I surveyed some teen readers

I was honored to present a fiction writers workshop yesterday to thirty Middle School and High School students as part of their Gifted and Talented program. So I grabbed the opportunity to learn more about their reading preferences.

I asked what their preferred medium for reading books was. All but two preferred to read physical books and the vast majority of them preferred hardback over paperback. They love hardback because it is aesthetically pleasing (their words), durable, and carries some nostalgia for them.

Only two preferred e-books and one liked e-books because she could read and listen at the same time. Other than her, they weren’t very interested in audio books, which surprised me.

The vast majority like to read - and also write - fantasy and sci-fi. No surprises there. They also love fairy tales. Only one girl didn’t write fiction much, although she liked narrative nonfiction. Another wrote historical fiction.

Well over half the group writes in present tense, which I found interesting as well. They prefer to read that as well.

I’ve heard @Thomas Umstattd Jr. recently talk about how young readers love hard-bound books. He’s got his finger on that YA pulse, from what I could see yesterday.

Just wanted to share what I learned.

Kathy

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