Last weekend we surprised my almost 16 year old daughter with an early birthday trip to Chicago for BookCon. Believe me, she was very surprised because something this big does not usually happen in our family. She really wanted to attend since it was a bit closer to us this year...evidently the event is usually held in New York. My daughter is a ravenous reader and obviously I love literature so it was a great trip for our family (my son is a reader but the boys in our family spent their day at Wrigley Field).
As a librarian in a 1-1 district, I am often asked, "Do kids still read books?" Yes, yes they do! Last Saturday I stood in MANY lines and all around me were kids and young adults talking books, sharing favorite authors, telling their friends about a new series they should check out, and discussing the last great book they had read. Kids would cheer when their favorite author showed up to sign their books, they flocked to panel discussions, and were absolutely crazy when their favorite BookTubers were introduced to a standing room only hall full of readers. If it weren't for my teenage daughter, I wouldn't have known that young readers were watching BookTubers to find out what they should read next or to find out other current info on books and authors.
A few weeks ago I took my daughter to see author Cassandra Clare at the Kansas City Public Library. JessieTheReader, a BookTuber was in attendance. Someone in the line (there is always a line) recognized him and people flocked to have their photo taken with him. [BTW, he was one of the BookTubers featured at BookCon 2016]. My point is, kids are reading, kids love books and authors, kids discuss books, kids are passionate about series books, kids watch shows based on books, kids read!
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