Teens read week is Oct. 15 to 21 around the country
By Jen Penkethman
Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – In the twenty-first century, with all its technological distractions, it is a wonder that teenagers still find time to sit down with a good old-fashioned book. During the ninth annual Teen Read week – Oct. 15 through 21 – libraries around the country appreciate the ones who do. Even when most of their time is taken up my homework, busy students are still curling up with a book, mostly at night. The books they like bend genre lines and put Virgil at the same level as Harry Potter.
“I don’t usually have time to read, but I like to,” said Orlando Sandoval, a sophomore at Gilroy High School.
His favorites are surprisingly diverse, borrowing as much from Japanese pop culture as from the literary canon: both “Fruits Basket,” a Japanese comic book, and “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy were on his list. ” ‘Fruits Basket’ has pictures, but there’s a lot of story in it also,” Sandoval said. “I like War and Peace because it has so many things going on. It all flows well. I haven’t really finished it yet, though.”
Briana Roorda, a junior, also enjoys reading the classics. She lists “The Aeneid” by Virgil, a Greek epic written in the first century BC, as one of her top three favorite books.
“I like books that take place in the past,” said Roorda. “I love to read because it creates a broader sense of reality, and introduces me to new ideas.”
The most popular required-reading book among Gilroy teens is “East of Eden,” the 1952 classic by John Steinbeck. “It teaches you that you can create your own fate,” said Ashley Lenovius, a senior. “It’s a very profound book.”
The American Library Association takes an annual survey of teens’ top 10 books, and the winners are all much more modern than most of the books read in school. Last year, the third book in Anna Brashares’ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, “Girls In Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood,” was in first place, with books by Sarah Dessen, Jodi Picoult, and Meg Cabot included on the list. This year, the nominations include J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Eldest,” the sequel to Christopher Paolini’s “Eragon.”
Gilroy students also like a diversion from the serious school books, like Aly Quinn, whose favorite author is Stephen King.
“He has the craziest ideas,” said the junior, who also enjoyed the required book “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad. “I like reading because it keeps my mind fresh, and makes other things easier.”
“[Reading] gets my imagination going, and can get my mind off things,” adds Rachelle Struthers, a senior who likes “East of Eden” as much as she likes Harry Potter.
Sara Elliott, an English teacher at Gilroy High, says there’s definitely a correlation between reading outside of class and doing better in school.
“One important thing I do notice is the skill and ability level of the students who do read outside of school versus the non-readers,” said Elliott. “Almost without fail, the students who are reading for ‘fun’ have stronger academic skills in the humanities; they think more deeply and analytically.”
She says she has also noticed the prevalence of fantasy and other genre books in her students’ reading tastes: “Most of my ‘readers’ have fantasy novels such as “Sabriel” with them.”
The Gilroy Library is celebrating Teen Read Week by taking its own vote of what books local teens like best. Interested voters can list their favorites. Voting lasts until Oct. 21, and all ballots turned in at the library receive a prize. The winning books will be displayed in the library.
