Abstract

Reading is an essential life skill not only for an individual's development and life chances but for social cohesion and a developed democracy. This book focuses on the importance of reading for pleasure and the difference that it can make to a person’s life chances, with a focus upon how libraries and librarians help reluctant and struggling readers: those who might fall through the net or be left behind.
Reading by Right provides an edited collection of chapters covering aspects of overcoming reading difficulties or reading reluctance in children and young people from birth right through to teenage. The book examines the research into problems with the acquisition of reading and highlights some of the best practise to be found internationally, both as a practical aid but also to inspire partnership and cooperation.
Content covered includes:

• an outline of the political and strategic framework that library and education practitioners face in trying to overcome the barriers to reading
• a review of the past several decades of research in this area
• how youngsters become ‘reluctant readers’ and how to improve the situation for everyone
• examples of successful projects from Korea and Finland, countries that consistently perform well in reading tests and international league tables
• a wealth of practical context, including case studies and perspectives from school and public libraries
• an overview of the ongoing relevance of debates and discussion around diversity in publishing and children’s books, including some potential solutions.

The book will be invaluable reading for practitioners and students of librarianship in both the public and school sectors. It will also be of great interest to all teachers, consultants and educators concerned with literacy and reading, and to policy makers in both the school and library sectors.
This book is a great read (no pun intended!), but it is far more than that. This is an essential toolkit for anyone working with children’s reading. Alongside the research there are many practical ideas for parents, librarians and teachers to take reading forward. Carrying this book around is the equivalent of having a vast library of information at your fingertips, curated by some of the finest librarians and experts. Personally I consider the index a thing of great beauty and the references and appendices are a wonderful resource on their own.

Dawn Finch
Awfully Big Reviews
Joy Court is Chair of the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals Working Party. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the English Association and a Trustee and National Council member of UKLA. She is Reviews Editor for The School Librarian and Editor of Read to Succeed.
This book would best be utilized by library systems but could also be useful to an enterprising and creative individual librarian.

Cheryl Clark
VOYA
Reading by Right provides the reader with many excellent examples of how to engage with children and young people in developing their reading skills. The key elements include allowing children to have ownership of their reading material. No material is inappropriate. Allow them to read picture books, graphic novels, educational graphic novels, non-fiction, audiobooks, etc. Allow them to play instead of reading if they prefer. Develop games that incorporate the books you’d like them to be reading. Support them in developing their own reading habits. Encourage reading for pleasure. The book provides an excellent bibliography throughout and also websites for further study on this topic. I am inspired to see how much of what I have learnt from this book I can bring to my library service. 
Executive Librarian, Kildare County Library and Arts Service
An Leabharlann
Thoughtful and inspiring essays address the importance of reaching all readers, strategies for encouraging reluctant readers, and reasons why some children become reluctant readers...This reading is “right” and highly recommended.

Renee McGrath
Nassau Library System, NY
School Library Journal