, Dog. Go!, P.D. Eastman (1.2, LG) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1.7, LG) 10 10 The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) 11 9 Bathtime for Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.1, LG) 12 13 Go, Dog. Go!, P.D. Eastman (1.2, LG) 13 12 14 14 15 16 16 17 17 15 18 18 19 19 20 20 Biscuit's New Trick, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.0, LG) David Goes to School, David Shannon (0.9, LG) Biscuit Wants to Play, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Biscuit's Big Friend, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) Biscuit Wins a Prize, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) Biscuit and the Baby, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) David Goes to School, David Shannon (0.9, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) Bathtime for Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.1, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) Buzz Boy and Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.3, LG) Biscuit s New Trick, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.0, LG) Biscuit s Big Friend, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) Super Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Biscuit Goes to School, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) Biscuit Finds a Friend, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) Bathtime for Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.1, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) Biscuit's New Trick, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.0, LG) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1.7, LG) Biscuit Wants to Play, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) Biscuit Wins a Prize, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Biscuit's Big Friend, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) Biscuit and the Baby, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) Go, Dog. Go!, P.D. Eastman (1.2, LG) David Goes to School, David Shannon (0.9, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) 8
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 21 22 22 23 32 Grade 1 (continued) Overall Boys Girls Biscuit Visits the Big City, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.0, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) 24 31 Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) 25 23 Clifford the Big Red Dog, Norman Bridwell (1.2, LG) 26 25 All by Myself, Mercer Mayer (1.3, LG) 27 24 28 28 29 26 Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox, Grace Maccarone (0.7, LG) If You Take a Mouse to School, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown (1.8, LG) 30 27 Sleepy Dog, Harriet Ziefert (0.8, LG) 31 30 Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, Dr. Seuss (1.8, LG) 32 34 Super Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) 33 36 Fly High, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.4, LG) 34 43 Shoo, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) 35 40 36 66 37 29 38 33 Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl!, Tedd Arnold (1.4, LG) Buzz Boy and Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.3, LG) If You Give a Pig a Party, Laura Numeroff (2.2, LG) More Spaghetti, I Say!, Rita Golden Gelman (1.2, LG) 39 35 I Was So Mad, Mercer Mayer (1.6, LG) 40 37 "Buzz," Said the Bee, Wendy Cheyette Lewison (1.4, LG) Fly High, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.4, LG) Hooray for Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) Biscuit Wants to Play, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Shoo, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) Biscuit Wins a Prize, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) I Spy Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) All by Myself, Mercer Mayer (1.3, LG) Biscuit Visits the Big City, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.0, LG) Clifford the Big Red Dog, Norman Bridwell (1.2, LG) Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox, Grace Maccarone (0.7, LG) Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl!, Tedd Arnold (1.4, LG) Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, Dr. Seuss (1.8, LG) Biscuit and the Baby, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.9, LG) Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown (1.8, LG) If You Take a Mouse to School, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) I Was So Mad, Mercer Mayer (1.6, LG) Clifford Makes a Friend, Norman Bridwell (0.4, LG) Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Mo Willems (0.9, LG) Biscuit Visits the Big City, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.0, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Clifford the Big Red Dog, Norman Bridwell (1.2, LG) Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox, Grace Maccarone (0.7, LG) Sleepy Dog, Harriet Ziefert (0.8, LG) All by Myself, Mercer Mayer (1.3, LG) Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown (1.8, LG) If You Give a Pig a Party, Laura Numeroff (2.2, LG) If You Take a Mouse to School, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, Dr. Seuss (1.8, LG) More Spaghetti, I Say!, Rita Golden Gelman (1.2, LG) Biscuit Meets the Class Pet, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (0.8, LG) If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) I Was So Mad, Mercer Mayer (1.6, LG) Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Laura Numeroff (2.1, LG) Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl!, Tedd Arnold (1.4, LG) "Buzz," Said the Bee, Wendy Cheyette Lewison (1.4, LG) Clifford Makes a Friend, Norman Bridwell (0.4, LG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by first graders was 1.4 overall, 1.4 for boys, and 1.4 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 9
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 2 In total, 1,229,574 second graders read 69,036,161 books and 102,271,152,471 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 77,895 for boys and 82,921 for girls. Approximately 15% of the books were read to students, 5% were read with students, and 80% were read independently. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Overall Boys Girls Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Doreen Cronin (2.3, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) 8 8 The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Doreen Cronin (2.3, LG) Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) 9 9 The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (0.6, LG) The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (0.6, LG) 10 10 11 11 12 12 If You Take a Mouse to School, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night, Cynthia Rylant (2.2, LG) If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Laura Numeroff (2.1, LG) 13 13 Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) 14 14 15 16 Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Harry Allard (2.7, LG) Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night, Cynthia Rylant (2.2, LG) Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) If You Take a Mouse to School, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.2, LG) If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Laura Numeroff (2.1, LG) Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Doreen Cronin (2.3, LG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) If You Take a Mouse to School, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Laura Numeroff (2.1, LG) The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (0.6, LG) Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night, Cynthia Rylant (2.2, LG) If You Give a Pig a Party, Laura Numeroff (2.2, LG) Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Harry Allard (2.7, LG) If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) 16 15 Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin (2.8, LG) Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin (2.8, LG) Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) 17 20 The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) 18 21 19 23 20 25 If You Give a Pig a Party, Laura Numeroff (2.2, LG) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1.7, LG) I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!, Dr. Seuss (2.2, LG) The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!, Dr. Seuss (2.2, LG) The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin (2.8, LG) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1.7, LG) 10
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 49 22 17 23 19 24 24 25 18 Grade 2 (continued) Overall Boys Girls If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.2, LG) Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, Cynthia Rylant (2.7, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1.7, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, Cynthia Rylant (2.7, LG) Dinosaurs Before Dark, Mary Pope Osborne (2.6, LG) Super Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) 26 22 Corduroy, Don Freeman (3.5, LG) Shoo, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) 27 37 Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) 28 26 29 52 30 29 31 36 32 31 The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, Trinka Hakes Noble (2.2, LG) There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) There's a Wocket in My Pocket!, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) Dinosaurs Before Dark, Mary Pope Osborne (2.6, LG) 33 28 I Just Forgot, Mercer Mayer (2.0, LG) 34 27 35 30 36 34 37 35 The Principal from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Danny and the Dinosaur, Syd Hoff (2.3, LG) David Goes to School, David Shannon (0.9, LG) Giggle, Giggle, Quack, Doreen Cronin (2.3, LG) 38 32 Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish (2.5, LG) 39 41 Super Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.7, LG) 40 42 The Tiny Seed, Eric Carle (2.7, LG) Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Harry Allard (2.7, LG) The Principal from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Danny and the Dinosaur, Syd Hoff (2.3, LG) Hooray for Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.6, LG) Buzz Boy and Fly Guy, Tedd Arnold (1.3, LG) There's a Wocket in My Pocket!, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) If You Give a Pig a Party, Laura Numeroff (2.2, LG) The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, Trinka Hakes Noble (2.2, LG) Corduroy, Don Freeman (3.5, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) David Goes to School, David Shannon (0.9, LG) Fly Guy vs. the Flyswatter!, Tedd Arnold (2.1, LG) If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish (2.5, LG) Corduroy, Don Freeman (3.5, LG) I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!, Dr. Seuss (2.2, LG) Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, Cynthia Rylant (2.7, LG) The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, Trinka Hakes Noble (2.2, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Biscuit, Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1.4, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) Giggle, Giggle, Quack, Doreen Cronin (2.3, LG) I Just Forgot, Mercer Mayer (2.0, LG) The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.2, LG) The Tiny Seed, Eric Carle (2.7, LG) The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats (2.5, LG) There's a Wocket in My Pocket!, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) David Goes to School, David Shannon (0.9, LG) The Principal from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Just Going to the Dentist, Mercer Mayer (2.4, LG) Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, Dr. Seuss (1.8, LG) Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by second graders was 2.3 overall, 2.2 for boys, and 2.3 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 11
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 3 In total, 1,309,518 third graders read 64,564,967 books and 243,222,173,523 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 175,577 for boys and 184,822 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 8 2 3 3 4 4 2 5 1 6 5 Overall Boys Girls Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) 7 6 Dogzilla, Dav Pilkey (4.2, LG) Dogzilla, Dav Pilkey (4.2, LG) 8 7 Boom Town, Sonia Levitin (3.7, LG) Boom Town, Sonia Levitin (3.7, LG) 9 10 Charlotte's Web, E.B. White (4.4, MG) 10 8 11 14 12 9 13 12 Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, Judith Viorst (3.4, LG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, Judith Viorst (3.4, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) Penguin Chick, Betty Tatham (3.4, LG) 14 15 Penguin Chick, Betty Tatham (3.4, LG) Charlotte's Web, E.B. White (4.4, MG) 15 17 16 11 17 18 18 13 19 16 20 22 First Day Jitters, Julie Danneberg (2.4, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Harry Allard (2.7, LG) Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, Ed Young (3.5, LG) Two Bad Ants, Chris Van Allsburg (4.7, LG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) First Day Jitters, Julie Danneberg (2.4, LG) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey (4.3, MG) Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, Ed Young (3.5, LG) Dogzilla, Dav Pilkey (4.2, LG) Boom Town, Sonia Levitin (3.7, LG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Charlotte's Web, E.B. White (4.4, MG) Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, Judith Viorst (3.4, LG) First Day Jitters, Julie Danneberg (2.4, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff (2.7, LG) Penguin Chick, Betty Tatham (3.4, LG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Harry Allard (2.7, LG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, Ed Young (3.5, LG) 12
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 20 The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) 22 23 23 21 Grade 3 (continued) Overall Boys Girls If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Captain Underpants and the Invasion... Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) Two Bad Ants, Chris Van Allsburg (4.7, LG) The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst (3.7, LG) 24 30 The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) Wolf!, Becky Bloom (3.5, LG) Wolf!, Becky Bloom (3.5, LG) 25 27 Wolf!, Becky Bloom (3.5, LG) 26 19 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst (3.7, LG) 27 24 Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin (2.8, LG) 28 210 The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (3.1, LG) 29 25 Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner (4.0, MG) Miss Nelson Is Missing!, Harry Allard (2.7, LG) Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin (2.8, LG) Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) Dinosaurs Before Dark, Mary Pope Osborne (2.6, LG) The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Two Bad Ants, Chris Van Allsburg (4.7, LG) A Bad Case of Stripes, David Shannon (3.8, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, Barbara Park (3.0, LG) Corduroy, Don Freeman (3.5, LG) 30 32 Tops & Bottoms, Janet Stevens (3.2, LG) The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (3.1, LG) Diary of a Worm, Doreen Cronin (2.8, LG) 31 29 32 26 33 28 34 42 35 31 The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.4, LG) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett (4.3, LG) The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg (3.8, LG) The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.2, LG) H If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Laura Numeroff (2.4, LG) The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (2.2, LG) Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Laura Numeroff (2.5, LG) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (2.9, LG) 36 35 Corduroy, Don Freeman (3.5, LG) Tops & Bottoms, Janet Stevens (3.2, LG) 37 34 38 36 39 41 40 33 Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) Dinosaurs Before Dark, Mary Pope Osborne (2.6, LG) Tonight on the Titanic, Mary Pope Osborne (3.1, LG) The Librarian from the Black Lagoon, Mike Thaler (3.2, LG) The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung- Fu Cavemen from the Future, Dav Pilkey (2.5, LG) The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner (4.0, MG) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst (3.7, LG) Tops & Bottoms, Janet Stevens (3.2, LG) The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (3.1, LG) The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (2.1, LG) Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) Amazing Grace, Mary Hoffman (3.5, LG) Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner (4.0, MG) Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish (2.5, LG) Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook, Barbara Park (3.0, LG) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett (4.3, LG) Bad Kitty Meets the Baby, Nick Bruel (3.6, LG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by third graders was 3.7 overall, 3.8 for boys, and 3.6 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 13
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 4 In total, 1,305,824 fourth graders read 47,253,713 books and 390,088,862,708 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 281,169 for boys and 301,025 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 8 2 1 3 2 4 3 5 5 6 4 7 6 8 7 9 10 10 9 11 8 12 14 13 12 14 11 15 13 Overall Boys Girls Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume (3.3, MG) Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) The Stranger, Chris Van Allsburg (3.7, LG) Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner (4.0, MG) Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan (3.4, MG) Grandfather's Journey, Allen Say (3.6, LG) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (5.1, MG) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey (4.3, MG) 16 16 Frindle, Andrew Clements (5.4, MG) 17 15 18 22 19 17 Captain Underpants and the Invasion... Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Christine King Farris (5.0, LG) Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume (3.3, MG) Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey (4.3, MG) Captain Underpants and the Invasion... Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Stranger, Chris Van Allsburg (3.7, LG) Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner (4.0, MG) Grandfather's Journey, Allen Say (3.6, LG) Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Lincoln Peirce (3.1, MG) Big Nate Strikes Again, Lincoln Peirce (3.0, MG) Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part I: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets, Dav Pilkey (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume (3.3, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) The Stranger, Chris Van Allsburg (3.7, LG) Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, Rachel Renée Russell (4.9, MG) Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan (3.4, MG) Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner (4.0, MG) Grandfather's Journey, Allen Say (3.6, LG) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (5.1, MG) My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Christine King Farris (5.0, LG) Frindle, Andrew Clements (5.4, MG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) 20 29 Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan (3.4, MG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) 14
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 4 (continued) 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 21 22 19 Overall Boys Girls The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (5.1, MG) Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, Mark Teague (3.6, LG) A Bad Case of Stripes, David Shannon (3.8, LG) 23 20 Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (4.4, MG) Big Nate on a Roll, Lincoln Peirce (2.9, MG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) 24 1,478 25 118 26 23 27 31 28 50 29 25 The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, Mark Teague (3.6, LG) Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Lincoln Peirce (3.1, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) 30 270 The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (3.1, LG) 31 86 32 33 Big Nate Strikes Again, Lincoln Peirce (3.0, MG) Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod, Robert J. Blake (3.3, LG) 33 26 Charlotte's Web, E.B. White (4.4, MG) 34 30 Heat Wave!, Helen Ketteman (4.2, LG) 35 18 The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) 36 37 Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) 37 24 38 38 39 35 Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part I: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets, Dav Pilkey (5.2, MG) The Great Kapok Tree, Lynne Cherry (3.8, LG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) 40 46 The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo- Boogers, Dav Pilkey (4.9, MG) My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Christine King Farris (5.0, LG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers, Dav Pilkey (2.2, MG) Frindle, Andrew Clements (5.4, MG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Jon Scieszka (3.0, LG) The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future, Dav Pilkey (2.5, LG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, Mark Teague (3.6, LG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod, Robert J. Blake (3.3, LG) The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (3.1, LG) Heat Wave!, Helen Ketteman (4.2, LG) Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (4.4, MG) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) Charlotte's Web, E.B. White (4.4, MG) Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (4.4, MG) Heat Wave!, Helen Ketteman (4.2, LG) The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (3.1, LG) The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (2.6, LG) Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod, Robert J. Blake (3.3, LG) Bad Kitty Meets the Baby, Nick Bruel (3.6, LG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty, Nick Bruel (3.6, LG) The Great Kapok Tree, Lynne Cherry (3.8, LG) The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg (3.8, LG) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst (3.7, LG) James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (4.8, MG) Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, Barbara Park (3.0, LG) Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, Nick Bruel (3.7, LG) Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella, Robert D. San Souci (3.7, LG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by fourth graders was 4.6 overall, 4.5 for boys, and 4.4 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 15
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 5 In total, 1,270,305 fifth graders read 34,388,276 books and 500,680,145,437 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 367,347 for boys and 402,863 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 8 2 1 3 2 4 92 5 3 6 4 7 5 Overall Boys Girls Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 8 6 Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) 9 7 Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) 10 8 Frindle, Andrew Clements (5.4, MG) Frindle, Andrew Clements (5.4, MG) 11 194 12 10 13 38 Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare (4.9, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) 14 14 Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) 15 12 16 8 17 9 18 13 19 15 20 17 Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, Rachel Renée Russell (4.9, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare (4.9, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey (4.3, MG) Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Lincoln Peirce (3.1, MG) Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, Rachel Renée Russell (4.9, MG) Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) Frindle, Andrew Clements (5.4, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare (4.9, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures, Brian Selznick (5.1, MG) 16
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 43 22 20 23 22 Grade 5 (continued) Overall Boys Girls The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures, Brian Selznick (5.1, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) 24 27 Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) 25 398 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 26 11 27 34 28 24 29 23 30 25 31 8 The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, Dav Pilkey (4.7, MG) The Reptile Room, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Big Nate Strikes Again, Lincoln Peirce (3.0, MG) Captain Underpants and the Invasion... Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) Big Nate on a Roll, Lincoln Peirce (2.9, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part I: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets, Dav Pilkey (5.2, MG) 32 28 Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (4.4, MG) Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) 33 29 34 26 35 47 36 30 37 37 38 76 39 31 40 33 Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Lincoln Peirce (3.1, MG) Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary (4.9, MG) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (5.1, MG) Big Nate Strikes Again, Lincoln Peirce (3.0, MG) The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey (4.3, MG) Captain Underpants and the Invasion... Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, Dav Pilkey (4.4, MG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Tom Angleberger (4.7, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures, Brian Selznick (5.1, MG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) The Reptile Room, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) The Wide Window, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary (4.9, MG) The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (5.1, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (4.4, MG) Dying to Meet You, Kate Klise (4.9, MG) Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster, Debra Frasier (5.3, LG) Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jamie Kelly, Jim Benton (6.1, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) The Miserable Mill, Lemony Snicket (6.2, MG) Am I the Princess or the Frog? by Jamie Kelly, Jim Benton (5.6, MG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by fifth graders was 5.2 overall, 5.1 for boys, and 5.2 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 17
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 6 In total, 900,972 sixth graders read 14,955,239 books and 396,055,466,067 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 391,219 for boys and 456,354 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 8 2 11 3 1 4 25 5 2 Overall Boys Girls Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) 6 6 Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) 7 5 8 3 9 4 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 10 7 Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) 11 36 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 12 9 13 8 Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) 14 18 Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) 15 14 Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) 16 17 The Cay, Theodore Taylor (5.3, MG) 17 8 18 21 19 10 20 44 The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) The Cay, Theodore Taylor (5.3, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, Rachel Renée Russell (4.9, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) The Cay, Theodore Taylor (5.3, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) 18
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 19 22 26 Grade 6 (continued) Overall Boys Girls The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) 23 20 Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) 24 8 25 23 Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, Rachel Renée Russell (4.9, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) 26 16 The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) 27 24 The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) 28 13 29 28 30 34 31 12 32 15 The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix (4.8, MG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) 33 22 The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) 34 29 35 31 36 27 37 30 38 1,209 39 32 40 33 The Reptile Room, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) The Wide Window, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix (4.8, MG) Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Lincoln Peirce (3.1, MG) Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, James Patterson (4.5, MG) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) The Reptile Room, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Big Nate Strikes Again, Lincoln Peirce (3.0, MG) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (6.8, MG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix (4.8, MG) The Reptile Room, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) The Wide Window, Lemony Snicket (6.3, MG) Esperanza Rising, Pam Muñoz Ryan (5.3, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Miserable Mill, Lemony Snicket (6.2, MG) Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (3.9, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures, Brian Selznick (5.1, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) The Austere Academy, Lemony Snicket (6.7, MG) Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by sixth graders was 5.2 overall, 5.2 for boys, and 5.3 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 19
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 7 In total, 673,039 seventh graders read 7,659,846 books and 285,739,507,337 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 357,493 for boys and 450,418 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 3 2 8 3 10 Overall Boys Girls The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 4 2 The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) 5 14 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 6 1 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) 7 5 The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) 8 4 9 7 10 6 11 8 12 9 13 8 14 19 15 12 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rudyard Kipling (5.0, LG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rudyard Kipling (5.0, LG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) 16 15 Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) 17 20 The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) 18 17 The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) 19 11 The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) 20 22 Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rudyard Kipling (5.0, LG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (5.1, MG) Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renée Russell (5.4, MG) 20
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 23 A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) 22 13 23 16 24 18 25 24 Grade 7 (continued) Overall Boys Girls The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) 26 21 The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) 27 1,294 28 26 29 35 30 25 The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor (5.7, MG) Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix (4.8, MG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) 31 27 Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) 32 29 The Cay, Theodore Taylor (5.3, MG) 33 31 34 33 35 28 36 32 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen (5.3, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) 37 38 Tangerine, Edward Bloor (4.3, MG) 38 30 39 37 40 49 Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) A Christmas Carol (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (6.7, MG) The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen (5.3, MG) Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix (4.8, MG) The Cay, Theodore Taylor (5.3, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor (5.7, MG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz (5.1, MG+) Tangerine, Edward Bloor (4.3, MG) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) A Christmas Carol (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (6.7, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, James Patterson (4.5, MG) Inheritance, Christopher Paolini (7.5, UG) Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, Rachel Renée Russell (4.9, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) New Moon, Stephenie Meyer (4.7, UG) Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix (4.8, MG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor (5.7, MG) The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (6.4, MG) Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (4.9, MG) Matched, Ally Condie (4.8, UG) Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen (5.3, MG) Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard (4.5, UG) Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer (4.5, UG) The Cay, Theodore Taylor (5.3, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, James Patterson (4.6, MG+) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Flipped, Wendelin Van Draanen (4.8, UG) Someone to Love Me, Anne Schraff (4.5, MG+) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by seventh graders was 5.2 overall, 5.2 for boys, and 5.2 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 21
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 8 In total, 604,199 eighth graders read 5,981,922 books and 261,894,852,094 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 356,220 for boys and 475,424 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 2 2 5 Overall Boys Girls The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 3 1 The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) 4 6 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 5 3 The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) 6 8 7 4 8 11 9 9 10 8 11 7 12 8 13 10 14 12 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) The Diary of Anne Frank, Frances Goodrich (3.1, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) 15 16 The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) 16 13 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) 17 21 A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) 18 19 Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) 19 20 20 14 To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) The Diary of Anne Frank, Frances Goodrich (3.1, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) The Diary of Anne Frank, Frances Goodrich (3.1, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Jeff Kinney (5.5, MG) Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Matched, Ally Condie (4.8, UG) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne (5.8, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (5.2, MG) 22
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 15 22 31 Grade 8 (continued) Overall Boys Girls The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne (5.8, UG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) 23 26 The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) 24 2,445 25 18 26 17 27 23 28 33 The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) Inheritance, Christopher Paolini (7.5, UG) Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) The Call of the Wild, Jack London (8.0, MG) Beastly, Alex Flinn (3.7, UG) Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard (4.5, UG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (5.4, MG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Someone to Love Me, Anne Schraff (4.5, MG+) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) New Moon, Stephenie Meyer (4.7, UG) The Pigman, Paul Zindel (5.5, UG) 29 25 Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) The Pigman, Paul Zindel (5.5, UG) Uglies, Scott Westerfeld (5.2, MG+) 30 40 The Call of the Wild, Jack London (8.0, MG) 31 30 The Pigman, Paul Zindel (5.5, UG) 32 28 My Brother Sam Is Dead, James Lincoln Collier (4.9, MG) 33 32 Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) 34 34 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) 35 35 Nothing But the Truth, Avi (3.6, UG) 36 38 The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) 37 42 Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) 38 41 Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen (5.3, MG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) My Brother Sam Is Dead, James Lincoln Collier (4.9, MG) Nothing But the Truth, Avi (3.6, UG) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne (5.8, UG) Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz (5.1, MG+) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher (3.9, MG+) The Help, Kathryn Stockett (4.4, UG) Nothing But the Truth, Avi (3.6, UG) Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper (4.3, UG) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (6.7, MG) Forged by Fire, Sharon M. Draper (4.7, MG) Freak the Mighty/The Mighty, Rodman Philbrick (5.5, UG) Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer (4.5, UG) The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) 39 45 Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) Eragon, Christopher Paolini (5.6, UG) Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (4.5, UG) 40 56 The Monkey's Paw, W.W. Jacobs (6.5, UG) The Ruins of Gorlan, John Flanagan (7.0, MG) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor (5.7, MG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by eighth graders was 5.3 overall, 5.2 for boys, and 5.2 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 23
Section I: Overall Reading Grade 9 12 In total, 455,684 ninth twelfth graders read 2,683,046 books and 139,989,185,671 words during the 2011 12 school year. The average number of words read was 246,826 for boys and 338,795 for girls. 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 1 1 2 6 Overall Boys Girls The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 3 7 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 4 2 5 3 Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (4.5, UG) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) 6 4 Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (4.5, UG) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (4.5, UG) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) 7 8 Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) 8 10 A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) 9 22 Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) 10 13 The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) 11 9 Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) 12 11 13 12 14 17 15 18 Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) Lord of the Flies, William Golding (5.0, UG) The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) Inheritance, Christopher Paolini (7.5, UG) The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell (5.3, UG) Lord of the Flies, William Golding (5.0, UG) 16 29 The Crucible, Arthur Miller (4.9, UG) The Crucible, Arthur Miller (4.9, UG) 17 28 The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell (5.3, UG) 18 15 Crank, Ellen Hopkins (4.3, UG) 19 23 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 20 19 The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher (3.9, MG+) The Help, Kathryn Stockett (4.4, UG) Crank, Ellen Hopkins (4.3, UG) Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks (5.1, UG) The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks (5.5, UG) The Crucible, Arthur Miller (4.9, UG) Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (4.5, UG) Marked: A House of Night Novel, P.C. Cast (5.4, UG) 24
Section I: Overall Reading 11 12 10 11 Rank Overall 21 33 Grade 9 12 (continued) Overall Boys Girls Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher (3.9, MG+) 22 25 Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (4.5, UG) 23 8 The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) 24 1,273 The Help, Kathryn Stockett (4.4, UG) 25 76 Frankenstein (Unabridged), Mary Shelley (12.4, UG) Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) Frankenstein (Unabridged), Mary Shelley (12.4, UG) The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (4.1, MG) The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan (4.2, MG) 26 8 Inheritance, Christopher Paolini (7.5, UG) Eragon, Christopher Paolini (5.6, UG) 27 43 The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) Gym Candy, Carl Deuker (4.6, UG) 28 5 29 32 The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks (5.1, UG) Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper (4.3, UG) The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (4.5, MG) The Lucky One, Nicholas Sparks (5.0, UG) The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) Dear John, Nicholas Sparks (5.5, UG) A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks (5.8, UG) Lord of the Flies, William Golding (5.0, UG) Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles (4.2, UG) Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard (4.5, UG) Beastly, Alex Flinn (3.7, UG) Frankenstein (Unabridged), Mary Shelley (12.4, UG) 30 27 The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks (5.5, UG) Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (5.7, MG) Glass, Ellen Hopkins (3.7, UG) 31 20 32 101 33 21 Marked: A House of Night Novel, P.C. Cast (5.4, UG) The Lucky One, Nicholas Sparks (5.0, UG) The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (4.6, MG) 34 14 Dear John, Nicholas Sparks (5.5, UG) 35 26 A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks (5.8, UG) 36 65 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 37 64 38 30 39 102 Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles (4.2, UG) The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (4.3, MG) The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) The Maze Runner, James Dashner (5.3, UG) Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper (4.3, UG) We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success, Sampson Davis (5.8, UG) The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (4.8, MG) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney (5.8, MG) Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (4.8, UG) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling (5.5, MG) 40 87 Anthem, Ayn Rand (6.1, UG) Brisingr, Christopher Paolini (7.8, UG) The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell (5.3, UG) If I Stay, Gayle Forman (5.3, UG) Betrayed: A House of Night Novel, P.C. Cast (5.4, UG) Along for the Ride, Sarah Dessen (4.7, UG) Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) Just Listen, Sarah Dessen (4.9, UG) Burned, Ellen Hopkins (4.2, UG) Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, Todd Burpo (6.3, MG+) New Moon, Stephenie Meyer (4.7, UG) Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper (4.3, UG) * The average ATOS book level of the top 40 books read by ninth twelfth graders was 5.6 overall, 5.7 for boys, and 5.4 for girls. Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 8 Title published after 2012 report publication. 25
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Section II: Award Winners The Randolph Caldecott Medal and the John Newbery Medal are book awards given out annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). According to the ALA, the Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott and is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children, while the Newbery Medal, the very first children s book award, was named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery and is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children (www.ala.org). 1 This section comprises the full lists of Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 2013 (p. 30) and Newbery Medal Winners, 1922 2013 (p. 32) since the inception of these awards. The lists also include 10-year ATOS book level averages to show how the level of text complexity has changed over time for these awards and an overall ranking for each title within a specific grade range, grades 1 5 for the Caldecott winners and grades 6 8 for the Newbery winners, based on how frequently these titles were read during the 2011 2012 school year. Why do kids read the books they read? What influences students reading choices? There is no doubt that many factors come into play each time a student pulls a book from a library shelf or downloads a new title on an e-reader. To explore in more depth what may be motivating students to choose one book over another, Renaissance Learning sought feedback about student book selection from authors, educators, and students. In this section, guest essayist Doreen Cronin, author of Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, a 2001 Caldecott Honor Book, provides commentary (p. 29). I m reading A Ghost in the House because I like scary books! -Fourth-grade girl I m reading Brisingr because my Grandma recommended it to me. -Seventh-grade boy I m reading The Hunger Games for the sixth time because it s awesome. -Fourth-grade boy I m reading Ready Freddy: Tooth Trouble because I got four teeth pulled. -Third-grade boy I m reading The Power of Six. I chose to read it because the book I am Number Four was really good. -Sixth-grade boy 1 Honor Books are titles not awarded a medal but cited by the Caldecott and Newbery committees as worthy of attention. 27
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Why Do Kids Read What They Read? By Doreen Cronin I have two grade-school daughters. One loves everything that the other one hates, and vice versa. We recently spent a few interesting hours at a petting zoo one daughter grabbed a bucket of feed and a baby bottle (yes, they let you do that!) and ran up to the biggest llama she could find. The other one handed the bucket and the bottle right back to me and then declared the entire loud, smelly, disgusting visit a horror show. Our next stop was the aviary. One child delighted at the birds that landed on her arms to peck at a feeding stick. The other one, of course, threw the feeding stick on the ground and ran shrieking. One day, one family, two very different perspectives. If both girls were to sit down and write about the day s adventure (would have been a great exercise, but I was way too tired!), one could be titled The Day I Spoke to the Animals, while the other would be The Day I was Held Hostage in a Giant Bird Net. The same varied tastes and preferences that children bring to the day, to the table, to their closets, and to the petting zoo, they bring to their reading. My kids, like all kids, need different things to satisfy them. The girls always pack books for road trips to Grandma s house and summer vacations. One child s suitcase is full of graphic novels and nonfiction books. The other s is full of princesses and puppies. If I switched their suitcases, it would be like switching their lunchboxes (which also have little in common). Ew! they would shriek. This is gross! I hate this stuff. I m gonna STARVE! And rightly so. The wrong books might as well be the wrong food or the wrong size shoes. The books kids read largely depend on which part of the world is calling to them, confusing them, scaring them, or making them laugh. For that matter, it also depends on which part of themselves they are ready to show the world. For me, as a kid riding my bike to the library it meant freedom. I can t remember which books I read. But I can still remember the indescribable feeling of exercising choice. I had to go to school, I had to do my homework, I had to share a room with my sister, and I had to follow rules that I didn t make. But my books were my choice. I could read whatever I wanted. Fiction, nonfiction, terrifying, supernatural, sappy, honest, funny, or straightforward. It s a child s first real exercise of choice. I don t think kids know most of the time why they choose the books they do they just get to choose and that, in itself, can be enough to ignite that reading spark. Choice is powerful. My trips to the library grew into bike rides to my friends houses where we would listen to albums and spend hours reading and memorizing lyrics from the inside of the album covers. Later, Teen Beat and Tiger Beat. Literature? Not at all. Powerful? Yes. We had freedom. We exercised choice. We read, laughed, wondered about, memorized and then grew out of old worlds and into new ones. We made choices that mattered and still do. Doreen Cronin is the New York Times best-selling author of picture books such as Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, a Caldecott Honor Book; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Duck for President; Mom Operating Manual; and the Diary of Worm, Spider, and Fly books. She also wrote The Trouble With Chickens, the first book in the J.J. Tully Mystery series, and its sequel The Legend of Diamond Lil. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family. 29
Section II: Award Winners Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 2013 Award Year Caldecott Medal 30 2011 12 Rank, Grades 1 5 2013 One Cool Friend, Toni Buzzeo (3.1, LG) (HB) 20,244 2012 Me...Jane, Patrick McDonnell (3.2, LG) (HB) 8,214 2011 A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Philip C. Stead (3.0, LG) 2,422 2010 Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, Joyce Sidman (3.2, LG) (HB) 12,151 2009 A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, Marla Frazee (3.4, LG) (HB) 2,891 2008 The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures, Brian Selznick (5.1, MG) 188 2007 Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, Carole Boston Weatherford (4.0, LG) (HB) 2006 The Hello, Goodbye Window, Norton Juster (3.4, LG) 1,463 2005 Kitten's First Full Moon, Kevin Henkes (2.3, LG) 351 2004 The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, Mordicai Gerstein (3.7, LG) 907 2003 The Spider and the Fly, Mary Botham Howitt (4.8, LG) (HB) 1,038 2002 The Three Pigs, David Wiesner (2.3, LG) 1,103 2001 So You Want to Be President?, Judith St. George (4.8, MG) 1,397 2000 Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, Simms Taback (1.7, LG) 1,123 1999 Snowflake Bentley, Jacqueline Briggs Martin (4.4, LG) 846 6,404 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average 1998 Rapunzel, Paul O. Zelinsky (4.6, LG) 2,832 3.6 1997 Golem, David Wisniewski (4.3, MG) 27,494 1996 Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann (3.4, LG) 17 1995 Smoky Night, Eve Bunting (2.4, LG) 3,141 1994 Grandfather's Journey, Allen Say (3.6, LG) 287 1993 Mirette on the High Wire, Emily Arnold McCully (3.6, LG) 2,412 1992 Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold (3.4, LG) (HB) 771 1991 Black and White, David Macaulay (3.4, LG) 8,271 1990 Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, Ed Young (3.5, LG) 184 1989 Song and Dance Man, Karen Ackerman (4.0, LG) 704 1988 Owl Moon, Jane Yolen (3.2, LG) 266 3.5 1987 Hey, Al, Arthur Yorinks (2.1, LG) 1,753 1986 The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg (3.8, LG) 50 1985 Saint George and the Dragon, Margaret Hodges (5.6, LG) 7,223 1984 The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Blériot, Alice Provensen (2.6, LG) 8,538 1983 Shadow, Blaise Cendrars (3.2, LG) 16,631 1982 Jumanji, Chris Van Allsburg (3.9, LG) 989 1981 Fables, Arnold Lobel (4.2, MG) 7,625 1980 Ox-Cart Man, Donald Hall (4.5, LG) 1,031 1979 The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, Paul Goble (4.1, MG) 1,738 H 1978 It Could Always Be Worse, Margot Zemach (3.7, LG) (HB) 9155 3.8
Section II: Award Winners Award Year Caldecott Medal (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 1 5 1977 Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, Margaret Musgrove (4.9, LG) 35,788 1976 Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale, Verna Aardema (4.0, LG) 372 1975 Arrow to the Sun, Gerald McDermott (2.7, LG) 1,843 1974 Duffy and the Devil, Harve Zemach (4.9, LG) 26,841 1973 The Funny Little Woman, Arlene Mosel (3.6, LG) 1,529 1972 One Fine Day, Nonny Hogrogian (3.5, LG) 630 1971 A Story, A Story, Gail E. Haley (4.2, LG) 2,612 1970 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, William Steig (4.0, LG) 348 1969 The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale, Arthur Ransome (4.7, LG) 19,141 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average 1968 Drummer Hoff, Barbara Emberley (4.7, LG) 1,889 4.1 1967 Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, Evaline Ness (3.6, LG) 5,051 1966 Always Room for One More, Sorche Nic Leodhas (4.3, LG) 8,757 1965 May I Bring a Friend?, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (2.7, LG) 1,197 1964 Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (3.4, LG) 20 1963 The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats (2.5, LG) 62 1962 Once a Mouse..., Marcia Brown (3.2, LG) 1,716 1961 Inch by Inch, Leo Lionni (1.8, LG) (HB) 784 1960 Nine Days to Christmas, Marie Hall Ets (3.8, LG) 17,079 1959 Chanticleer and the Fox, Geoffrey Chaucer (4.6, LG) 12,334 1958 Time of Wonder, Robert McCloskey (5.1, LG) 12,674 3.5 1957 A Tree Is Nice, Janice May Udry (2.2, LG) 978 1956 Frog Went A-Courtin', John Langstaff (2.7, LG) 4,152 1955 Cinderella, Marcia Brown (5.1, LG) 6,435 1954 Madeline's Rescue, Ludwig Bemelmans (3.2, LG) 661 1953 The Biggest Bear, Lynd Ward (3.9, LG) 1,871 1952 Finders Keepers, William Lipkind (2.8, LG) 8,502 1951 The Egg Tree, Katherine Milhous (3.5, LG) 19,266 1950 Song of the Swallows, Leo Politi (4.6, LG) 12,206 1949 The Big Snow, Berta Hader (4.3, LG) 2,487 1948 White Snow Bright Snow, Alvin Tresselt (4.2, LG) 1,924 3.7 1947 The Little Island, Margaret Wise Brown (3.6, LG) 1,982 1946 The Rooster Crows, Maud and Miska Petersha No AR quiz 1945 Yonie Wondernose, Marguerite De Angeli (4.1, LG) (HB) 59,334 1944 Many Moons, James Thurber (4.5, LG) 6,006 1943 The Little House, Virginia Lee Burton (4.2, LG) 941 1942 Make Way for Ducklings, Robert McCloskey (4.1, LG) 577 1941 They Were Strong and Good, Robert Lawson (4.1, LG) 40,972 31
Section II: Award Winners Award Year Caldecott Medal (concluded) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 1 5 1940 Abraham Lincoln, Ingri D'Aulaire (5.2, LG) 30,532 1939 Andy and the Lion, James Daugherty (3.6, LG) (HB) 5,708 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average 1938 Animals of the Bible, Dorothy P. Lathrop (6.6, MG) 83,257 4.4 Average ATOS Book Level: 3.8 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. (HB) indicates that an AR quiz was unavailable for the Caldecott Medal winner, so the most-read Caldecott Honor Book for that award year was included in the list in lieu of the Medal winner. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 1 5 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 1 5 during the 2011 2012 school year. A H denotes the most-read Caldecott Medal winner. The 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average demonstrates how the level of text complexity has changed over time for the Caldecott Medal winners. Newbery Medal Winners, 1922 2013 Award Year Newbery Medal 2011 12 Rank, Grades 6 8 2013 The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate (3.6, MG) 23,227 2012 Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos (5.7, MG) 2,135 2011 Moon over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool (5.3, MG) 1,309 2010 When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead (4.5, MG) 430 2009 The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (5.1, MG+) 387 2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, Laura Amy Schlitz (5.6, MG) 4,176 2007 The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron (5.9, MG) 3,180 2006 Criss Cross, Lynne Rae Perkins (5.5, MG+) 1,897 2005 Kira-Kira, Cynthia Kadohata (4.7, MG) 796 2004 The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo (4.7, MG) 182 2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Avi (5.0, MG) 228 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average 2002 A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park (6.6, MG) 457 5.3 2001 A Year down Yonder, Richard Peck (4.5, MG) 417 2000 Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) 43 1999 Holes, Louis Sachar (4.6, MG) 17 1998 Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse (5.3, MG) 95 1997 The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg (5.9, MG) 711 1996 The Midwife's Apprentice, Karen Cushman (6.0, MG) 1,031 1995 Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech (4.9, MG) 72 H 1994 The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) 11 1993 Missing May, Cynthia Rylant (5.3, MG) 1,427 1992 Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (4.4, MG) 160 5.2 1991 Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli (4.7, MG) 41 32
Section II: Award Winners Award Year Newbery Medal (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 6 8 1990 Number the Stars, Lois Lowry (4.5, MG) 14 1989 Scorpions, Walter Dean Myers (3.7, UG) (HB) 745 1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography, Russell Freedman (7.7, MG) 6,804 1987 The Whipping Boy, Sid Fleischman (3.9, MG) 335 1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan (3.4, MG) 588 1985 The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley (7.0, MG) 8,224 1984 Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary (4.9, MG) 376 1983 Dicey's Song, Cynthia Voigt (5.0, MG) 3,158 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average 1982 A Visit to William Blake's Inn, Nancy Willard (4.5, MG) 29,992 4.9 1981 Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson (5.7, MG) 1,804 1980 A Gathering of Days, Joan W. Blos (6.7, MG) 12,344 1979 The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin (5.3, MG) 65 1978 Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (4.6, MG) 47 1977 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor (5.7, MG) 40 1976 The Grey King, Susan Cooper (6.2, MG) 8,488 1975 M.C. Higgins, the Great, Virginia Hamilton (4.4, MG) 15,301 1974 The Slave Dancer, Paula Fox (6.0, MG) 1,787 1973 Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George (5.8, MG) 538 1972 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH/The Secret of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien (5.1, MG) 287 5.6 1971 The Summer of the Swans, Betsy Byars (4.9, MG) 346 1970 Sounder, William H. Armstrong (5.3, MG) 164 1969 The High King, Lloyd Alexander (6.1, MG) 15,449 1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg (4.7, MG) 235 1967 Up a Road Slowly, Irene Hunt (6.6, MG) 12,699 1966 I, Juan de Pareja, Elizabeth Borton de Treviño (6.5, MG) 6,190 1965 Shadow of a Bull, Maia Wojciechowska (5.2, MG) 5,879 1964 It's Like This, Cat, Emily Cheney Neville (4.7, MG) 7,735 1963 A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle (4.7, MG) 96 1962 The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare (5.0, MG) 1,197 5.4 1961 Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell (5.4, MG) 63 1960 Onion John, Joseph Krumgold (4.5, MG) 16,357 1959 The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare (5.7, MG) 217 1958 Rifles for Watie, Harold Keith (6.1, MG) 2,225 1957 Miracles on Maple Hill, Virginia Sorensen (4.9, MG) 9,773 1956 Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, Jean Lee Latham (4.1, MG) 13,750 1955 The Wheel on the School, Meindert De Jong (4.7, MG) 21,294 1954 And Now Miguel, Joseph Krumgold (4.8, MG) 18,084 1953 Secret of the Andes, Ann Nolan Clark (4.7, MG) 6,615 33
Section II: Award Winners Award Year Newbery Medal (concluded) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 6 8 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average 1952 Ginger Pye, Eleanor Estes (6.0, MG) 1,782 5.0 1951 Amos Fortune, Free Man, Elizabeth Yates (6.5, MG) 2,208 1950 The Door in the Wall, Marguerite De Angeli (6.2, MG) 2,237 1949 King of the Wind, Marguerite Henry (5.4, MG) 3,345 1948 The Twenty-One Balloons, William Péne du Bois (6.8, MG) 1,580 1947 Miss Hickory, Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (5.9, MG) 21,416 1946 Strawberry Girl, Lois Lenski (4.8, MG) 13,582 1945 Rabbit Hill, Robert Lawson (6.4, MG) 4,010 1944 Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes (5.9, MG) 385 1943 Adam of the Road, Elizabeth Janet Gray (6.5, MG) 5,940 1942 The Matchlock Gun, Walter D. Edmonds (5.1, MG) 5,592 6.0 1941 Call It Courage, Armstrong Sperry (6.2, MG) 239 1940 Daniel Boone, James Daugherty (7.7, MG) 78,442 1939 Thimble Summer, Elizabeth Enright (5.7, MG) 20,124 1938 The White Stag, Kate Seredy (6.6, MG) 12,190 1937 Roller Skates, Ruth Sawyer (6.3, MG) 26,069 1936 Caddie Woodlawn, Carol Ryrie Brink (6.0, MG) 2,280 1935 Dobry, Monica Shannon (5.6, MG) 103,615 1934 Invincible Louisa, Cornelia Meigs (8.0, UG) 59,347 1933 Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, Elizabeth Foreman Lewis (6.4, MG) 27,790 1932 Waterless Mountain, Laura Adams Armer (5.6, MG) 85,925 6.4 1931 The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Elizabeth Coatsworth (5.9, MG) 4,911 1930 Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, Rachel Field (7.1, MG) 24,377 1929 The Trumpeter of Krakow, Eric Kelly (7.1, UG) 14,873 1928 Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon, Dhan Gopal Mukerji (6.5, MG) 29,801 1927 Smoky the Cow Horse, Will James (6.5, MG) 11,365 1926 Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children, Arthur Bowie Chrisman (5.4, MG) 45,467 1925 Tales from Silver Lands, Charles J. Finger (6.2, MG) 74,656 1924 The Dark Frigate, Charles Boardman Hawes (6.7, UG) 46,149 1923 The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, Hugh Lofting (5.7, MG) 8,111 1922 The Story of Mankind (Updated), Hendrik Willem Van Loon (9.9, UG) 95,226 6.7 Average ATOS Book Level: 5.6 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. (HB) indicates that an AR quiz was unavailable for the Newbery Medal winner, so the most-read Newbery Honor Book for that award year was included in the list in lieu of the Medal winner. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 6 8 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 6 8 during the 2011 2012 school year. A H denotes the most-read Newbery Medal winner. The 10-Year ATOS Book Level Average demonstrates how the level of text complexity has changed over time for the Newbery Medal winners. 34
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Following the publication of previous What Kids Are Reading reports, educators and reading researchers have asked, Are the books on these lists chosen by students to read, or assigned to them? This is a great question, and an especially relevant one given that the Common Core State Standards have brought new attention to the material students read. Of particular interest are the challenges that high school educators are facing in ensuring that the texts assigned to students are sufficiently challenging and complex, and that students are exposed to enough informational text. 2 Until now, we simply did not know very much about assigned texts in our database. Anecdotally, we knew that the book reading we were capturing included both assigned and self-selected texts, but we lacked data regarding which books were assigned most often. To shed light on this issue, we conducted a survey of educators to understand which books they most commonly assign. Anticipating the next question how has this changed over the years? we also conducted a literature review of similar studies over the past century. This section presents the results of both our survey and the literature review. Each list of books includes an average ATOS book level to show how the level of text complexity has changed over time for assigned reading in high school and an overall ranking for each title within grades 9 12, based on how frequently these titles were read during the 2011 2012 school year. Together, this information presents a fascinating overview of the books that high school students have been assigned to read over time, and how these reading requirements have evolved. The data The Renaissance Learning survey was conducted in the fall of 2012. A total of 685 teachers at elementary (76), middle (384), and high school (225) levels participated I m reading Earth. I chose this book because it was about Earth, and I wanted to see how much I really know about Earth. -Fifth-grade girl I m reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because its words are so powerful and make me feel like I am in the book. -Fourth-grade girl I m reading Front Page Face-Off. I chose to read the book because it was about journalism and when I grow up I want to become a news anchor. -Sixth-grade girl I m reading I Survived: The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941. It is a good story and I like historical fiction. -Sixth-grade boy 2 Gewertz, C. (2012, August 15). New research expands thinking on text complexity. Education Week. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/08/new_research_expands_thinking_.html Gewertz, C. (2012, March 13). Districts gear up for shift to informational texts. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/03/14/24informational_ep.h31.html 35
in the online survey, but the results presented here reflect only the 225 high school respondents to be consistent with the surveys included in the literature review, all of which were high school focused. The 225 respondents were from 216 high schools in 45 states. High school teachers were presented with a list of the 75 books most commonly read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year and were asked to indicate which of those books they assigned to students during that school year. They were also provided the opportunity to write in additional assigned titles. The results of the Renaissance Learning Survey of Assigned Books (2012) are presented on p. 46. The literature review included the following prior surveys of assigned texts in high school: Tanner (1907) (see p. 40) reported the results of a survey that identified the most commonly assigned texts in 67 high schools serving grades 9 12 in the Midwest. 3 Few details about the survey sample or methodology were provided. Hudelson (1923) (see p. 41) conducted a survey to identify texts that educators indicated were required or recommended in 38 state high school English courses. 4 Details about the survey sample and methodology were not provided. Anderson (1964) (see p. 42) administered a questionnaire to a randomly selected sample of 222 public high schools in the U.S. 5 The questionnaire sought information about the literature being taught to all students in English classes. Applebee (1989) (see p. 44) followed Anderson s (1964) methods, randomly selecting schools and receiving responses from 322 public high schools. 6 The survey was sent to department heads and requested they identify all works of literature that all students were required to study in any English course. Stotsky, Traffas, and Woodworth (2010) (see p. 45) surveyed a nationally representative sample of 406 teachers of English in U.S. public schools, focusing on grades 9, 10, and 11. 7 Caveats Please note: Caution should be exercised in making inferences about the changing nature of assigned texts over time, because for the most part, the surveys involved different methodologies, instruments, and target populations. Only Applebee (1989) sought to replicate Anderson s (1964) methods. Furthermore, only the Anderson (1964), Applebee (1989), and Stotsky et al. (2010) studies attempted to create representative samples of U.S. high schools by creating stratified random samples. The other studies used samples of convenience, and two of those (Tanner, 1907 and Hudelson, 1923) were relatively small. Although the 2012 Renaissance Learning survey sample is fairly sizable and broad in geographic terms, it is a convenience sample of Accelerated Reader users and may not be representative. If all of the instruments and methods had remained consistent over the years, the results presented here may have been different. Observations As one would expect, the results of the surveys indicate lots of change. Authors and titles that were prevalent 100 years ago make way for newer classics. John Milton, Alfred Tennyson, and Washington Irving are 3 Tanner, G. W. (1907). Report of the committee appointed by the English Conference to inquire into the teaching of English in the high schools of the middle west. The School Review, 15(1), 32 45. 4 Hudelson, E. (1923). Our courses of study in literature. The English Journal, 12(7), 481 487. 5 Anderson, S. (1964). Between the Grimms and The Group : Literature in American high schools. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. 6 Applebee, A. N. (1989). A study of book-length works taught in high school English courses. Report 1.2. New York: Center for the Learning and Teaching of Literature. 7 Stotsky, S., Traffas, J., & Woodworth, J. (2010). Forum 4: Literary study in grades 9, 10, and 11: A national survey. Boston, MA: Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers. Available online from http://www.alscw.org/publications/forum/forum_4.pdf 36
replaced by John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. But what is also interesting are the authors and titles with staying power. Among the authors most commonly assigned to high school students over the past 100+ years, the only constants are William Shakespeare and Nathanial Hawthorne. Titles such as Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet have remained popular choices in particular. Charles Dickens made every top 40 list except in 2012, when A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol both narrowly missed the cut, coming in at 42 and 48, respectively. Educators, policy makers, and researchers will no doubt be interested in the text complexity of assigned texts, and how it has changed over the years. As mentioned, the tables in this section present average ATOS book levels for each top 40 required reading list. We rely on ATOS as a proxy for text complexity. ATOS is a free and widely used measure, and it takes into consideration word (vocabulary difficulty and Educators, policy makers, and researchers will no doubt be interested in the text complexity of assigned texts, and how it has changed over the years. word length) and sentence (length) features in estimating the difficulty of text. Although ATOS has been evaluated and found to be a reliable and valid quantitative indicator of text complexity, 8 keep in mind that Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) defines text complexity as being shaped by qualitative and reader-task considerations (requiring human judgment) 9 in addition to quantitative information. 10 On the ATOS grade-level scale, the average complexity of the texts reported in Tanner (1907) was 9.0, followed by Hudelson (1923) with 9.1. From there, it was lower in every subsequent survey 8.2 in Anderson s 1964 survey, 7.2 in Applebee s 1989 survey, 6.7 in the Stotsky et al. (2010) survey, and 6.2 in our 2012 survey. 11 This apparent decline in the complexity of reading material assigned to high school students is very much in line with findings from a number of other studies. CCSS Appendix A cites several studies documenting similar declines in text difficulty, as well as highlighting a sizable gap between the difficulty of the texts currently read by high school students and what they are expected to read in college and career. A recent article by Heibert and Mesmer (2013) 12 more thoroughly explores this topic, confirming declines in complexity over the past several decades, but pointing out that declines are concentrated in the texts read in the upper grades. There is not compelling evidence that this trend toward lower text complexity has been occurring in the primary grades. 8 Nelson, J., Perfetti, C., Liben, D., & Liben, M. (2011). Measures of text difficulty: Testing their predictive value for grade levels and student performance. Technical Report to the Gates Foundation (also to be submitted for publication). Available online from http://www.ccsso.org/ Documents/2012/Measures%20ofText%20Difficulty_final.2012.pdf 9 Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Appendix A: Research supporting the key elements of the standards, Glossary of terms. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from www.corestandards.org. 10 In Accelerated Reader, each book is also assigned an interest level (IL) code, based on publisher recommendations, which provides a qualitative measure of text complexity that refers to the sophistication and maturity level of a book s content, ideas, and themes: LG for lower grades (K 3), MG for middle grades (4 8), MG+ for middle grades plus (6 and up, for more mature middle-grade readers), and UG for upper grades (9 12). Interest level and ATOS book level are intended to work together to inform book selection. 11 Within the lists, ATOS book levels for texts without AR quizzes available were determined by running the full text through Renaissance Learning s ATOS Analyzer (http://www.renlearn.com/textcomplexity/tools.aspx). 12 Hiebert, E. H., & Mesmer, H. A. E. (2013). Upping the ante of text complexity in the Common Core State Standards: Examining its potential impact on young readers. Educational Researcher, 42, 1. 37
Conclusion While the decline over time in the complexity of required texts for high school students may be a concern, a few things are worth noting that may temper that concern. One, although our analysis is restricted to the period of 1907 to 2012, there is evidence that writing has become less complex over the last several hundred years. Complexity is impacted in part by average sentence length; books with longer sentences tend to be more difficult to comprehend than books with shorter sentences. DuBay (2006) cites research demonstrating that average sentence length in written texts has steadily decreased from about 50 words in the 1500s to about 20 words in the early 2000s. 13 He describes this trend as a streamlining of language. Two, keep in mind that most texts adults read voluntarily are also not at the level of the material provided in college. For example, the difficulty level of most of the books in New York Times fiction best-seller lists spanning 2011 and 2012 tend to have ATOS book levels between 5.0 to 8.0. According to both Stotsky et al. (2010) and our 2012 study, this is the range of many of the books assigned to high school students in recent years. Just because the books students are being assigned to read are less complex than in prior years, this does not necessarily mean that they cannot read or comprehend books at higher levels. Finally, it is worth noting that just because the books students are being assigned to read are less complex than in prior years, this does not necessarily mean that they cannot read or comprehend books at higher levels, nor can we assume that assigning more complex texts would necessarily lead to improvements in achievement. Related, a book s difficulty level is not an indication of quality. Our point in presenting this overview is not to imply that the books students are assigned today are less valuable than those assigned decades ago. That being said, there exists a legitimate debate among educators regarding whether or not students are being adequately prepared for the challenges of college and career as defined by the Common Core and other state standards. Why do kids read the books they read? What influences students reading choices? There is no doubt that many factors come into play each time a student pulls a book from a library shelf or downloads a new title on an e-reader. To explore in more depth what may be motivating students to choose one book over another, Renaissance Learning sought feedback about student book selection from authors, educators, and students. In this section, guest essayist Christy Levings, Executive Committee Member of the National Education Association, provides commentary (p. 39). 13 DuBay, W. H. (Ed.) (2006). The classic readability studies. Costa Mesa, CA: Impact Information. 38
Why Do Kids Read What They Read? By Christy Levings After nearly 40 years of teaching students reading skills, as well as reading out loud to hundreds of students, I have a lot of ideas about what young people like to read and what excites them about books and stories. However, it seemed important to ask today s young readers to share their thinking on what they like to read. So, on a cold and windy January day, I asked almost 100 elementary students to share their thoughts on the subject. It would be an understatement to say they had very definite ideas on what they like to read and how they judged books. I have pages of notes from their thoughts about what grabs their interest and what keeps them coming back for more written words. Some talked about the expected things such as great covers, colorful pictures, well-done illustrations, and a well-written summary inside the jacket, but many shared very personal ideas about books. These children shared that books were learning tools about the world around them, and many love to read nonfiction. Books showed them ways to resolve problems in the safety of simply observing the characters conflicts and emotions. They loved the almost magical escape from the here and now, or when an author gives a funny view of the real and normal lives we all live. I was impressed by the number of kids who preferred certain authors and could name them. They also told of actively looking for other books by those same authors. This was reflected in their enjoyment in book series, so they could develop a longer relationship with the characters and follow their adventures. Not unlike adults, they used recommendations from friends and classmates as a major source of finding new things to read. I expected many to discuss the change to electronic readers as influencing their choices; and while some did, they also liked to browse the library and book stores to see what they might choose to read. Just like adult readers, they loved a book that they just could not put down and that strongly connected with their emotions. They were equal in their enjoyment of a scary story, a funny tale, or one that took them far away from the real world. Often mentioned were books about a boy who goes to school in his underpants, or stories where students can fly on a broom to class. Those books and stories ranked high because they provided both an escape and a chance to laugh and imagine what might be or could be, at least in our imaginations. Books and kids combine to be a marvelous mix of literature, emotion, and imagination. I enjoy reading aloud to groups of students and catching them all in a web of words that spin an adventurous tale. The power of the story can leave them terrified for the accused girl at the witch trials in Salem, entertain them with the modern day antics of the dog next door, or have them hoping that Sam might hurry up and just try the green eggs and ham. As adults, we all remember that one special bedtime story that took our imagination for a fantasy ride. Children today are seeking that same adventure and are looking for the chance to interact with all types of books and genres of literature. It is an enormous responsibility of all of the adults in a child s life to help them read and explore books daily. Christy Levings, an elementary school teacher from rural Osawatomie, Kansas, was elected to the National Education Association s (NEA) Executive Committee in July 2010 for a second 3-year term. With more than three decades of education experience, Levings has been a champion for public education and school employees at the state and local levels. An elementary school teacher for 36 years, Levings currently provides instructional resource support and works with the formalized collegial mentoring program in the Olathe School District. Before being elected to the NEA Executive Committee, she served as president of the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) for 5 years and vice president for 4 years. 39
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Top 40 Books Required in High School, 1907 2012 Study Rank Tanner (1907) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 1 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 19 2 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 36 3 Silas Marner, George Eliot (9.7, UG) 900 4 Milton's Minor Poems, John Milton (8.9) - 5 The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare (9.4, UG) 4,653 6 Burke's Conciliation, Edmund Burke (10.2) - 7 The Vision of Sir Launfal, James Russell Lowell (7.1) - 8 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (5.5) - 9 Essay on Addison, Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay (9.9) - 10 Ivanhoe, Walter Scott (12.9, UG) 9,743 11 Days with Sir Roger De Coverley, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele (7.8) - 12 Idylls of the King, Lord Alfred Tennyson (7.7) - 13 The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott (7.8) - 14 Milton, Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay (9.9) - 15 Chaucer's Prologue, Geoffrey Chaucer (5.2) - 16 The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Washington Irving (10.3) - 17 Carlyle's Burns (9.3) - 18 Essay on Johnson, Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay (8.2) - 19 The Princess, Alfred Tennyson (7.8) - 20 Hamlet, William Shakespeare (10.5, UG) 153 21 Oliver Goldsmith, A Biography, Washington Irving (9.7) - 22 As You Like It, William Shakespeare (9.2, UG) 15,158 23 Poe Selections Could not determine text to analyze. 24 The Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith (8.6) - 25 Burns' Poems, Robert Burns (6.0) - 26 Twice Told Tales, Nathaniel Hawthorne (9.5) - 27 The House of the Seven Gables (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.0, UG) 4,702 28 Wordsworth Selections Could not determine text to analyze. 29 The Last of the Mohicans (Unabridged), James Fenimore Cooper (12.0, UG) 5,604 30 Sohrab and Rustum, Matthew Arnold (6.7) - 31 The Deserted Village, Oliver Goldsmith (8.5) - 32 Tales of the White Hills, Nathaniel Hawthorne (8.6) - 33 Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl, John Greenleaf Whittier (7.6) - 34 Paradise Lost, I-II, John Milton (9.8) - 35 Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field, Walter Scott (8.7) - 40
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Tanner (1907) (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 36 Pope's Homer's Iliad, Alexander Pope (9.8) - 37 Tales of a Wayside Inn, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (7.8) - 38 A Tale of Two Cities (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.7, UG) 557 39 Browning Selections Could not determine text to analyze. 40 King Lear, William Shakespeare (8.8, UG) 2,710 Average ATOS Book Level: 9.0 * Interest levels are provided for books with AR quizzes: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year. Dash ( ) indicates an AR quiz is not available for this title. Study Rank Hudelson (1923) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 1 The Rivals, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (4.0) - 2 Ivanhoe, Walter Scott (12.9, UG) 9,743 3 Sohrab and Rustum, Matthew Arnold (6.7) - 4 The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare (9.4, UG) 4,653 5 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 19 6 As You Like It, William Shakespeare (9.2, UG) 15,158 7 The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott (7.8) - 8 The Last of the Mohicans (Unabridged), James Fenimore Cooper (12.0, UG) 5,604 9 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 36 10 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (5.5) - 11 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin (11.8, UG) 30,553 12 Idylls of the King, Lord Alfred Tennyson (7.7) - 13 Old Testament Narratives, ad lib Could not determine text to analyze. 14 The Talisman, Walter Scott (10.4) - 15 The House of the Seven Gables (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.0, UG) 4,702 16 Milton's Minor Poems, John Milton (8.9) - 17 Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana (7.7, UG) 53,560 18 David Copperfield (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.5, UG) 11,244 19 Hamlet, William Shakespeare (10.5, UG) 153 20 Sir Roger de Coverley Papers (8.6) - 21 The Oregon Trail, Francis Parkman (8.5, UG) AR quiz not taken during 2011 2012 school year. 22 Lorna Doone, R.D. Blackmore (9.2, UG) 57,468 41
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Hudelson (1923) (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 23 A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 366 24 The Odyssey, Homer (10.3, UG) 357 25 Oliver Twist (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (11.3, UG) 1,601 26 Pride and Prejudice (Unabridged), Jane Austen (12.0, UG) 181 27 Silas Marner, George Eliot (9.7, UG) 900 28 The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot (9.9, UG) 31,935 29 The Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith (8.6) - 30 The Blue Bird, Maurice Maeterlinck (4.1) - 31 The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., William Makepeace Thackeray (8.3) - 32 Kidnapped (Unabridged), Robert Louis Stevenson (7.6, UG) 4,329 33 The Piper Could not determine text to analyze. 34 Travels with a Donkey in Cevennes, Robert Louis Stevenson (7.7) - 35 A Tale of Two Cities (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.7, UG) 557 36 The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (8.2) - 37 Browning's Shorter Poems, Robert Browning (7.5) - 38 Captains Courageous, Rudyard Kipling (8.0, UG) 9,092 39 The Deserted Village, Oliver Goldsmith (8.5) - 40 Essay on Burns, Carlyle (9.3) - Average ATOS Book Level: 9.1 * Interest levels are provided for books with AR quizzes: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year. Dash ( ) indicates an AR quiz is not available for this title. Study Rank Anderson (1964) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 1 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 36 2 Silas Marner, George Eliot (9.7, UG) 900 3 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 19 4 Our Town, Thornton Wilder (3.9, UG) 294 5 Great Expectations (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.2, UG) 293 6 The Scarlet Letter (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.7, UG) 56 7 A Tale of Two Cities (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.7, UG) 557 8 Hamlet, William Shakespeare (10.5, UG) 153 9 The Red Badge of Courage (Unabridged), Stephen Crane (8.0, UG) 582 10 The Odyssey, Homer (10.3, UG) 357 42
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Anderson (1964) (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 11 Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw (7.0, UG) 525 12 Idylls of the King, Lord Alfred Tennyson (7.7) - 13 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Unabridged), Mark Twain (6.6, MG) 62 14 The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare (9.4, UG) 4,653 15 Ivanhoe, Walter Scott (12.9, UG) 9,743 16 Moby-Dick, or, The Whale, Herman Melville (10.3, UG) 4,804 17 The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) 49 18 The Return of the Native, Thomas Hardy (10.2, UG) 9,871 19 David Copperfield (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.5, UG) 11,244 20 The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder (7.1, UG) 8,804 21 The King and I, Rodgers & Hammerstein (4.0) - 22 Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) 9 23 Paradise Lost, John Miltron (9.8) - 24 Pride and Prejudice (Unabridged), Jane Austen (12.0, UG) 181 25 Walden, Henry David Thoreau (8.7, UG) 12,565 26 The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway (5.1, UG) 87 27 She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith (3.5) - 28 The Yearling, Marjorie Rawlings (5.0, UG) 3,649 29 The House of the Seven Gables (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.0, UG) 4,702 30 Jane Eyre (Unabridged), Charlotte Brontë (7.9, UG) 395 31 Treasure Island (Unabridged), Robert Louis Stevenson (8.3, MG) 499 32 The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Rudolf Besier (4.2) - 33 Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand (7.6, UG) 1,051 34 To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) 5 35 As You Like It, William Shakespeare (9.2, UG) 15,158 36 Ethan Frome (Unabridged), Edith Wharton (7.6, UG) 440 37 A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 366 38 Oedipus the King, Sophocles (5.6, UG) 320 39 Secret Sharer, Joseph Conrad (6.2) - 40 Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Robert E. Sherwood (4.5) - Average ATOS Book Level: 8.2 * Interest levels are provided for books with AR quizzes: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year. Dash ( ) indicates an AR quiz is not available for this title. 43
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Applebee (1989) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 1 Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) 9 2 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 36 3 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 19 4 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Unabridged), Mark Twain (6.6, MG) 62 5 To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) 5 6 The Scarlet Letter (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.7, UG) 56 7 Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (4.5, UG) 4 8 Hamlet, William Shakespeare (10.5, UG) 153 9 Lord of the Flies, William Golding (5.0, UG) 15 10 The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) 14 11 The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) 49 12 A Separate Peace, John Knowles (6.9, UG) 60 13 The Red Badge of Courage (Unabridged), Stephen Crane (8.0, UG) 582 14 The Crucible, Arthur Miller (4.9, UG) 16 15 Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) 7 16 Our Town, Thornton Wilder (3.9, UG) 294 17 Great Expectations (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.2, UG) 293 18 A Tale of Two Cities (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.7, UG) 557 19 The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway (5.1, UG) 87 20 Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller (6.2, UG) 223 21 1984, George Orwell (8.9, UG) 139 22 Antigone, Sophocles (5.2, UG) 202 23 The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (4.9, UG) 408 24 The Odyssey, Homer (10.3, UG) 357 25 The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger (4.7, UG) 92 26 The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams (5.3, UG) 429 27 Wuthering Heights (Unabridged), Emily Brontë (11.3, UG) 289 28 The Miracle Worker, William Gibson (5.2, UG) 245 29 Oedipus the King, Sophocles (5.6, UG) 320 30 Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw (7.0, UG) 525 31 Othello, William Shakespeare (8.4, UG) 321 32 The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (6.5, MG+) 963 33 Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (7.5, UG) 242 34 Ethan Frome (Unabridged), Edith Wharton (7.6, UG) 440 35 The Pigman, Paul Zindel (5.5, UG) 163 36 The Call of the Wild, Jack London (8.0, MG) 156 37 Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (5.2, UG) 45 44
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Applebee (1989) (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 38 Jane Eyre (Unabridged), Charlotte Brontë (7.9, UG) 395 39 All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque (6.0, UG) 769 40 A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry (5.5, UG) 50 Average ATOS Book Level: 7.2 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year. Study Rank Stotsky, Traffas, and Woodworth (2010) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 1 Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) 9 2 To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) 5 3 The Crucible, Arthur Miller (4.9, UG) 16 4 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 19 5 Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (4.5, UG) 4 6 Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) 6 7 The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) 14 8 Lord of the Flies, William Golding (5.0, UG) 15 9 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Unabridged), Mark Twain (6.6, MG) 62 10 The Scarlet Letter (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.7, UG) 56 11 Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) 7 12 The Odyssey, Homer (10.3, UG) 357 13 A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry (5.5, UG) 50 14 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 36 15 Antigone, Sophocles (5.2, UG) 202 16 The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger (4.7, UG) 92 17 A Separate Peace, John Knowles (6.9, UG) 60 18 Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (5.2, UG) 45 19 The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) 49 20 Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (4.5, UG) 22 21 Hamlet, William Shakespeare (10.5, UG) 153 22 Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller (6.2, UG) 223 23 Our Town, Thornton Wilder (3.9, UG) 294 24 The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) 10 25 Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (6.2, UG) 116 45
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Stotsky, Traffas, and Woodworth (2010) (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 26 Great Expectations (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.2, UG) 293 27 The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (4.9, UG) 408 28 Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston (5.6, UG) 164 29 Twelve Angry Men, Reginald Rose Could not determine text to analyze. 30 Oedipus the King, Sophocles (5.6, UG) 320 31 The Red Badge of Courage (Unabridged), Stephen Crane (8.0, UG) 582 32 A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 366 33 A Tale of Two Cities (Unabridged), Charles Dickens (9.7, UG) 557 34 The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway (5.1, UG) 87 35 The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams (5.3, UG) 429 36 Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers (4.2, UG) 191 37 A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams (5.7, UG) 1,760 38 The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (4.5, UG) 132 39 The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (5.8, UG) 241 40 Anthem, Ayn Rand (6.1, UG) 40 Average ATOS Book Level: 6.7 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year. Study Rank Renaissance Learning Survey of Assigned Books (2012) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 1 To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) 5 2 The Crucible, Arthur Miller (4.9, UG) 16 3 Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) 6 4 Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (4.5, UG) 4 5 Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (8.6, UG) 9 6 Lord of the Flies, William Golding (5.0, UG) 15 7 Macbeth, William Shakespeare (10.9, UG) 36 8 The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell (5.3, UG) 17 9 The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant (5.5, MG) 63 10 The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) 14 11 The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) 39 12 Animal Farm, George Orwell (7.3, UG) 7 46
Section III: High School Required Reading, Past to Present Study Rank Renaissance Learning Survey of Assigned Books (2012) (continued) 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 13 Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (5.2, UG) 45 14 Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (10.8, UG) 19 15 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Unabridged), Mark Twain (6.6, MG) 62 16 A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry (5.5, UG) 50 17 The Scarlet Letter (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.7, UG) 56 18 Frankenstein (Unabridged), Mary Shelley (12.4, UG) 25 19 The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (4.7, UG) 10 20 A Separate Peace, John Knowles (6.9, UG) 60 21 The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 1 22 Anthem, Ayn Rand (6.1, UG) 40 23 The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (5.2, UG) 68 24 The Pearl, John Steinbeck (7.1, UG) 49 25 A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) 8 26 The Giver, Lois Lowry (5.7, MG) 20 27 Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (4.5, UG) 22 28 Tears of a Tiger, Sharon M. Draper (4.3, UG) 29 29 Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 2 30 Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (5.3, MG+) 3 31 Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher (3.9, MG+) 21 32 Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4.9, UG) 11 33 Hamlet, William Shakespeare (10.5, UG) 153 34 The Maze Runner, James Dashner (5.3, UG) 48 35 Forged by Fire, Sharon M. Draper (4.7, MG) 44 36 The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family, Dave Pelzer (5.1, UG) 57 37 The Help, Kathryn Stockett (4.4, UG) 24 38 The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks (5.5, UG) 30 39 Crank, Ellen Hopkins (4.3, UG) 18 40 The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (4.7, MG) 13 Average ATOS Book Level: 6.2 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. 2011 12 Rank, Grades 9 12 shows each title s overall ranking based on how frequently the book was read in grades 9 12 during the 2011 2012 school year. 47
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Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars With the creation and widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the notion of text complexity the level of challenge presented by a given text has been brought to the forefront. According to Appendix A of the CCSS, all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time they complete the core, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found in college and careers (p. 2). 14 To assist educators with reaching these goals, the CCSS includes a list of text exemplars in Appendix B, 15 which illustrate the CCSS s call for complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate for various grade levels in the English Language Arts standards (p. 8). 16 Several genres are represented in the text exemplars, but for the purpose of relevancy to the What Kids Are Reading report, which focuses on book reading, we chose to highlight Informational Texts and Stories. The lists that begin on p. 52 present the Common Core State Standards Exemplars Informational Text and Stories from Appendix B by CCSS grade band, along with the percent of students reading each book within its assigned band and the individual grade with the highest percentage of students reading the book for the 2011 2012 school year. 17 For comparison to last year s findings, the same information is provided for the 2010 2011 school year. I m reading Killing Lincoln. I did a report about him and thought his life was interesting. -Eighth-grade boy I m reading Artemis Fowl because the librarian suggested it to me. -Third-grade girl I m reading The Fox Steals Home because I like to read sports books. -Fifth-grade boy I m reading The Desperate Mission because it s a Star Wars book. -Third-grade boy I m reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I heard it was good, and I thought the concept seemed interesting. -Eighth-grade girl 14 Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Appendix A: Research supporting the key elements of the standards, Glossary of terms. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from www.corestandards.org. 15 Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Appendix B: Text exemplars and sample performance tasks. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from www.corestandards.org. 16 Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from www.corestandards.org. 17 Determined using data from the Accelerated Reader Real Time database, which includes book-reading records for more than 8.6 million students from 27,240 schools nationwide who read more than 283 million books during the 2011 2012 school year. 49
Showing both metrics percent of students reading each book within its CCSS band versus the grade where the book is most frequently read highlights both sides of the coin: cases in which the exemplars are (1) widely read and most popular within their target grade bands (for example, Are You My Mother?, an exemplar story for the K 1 grade band, read by more than 10% of students in kindergarten and grade 1 and read most often in grade 1), and (2) not widely read or read much later than is suggested by the CCSS (for example, Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist, an exemplar informational text for the 6 8 grade band, read by less than one percent of students in grades 6 8 and read most often in grade 10). Why do kids read the books they read? What influences students reading choices? There is no doubt that many factors come into play each time a student pulls a book from a library shelf or downloads a new title on an e-reader. To explore in more depth what may be motivating students to choose one book over another, Renaissance Learning sought feedback about student book selection from authors, educators, and students. In this section, guest essayist Avi, author of Nothing But the Truth, provides commentary (p. 51). 50
Why Do Kids Read What They Read? By Avi I m often asked what makes books for young people different than adult literature. I believe it has to do with the range of experience and knowledge young people bring to a text. Today it can be sorely limited. One can write about anything for young people, but it must be done so that context and meaning is rooted in narrative experience. It s not enough for today s writers to say, S got on a locomotive. The writer must allow S to experience what a locomotive is to a reader who has never seen one before. What is wanted is not mere facts, but emotional engagement. It s also vital to offer young people books that engage them in terms of who they are now, rather than what we adults were like when children. Whatever the value of classics, (and I read them all the time) if it is beyond the emotional and experiential scope of a young person, the effect is bound to be negative. I recall how sad I was when one of my boys a ninth grader was given Jane Austen to read, one of my favorite writers. My boy could not grasp the context, the language, or the subtly of the book. A stupid girls book, he exclaimed, and it will be years before he discovers what he missed. My own children (all six of them) are adults now, but I visit schools often, both in person and via Skype. Moreover, I get a lot of letters from kids. My strong impression is that kids today are attracted to stories which are suspenseful, unpredictable, and if you can tie that in with humor, so much the better. They also tell me they like lots of detail, as if they wish to convert the text into a visual experience. One of their highest compliments is, it would make a good movie, by which I understand them to mean they can see the story. It s also important to understand that the structure of narration changes, and evolves. Young readers today because of TV, movies, and not least, video games want a story that engages them very quickly. I recall a letter from a reader who wrote: Your The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was boring at first, but by page two it got real good. I believe there are two powerful ways to motivate young people. The first is that they see their own parents, guardians, and siblings reading. These days, particularly for boys, to see males reading is crucial. The second most powerful motivator is to read to young people. Yes, sharing picture books with the very young is wonderful, but don t stop there. A shared chapter book is a very powerful family experience, and should be extended for as long as possible into the young person s life. I urge teachers (and parents) to take voice lessons yes, voice lessons so that they might read on a daily basis to their students in a powerful, emotional, articulate, and engaging fashion. Avi s first book, Things That Sometimes Happen, was published in 1970. His 2013 book (his 73rd) is Sophia s War. His 2003 Newbery Medal was for Crispin: The Cross of Lead. He has two Newbery Honors, two Horn Book Awards, and an O Dell Award, plus many children s choice awards. He travels often to talk in schools. Among his popular books are The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing But the Truth, The Poppy Books, Seer of Shadows, and The Fighting Ground. Avi s ideas about writing and reading are posted twice weekly on his website: www.avi-writer.com 51
Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars Common Core State Standards Exemplars Informational Texts and Stories Common Core State Standards: K 1 Band 2011 12 School Year 2010 11 School Year Category Informational Texts Percent Read in Band Most Popular Grade Percent Read in Band My Five Senses, Aliki (2.0, LG) 0.99 2 0.66 2 Starfish, Edith Thacher Hurd (2.3, LG) 0.23 2 0.06 2 A Tree Is a Plant, Clyde Robert Bulla (2.3, LG) 0.12 2 0.06 2 A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver, Aliki (4.3, LG) Most Popular Grade 1.44 2 0.01 2 Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1.5, LG) 16.78 1 14.28 1 Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman (1.6, LG) 10.37 1 9.13 1 Stories Hi, Fly Guy!, Tedd Arnold (1.5, LG) 6.14 1 4.38 1 Frog and Toad Together, Arnold Lobel (2.9, LG) 4.14 2 2.22 2 Put Me in the Zoo, Robert Lopshire (1.4, LG) 2.50 1 1.63 1 Little Bear, Else Holmelund Minarik (2.4, LG) 1.98 2 1.43 2 Owl at Home, Arnold Lobel (2.7, LG) 1.58 2 0.71 2 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. Percent Read in Band indicates the percent of students in grades K 1 who read each book during either the 2011 2012 or 2010 2011 school years. Most Popular Grade shows the grade in which the book was read by the highest percentage of students during either the 2011 12 or 2010 2011 school years. 52
Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars Common Core State Standards: 2 3 Band 2011 12 School Year 2010 11 School Year Category Informational Texts Stories Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade Percent Read In Band Bat Loves the Night, Nicola Davies (3.4, LG) 1.27 3 0.69 3 From Seed to Plant, Gail Gibbons (3.4, LG) 0.72 2 0.49 2 Bats: Creatures of the Night, Joyce Milton (2.9, LG) 0.39 2 0.32 2 So You Want to Be President?, Judith St. George (4.8, MG) Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington, Frances E. Ruffin (3.3, LG) Most Popular Grade 1.33 4 0.25 4 0.17 3 0.14 3 A Medieval Feast, Aliki (4.6, LG) 0.07 4 0.03 4 Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World, Selby B. Beeler (4.2, LG) Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!, Kathleen V. Kudlinski (5.0, LG) Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, Brian Floca (4.8, LG) Where Do Polar Bears Live?, Sarah L. Thomson (4.0, LG) 0.05 3 0.03 3 0.06 5 0.02 5 0.10 4 0.02 4 0.01 4 0.01 3 Art Around the World, Heather Leonard (3.8, LG) 0.01 3 0.01 3 Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, Cynthia Rylant (2.7, LG) 5.96 2 4.15 2 Tops & Bottoms, Janet Stevens (3.2, LG) 4.64 3 2.61 3 Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan (3.4, MG) 5.04 4 1.75 4 The Stories Julian Tells, Ann Cameron (3.4, LG) 0.77 3 0.50 3 My Father's Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett (5.6, LG) 0.72 3 0.49 3 The Treasure, Uri Shulevitz (3.0, LG) 0.57 3 0.47 3 Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, Erica Silverman (2.3, LG) 0.60 2 0.41 2 The Fire Cat, Esther Averill (2.9, LG) 0.67 2 0.40 2 Amos & Boris, William Steig (4.7, LG) 0.46 3 0.35 3 Poppleton in Winter, Cynthia Rylant (2.5, LG) 0.54 2 0.35 2 The Raft, Jim LaMarche (4.1, LG) 1.44 4 0.10 4 The One-Eyed Giant, Mary Pope Osborne (4.8, MG) 0.22 4 0.08 5 The Lighthouse Family: The Storm, Cynthia Rylant (4.4, LG) 0.05 3 0.02 3 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. Percent Read in Band indicates the percent of students in grades 2 3 who read each book during either the 2011 2012 or 2010 2011 school years. Most Popular Grade shows the grade in which the book was read by the highest percentage of students during either the 2011 12 or 2010 2011 school years. 53
Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars Common Core State Standards: 4 5 Band 2011 12 School Year 2010 11 School Year Category Informational Texts Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade Percent Read In Band Volcanoes, Seymour Simon (5.1, MG) 0.61 5 0.37 5 Horses, Seymour Simon (5.2, LG) 0.04 5 0.03 5 Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms, Patricia Lauber (6.0, MG) We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, Kadir Nelson (5.9, MG) Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions, Don L. Wulffson (6.8, MG) Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea, Sy Montgomery (5.3, MG) My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World, Margriet Ruurs (6.3, MG) About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks, Bruce Koscielniak (6.7, LG) Most Popular Grade 0.03 5 0.02 5 0.02 5 0.01 5 0.01 5 0.01 5 0.01 5 < 0.01 5 0.01 4 < 0.01 6 < 0.01 5 < 0.01 5 England: The Land, Erinn Banting (7.5, MG) < 0.01 7 < 0.01 6 The Kid's Guide to Money: Earning It, Saving It, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It, Steve Otfinoski (7.2, MG) < 0.01 6-7 Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (5.0, MG) 5.68 6 2.19 6 Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (5.0, MG) 3.14 5 1.95 5 The Black Stallion, Walter Farley (5.2, MG) 0.59 4 0.53 4 The Secret Garden (Unabridged), Frances Hodgson Burnett (6.3, MG) 0.59 5 0.50 5 Stories Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin (5.5, MG) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Unabridged), Lewis Carroll (7.4, MG) 1.01 5 0.18 5 0.25 6 0.15 6 The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (5.0, MG) 0.10 5 0.08 12 The Birchbark House, Louise Erdrich (6.1, MG) 0.11 5 0.06 5 M.C. Higgins, the Great, Virginia Hamilton (4.4, MG) 0.01 6 0.01 6 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. Percent Read in Band indicates the percent of students in grades 4 5 who read each book during either the 2011 2012 or 2010 2011 school years. Most Popular Grade shows the grade in which the book was read by the highest percentage of students during either the 2011 12 or 2010 2011 school years. Dash ( ) means book was not read in grades 4 and 5. 54
Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars Common Core State Standards: 6 8 Band 2011 12 School Year 2010 11 School Year Category Informational Texts: English Language Arts Informational Texts: History/ Social Studies Informational Texts: Science, Mathematics, and Technology Stories Title, Author (ATOS Book Level, Interest Level)* Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Frederick Douglass (7.9, UG) Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, Ann Petry (6.6, MG) Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck (6.7, UG) Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade 0.60 11 0.06 11 0.07 8 0.05 8 0.02 11 < 0.01 12 The Great Fire, Jim Murphy (7.6, UG) 0.10 8 0.06 7 A Night to Remember, Walter Lord (7.0, UG) 0.05 7 0.04 10 Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Russell Freedman (7.7, MG) Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist, Jan Greenberg (7.6, MG) A Short Walk Around the Pyramids & Through the World of Art, Philip Isaacson (6.7, UG) This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Partridge (7.0, UG) The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure, Hans Magnus Enzensberger (4.4, MG) Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction, David Macaulay (7.3, MG) Geeks: How Two Boys Rode the Internet out of Idaho, Jon Katz (8.3, UG) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor (5.7, MG) 0.03 8 0.01 6 < 0.01 10 < 0.01 9 < 0.01 12 < 0.01 9 < 0.01 12 < 0.01 12 0.05 6 0.01 7 0.01 7 < 0.01 7 0.01 12 < 0.01 9 2.21 7 1.80 7 A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle (4.7, MG) 1.33 6 1.01 6 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Unabridged), Mark Twain (8.1, MG) 1.05 8 0.28 8 Dragonwings, Laurence Yep (5.3, MG+) 0.26 7 0.15 7 Little Women (Book I and II) (Unabridged), Louisa May Alcott (7.9, MG) 0.12 11 0.08 8 The Dark Is Rising, Susan Cooper (6.2, MG) 0.09 8 0.07 8 The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks, Katherine Paterson (5.6, LG) Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad, Rosemary Sutcliff (6.8, MG) The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, Virginia Hamilton (4.3, MG) 0.10 5 0.04 5 0.06 6 0.02 6 0.01 6 < 0.01 5 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. Percent Read in Band indicates the percent of students in grades 6 8 who read each book during either the 2011 2012 or 2010 2011 school years. Most Popular Grade shows the grade in which the book was read by the highest percentage of students during either the 2011 12 or 2010 2011 school years. 55
Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars Common Core State Standards: 9 10 Band 2011 12 School Year 2010 11 School Year Category Informational Texts: English Language Arts Informational Texts: History/ Social Studies Informational Texts: Science, Mathematics, and Technology Stories Title, Author (ATOS Book Level, Interest Level)* I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou (6.7, UG) Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade 0.14 11 0.14 10 I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King Jr. (7.2, MG) 0.05 7 0.06 10 The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln (4.3, MG) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, Dee Brown (7.9, UG) Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491, Charles C. Mann (8.1, MG) Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans in the Civil War, Jim Haskins (10.0, UG) 0.04 5 0.02 8 0.01 12 < 0.01 12 0.01 8 < 0.01 7 < 0.01 10-8 The Longitude Prize, Joan Dash (8.6, UG) < 0.01 9-8 The Hot Zone, Richard Preston (7.3, UG) 0.17 9 0.26 9 The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, Phillip Hoose (7.9, UG) < 0.01 8 < 0.01 8 To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (5.6, UG) 5.14 9 4.92 9 Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (5.2, UG) 1.09 10 0.99 10 The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry (6.2, UG) 1.35 9 0.89 9 The Odyssey, Homer (10.3, UG) 0.41 9 0.45 9 Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (6.2, UG) 1.00 10 0.35 12 The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (5.1, UG) 0.56 8 0.33 10 The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka (10.5, UG) 0.85 12 0.18 12 The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (5.7, UG) 0.22 12 0.11 10 The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (4.9, UG) 0.61 11 0.09 11 The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara (4.7, UG) 0.05 11 0.03 9 In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez (5.8, UG) 0.07 12 0.03 11 Candide, Voltaire (7.3, UG) 0.16 12 0.02 12 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. Percent Read in Band indicates the percent of students in grades 9 10 who read each book during either the 2011 2012 or 2010 2011 school years. Most Popular Grade shows the grade in which the book was read by the highest percentage of students during either the 2011 12 or 2010 2011 school years. Dash ( ) means book was not read in grades 9 and 10. 56
Section IV: Common Core State Standards Exemplars Common Core State Standards: 11 CCR (College and Career Readiness) Band 2011 12 School Year 2010 11 School Year Category Informational Texts: English Language Arts Informational Texts: History/ Social Studies Title, Author (ATOS Book Level, Interest Level)* Black Boy (American Hunger), Richard Wright (7.4, UG) Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade Percent Read In Band Most Popular Grade 0.05 10 0.03 10 Walden, Henry David Thoreau (8.7, UG) 0.02 11 0.01 11 1776, David G. McCullough (9.1, UG) 0.01 11 0.01 11 The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (7.3, UG) 5.51 11 3.70 11 The Scarlet Letter (Unabridged), Nathaniel Hawthorne (11.7, UG) Pride and Prejudice (Unabridged), Jane Austen (12.0, UG) Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston (5.6, UG) Jane Eyre (Unabridged), Charlotte Brontë (7.9, UG) 2.84 11 1.88 11 1.34 12 0.87 12 1.04 11 0.62 11 0.76 12 0.41 12 The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison (5.2, UG) 0.25 12 0.20 11 Stories The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe (7.3, UG) 2.35 9 0.19 9 A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway (6.0, UG) 0.23 11 0.12 11 Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky (8.7, UG) 0.12 12 0.09 12 As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner (5.4, UG) 0.06 11 0.05 11 The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer (8.1, UG) 0.02 12 0.04 12 The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri (7.2, UG) 0.05 12 0.04 11 A White Heron, Sarah Jewett (7.2, UG) 0.02 12 0.03 12 Billy Budd, Sailor, Herman Melville (10.6, UG) 0.04 12 0.02 12 Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (13.2, UG) 0.01 12 < 0.01 8 Dreaming in Cuban, Cristina García (6.5, UG) 0.01 12 < 0.01 10 * Interest levels: LG = lower grades (K 3), MG = middle grades (4 8), MG+ = middle grades plus (6 and up), and UG = upper grades (9 12). ATOS book level and interest level inform book selection. Percent Read in Band indicates the percent of students in grades 11 CCR who read each book during either the 2011 2012 or 2010 2011 school years. Most Popular Grade shows the grade in which the book was read by the highest percentage of students during either the 2011 12 or 2010 2011 school years. 57
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Appendix: About the Report How do we know what kids are reading? Renaissance Learning s Accelerated Reader (AR) software, first developed by educator Judi Paul more than 25 years ago as a way to motivate her own children to read and now in use at tens of thousands of schools worldwide, makes the essential student practice component of any reading curriculum more effective. Students take an AR Reading Practice Quiz after each book they have read, and in turn, Accelerated Reader provides teachers with daily information about the key indicators of successful reading practice quality (comprehension), quantity (time spent reading), and difficulty (text complexity level). With AR, teachers know how well, how much, and at what level of challenge students are reading. Unlike publisher book-sale records, best-seller lists, or library circulation data that inform us which books were purchased or checked out to read, Accelerated Reader tells us which books students did read, from cover to cover. At Renaissance Learning, we have unique insight into the books kids are truly reading because our data is compiled from comprehension quizzes students have passed on these books. Unlike publisher book-sale records, best-seller lists, or library circulation data that inform us which books were purchased or checked out to read, Accelerated Reader tells us which books students did read, from cover to cover. Why do kids read the books they read? What Kids Are Reading: The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools ranks the books students are reading most each school year, but what is motivating students to read these titles? This year s report explores student motivation with lists of the top books read in grades 1 12, overall and by gender; Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners since 1938 and 1922, respectively; high school required reading from 1907 to 2012; and a selection of the Common Core State Standard exemplars. Opening the sections of each report are essays by a panel of commentators who were asked to respond to the question, Why do kids read what they read? The data The Accelerated Reader Real Time database allows schools to have Renaissance Learning host their AR software at the Renaissance Data Center in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, providing schools with cost savings as well as additional security and data protection. This database is the source of the data for What Kids Are Reading, which this year consists of book-reading records for more than 8.6 million students in grades 1 12 who read more than 283 million books during the 2011 2012 school year (see Table A1, next page). The students are from 27,240 schools, spanning all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. 59
Table A1: Students, Books, and Words by Grade (Accelerated Reader Real Time Database, 2011 2012 School Year) Grade Students Books Read Average Books Read Per Student Average Words Read Per Student 1 940,387 37,022,855 39.4 25,395 2 1,229,574 69,036,161 56.1 83,176 3 1,309,518 64,564,967 49.3 185,735 4 1,305,824 47,253,713 36.2 298,733 5 1,270,305 34,388,276 27.1 394,154 6 900,972 14,955,239 16.6 439,613 7 673,039 7,659,846 11.4 424,607 8 604,199 5,981,922 9.9 433,598 9 161,980 1,026,327 6.3 305,447 10 124,751 725,944 5.8 306,575 11 97,438 537,496 5.5 307,821 12 71,515 393,279 5.5 314,050 Total 8,689,502 283,546,025 Please note: Because schools may optionally record demographic information about students in AR, gender data is available for approximately 66% of students. Thus, in Section I, the overall category compiles student records for boys, girls, and students for which gender was not recorded, whereas when information is reported for the boy and girl categories individually, records for students of unknown gender have been excluded. In addition, Renaissance Learning recognizes that not all book reading that happens in or outside of the classroom is captured through the Accelerated Reader software; however, it is reasonable to assume that for users of AR much book reading is captured in this way. AR quizzes currently number more than 150,000 (nearly half of which are for nonfiction/informational texts), with additional quizzes created each week. The volume of quizzes allows students a wide range of book selection; virtually every book found in a school, classroom, or local library has a quiz available. Finally, the sample of data from the AR database, upon which this report is based, is one of convenience rather than truly representative of U.S. schools, so care should be taken when interpreting the results. It cannot, however, be disputed that with reading records for more than 8.6 million students at more than 27,000 American schools, this sample is significant. This database is one of a kind no other study captures student reading behavior on this scale. With AR quizzes available for more than 150,000 books, students can take a quiz after reading just about any book available in their school or public libraries. Accelerated Reader While over the years Accelerated Reader has continued to evolve, its basic three-step approach has remained the same. After a teacher assists with setting individualized reading goals, each student (1) reads a selfselected book either at school or at home, (2) takes a computerized AR Reading Practice Quiz of 5, 10, or 20 60
items (depending on the length of the book) at school, and (3) receives immediate feedback, which is shared with the teacher, via informative reports that contain information about the books read, including number of words read, ATOS book levels, and level of comprehension (i.e., percent correct on quizzes). Figure A1: Sample AR Quiz Screen With AR quizzes available for more than 150,000 books, students can take a quiz after reading just about any book available in their school or public libraries. Reading Practice Quizzes (see example, Figure A1) include Recorded Voice and Spanish Quizzes, and AR offers additional quiz types such as Vocabulary Practice Quizzes, Literacy Skills Quizzes, and Other Reading Quizzes (which are aligned to a variety of leading reading textbooks and content-area leveled readers). Accelerated Reader Enterprise powered by Renaissance Place Real Time, a web-based data management system provides access to all AR quizzes as soon they become available. AR Enterprise offerings also include professional development, the Renaissance Place Dashboard, Renaissance Home Connect, the AR Widget, expanded technical support, Live Chat, and automatic software upgrades. AR quizzing is also available on the NEO 2 mobile e-learning device, as an app on iphone, ipad, and ipod touch devices, and through a browser on tablet devices 7 inches or larger. The large evidence base supporting Accelerated Reader consists of 145 independent studies and reviews including experimental and quasi-experimental research studies, generally considered by the research community to provide the strongest evidence of effectiveness and to be consistent with the definition of scientifically based research as well as more than 26 articles published in peer-reviewed journals. The research evidence on Accelerated Reader has been favorably reviewed by the Florida Center for Reading Research, the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring, the National Dropout Prevention Center, and the What Works Clearinghouse, among others. Accelerated Reader Best Practices Guided independent reading practice is crucial for students. Likewise, the ability to quickly and easily track students reading practice in terms of comprehension, time spent reading, and text complexity level is essential for teachers. In the age of data-driven schools, having daily information on student reading practice to attach to assessment and other classroom information adds a robust dimension to each student s data profile. While it is true that Accelerated Reader helps teachers efficiently manage all the details of student reading practice, for students it fosters the vital connection to books that is so critical for success in school and beyond. Accelerated Reader is in use by hundreds of thousands of educators throughout the U.S. because it saves teachers time, motivates students to read more, and is more reliable and accurate than traditional methods of tracking student book reading. To ensure that teachers make the most of the wealth of data AR provides and that students benefit to the greatest extent possible, fidelity of implementation is guided by researchbased Accelerated Reader Best Practices, which educators learn through Renaissance Learning professional development. These guidelines include methods to accelerate reading achievement and sometimes require changes in teacher, classroom, and even school practices, such as allocating more time for in-school reading, establishing individualized goal setting, and carefully monitoring student reading comprehension. Renaissance Learning strongly recommends AR Best Practices. Extensive research has shown that not only the quantity of reading or time spent reading but also the quality of what is read (how carefully, or with what 61
level of comprehension, students read) can help students read well and become well read. The more carefully students read, the more they comprehend, and the more their reading practice leads to improved reading achievement. 18 Matching books to students AR Best Practices recommend that students are not only guided to read books at appropriate levels of challenge and interest but also given choice in what they read. In Once students learn to read, having choice over what they read as they read to learn is motivational, not to mention essential, so that they learn to love to read. other words, while students may be assigned books to read as part of a school s core curriculum, they should also have opportunities to self-select books about topics, characters, locations, and so forth, of interest to them. Once students learn to read, having choice over what they read as they read to learn is motivational, not to mention essential, so that they learn to love to read. Renaissance Learning recommends students consider several factors, guided by a teacher s professional judgment, when selecting a book to read. AR BookFinder Using AR BookFinder (www.arbookfind.com) with an interface in English or Spanish students can search within extensive lists of topics and subtopics to hone in on particular interests. Lists of award winners, state-specific choices, and librarians picks, as well as the overall reading lists from this report, also help guide students to subjects of interest. This tool facilitates easy book selection for students (as well as teachers, parents, and librarians) by providing ATOS book levels, interest levels, genres, and descriptions for all books with AR quizzes available (see Figure A2). Figure A2: AR BookFinder Screen ATOS book level Accelerated Reader uses the ATOS Readability Formula to measure the text complexity of each book for which an AR quiz is available. ATOS is especially useful to educators because it is reported on a grade-level scale, so that both books and student achievement share the same easy-to-interpret metric. For example, an ATOS book level of 5.4 indicates that the text could likely be read by a student whose reading skills are at the level of grade 5, in the fourth month of the school year. Text complexity the level of challenge presented by a given text is a key component in book selection. According to Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), 19 all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time they complete the core, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found in college and careers (p. 2). 18 Renaissance Learning. (2012). Guided independent reading. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Author. Available online from http://doc.renlearn.com/kmnet/r005577721ac3667.pdf 19 Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Appendix A: Research supporting the key elements of the standards, Glossary of terms. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from www.corestandards.org. 62