Summary: <p>In our biennial Kids & Family Reading Report, we came across some findings that were a bit, well, concerning: At nine years old — usually when a child is in third grade — kids across the board report a significantly reduced interest in reading.</p> <p>Here are some of the stats:</p> <ul> <li>57% of 8-year-olds said they read books for fun 5 to 7 days a week. But by age 9, that drops to a mere 35%.</li> <li>40% of 8-year-olds say they love to read. By age 9, only 28% say that.</li> </ul><p>We find similar decreases in the numbers around access to books (more 6- to 8-year-olds have a classroom library than 9- to 11-year-olds) and the presence of reading role models (more 6- to 8-year-olds say they have people in their lives who enjoy reading than 9- to 11-year-olds). Additionally, nearly half of 9-year-olds say they have trouble finding books they like. </p> <p>What's causing the "decline by nine"? And what can we do about it? We talked with education and reading experts to find out.</p> <p><strong>Additional resources:</strong></p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read more about the findings from our Kids & Family Reading Report</a> (and listen to past episodes around the <a href="http://oomscholasticblog.com/podcast/rise-read-aloud" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">importance of the read aloud</a> and <a href="http://oomscholasticblog.com/podcast/finding-their-story" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">what kids are looking for in the books they read</a>)</li> <li><a href="https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Learn more about Scholastic Classroom Magazines</a></li> <li><a href="https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/books/i-survived/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Learn more about the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis</a></li> <li><a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/literacy/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Learn more about Scholastic Literacy</a></li> </ul><p><strong>Guests:</strong></p> <ul> <li> <strong>Lauren Tarshis </strong>is the Senior Vice President and Editor-In-Chief/Publisher, Scholastic Classroom Magazines. She is also the author of the<em> New York Times </em>bestselling series I Survived.</li> <li> <strong>Michael Haggen </strong>is the Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Education.</li> <li> <strong>Jaime Vandergrift </strong>is a third grade teacher at Sara Harp Minter Elementary.</li> <li> <strong>Kristen Cruikshank</strong> is a third grade teacher at Lamar Consolidated ISD.</li> <li> <strong>Dr. Donyall Dickey </strong>is an author and consultant for Scholastic Literacy.</li> </ul><p><strong>Special thanks:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl</li> <li>Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan</li> <li>Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula</li> <li>Produced by Emily Morrow</li> </ul>
