Why aren’t more young people reading for pleasure? International studies reveal that their reading skills and enjoyment are falling. The trend is also apparent in Australia: recent data shows that one in three Australian children aren’t proficient readers, and that 29 per cent of teens don’t choose to read at all.

We can all point to reasons: the rival attractions of the internet and social media, limitations to literacy, peer group pressure, and so on. It’s a given that children develop an attachment to books at a very early age, long before they can read, through picture books and the voice of a parent or caregiver reading aloud. But parents these days are often too time-poor and tired to pick out the right books and to give their children this kind of attention.

Authors worry about th

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