http://kazu.org en http://kazu.org/post/what-kids-are-reading-school-and-out Walk into any bookstore or library, and you'll find shelves and shelves of hugely popular novels and book series for kids. But research shows that as young readers get older, they are not moving to more complex books. High-schoolers are reading books written for younger kids, and teachers aren't assigning difficult classics as much as they once did.<p>At Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., the 11th-grade honors English students are reading <em>The Kite Runner</em>. And students like Megan Bell are reading some heavy-duty books in their spare time. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:16:00 +0000 Lynn Neary 27957 at http://kazu.org What Kids Are Reading, In School And Out http://kazu.org/post/mccanns-transatlantic-crosses-fiction-and-fact-ireland-and-us About five years ago, Colum McCann stumbled upon a small piece of history he had never known: In 1845, Frederick Douglass, then an escaped slave who was already famous for his anti-slavery writings and speeches, visited Ireland to raise money and support for his cause. McCann says he knew almost immediately that he wanted to turn this historical fact into fiction: "This intersection between history and fiction, between what is real and what is not real, fascinates me," he says. Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:23:00 +0000 Lynn Neary 27616 at http://kazu.org McCann's 'TransAtlantic' Crosses Fiction And Fact, Ireland And U.S. http://kazu.org/post/how-ellen-degeneres-helped-change-conversation-about-gays In 2008, during the brief window when it was legal for same-sex couples to get married in California, perhaps no couple drew more attention than Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.<p>After their wedding, photos of the couple were everywhere; DeGeneres, beaming, in a white suit and holding hands with de Rossi, the very picture of the princess bride so many young girls dream of being one day. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:25:00 +0000 Lynn Neary 24372 at http://kazu.org How Ellen DeGeneres Helped Change The Conversation About Gays http://kazu.org/post/wave-tells-true-story-survival-and-loss-2004-tsunami On Dec. 26, 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala was vacationing with her husband, her two sons and her parents in Yala, Sri Lanka. The day was just beginning when she and a friend noticed that something strange was happening in the ocean. Within a matter of minutes, the sea had wiped out life as she had known it. In a new memoir, called simply <em>Wave</em>, she recalls her experience with the tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people, including her own family.<p>Today, Deraniyagala lives in New York. Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:40:00 +0000 Lynn Neary 23454 at http://kazu.org 'Wave' Tells A True Story Of Survival And Loss In The 2004 Tsunami http://kazu.org/post/e-readers-track-how-we-read-data-useful-authors Reading always seemed to be the most private of acts: just you and your imagination immersed in another world. But now, if you happen to be curled up with an e-reader, you're not alone.<p>Data is being collected about your reading habits. That information belongs to the companies that sell e-readers, like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. And they can share — or sell — that information if they like. One official at Barnes & Noble has said sharing that data with publishers might "help authors create even better books."<p>The data is also, of course, a brilliant marketing tool. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:14:00 +0000 Lynn Neary 21895 at http://kazu.org E-Readers Track How We Read, But Is The Data Useful To Authors?