In Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers (2013), Penny Kittle explores the various reason adolescent students do not read and shows the effects of decreased reading quantities. Kittle (2013) argues, through providing appropriate texts, along with structured class time, teachers can create a culture that leads to more complex reading. She provides strategies to increase the quantity, capacity, and complexity over time, to create a balance of independent reading, text study, and novel study, to help students deepen their thinking through writing about reading, and to build a school culture focused on the love of reading (2013). Book Love (2013) advocates for independent reading; the ultimate goal is to clearly establish a culture where students long to read all types of literature, thus use literature as an avenue of growth and reflection. We will share how the Book Love Initiative works in my classroom, along with data supporting its effectiveness.
