This session uses the insights provided by school librarians, teachers and booksellers about what measures work and what doesn’t in guiding teenagers to choose and read the books that will interest them, based on the conversations they regularly have with teenagers. It also draws on insights from teenagers themselves about what kinds of help from the adults in their lives are valuable, and what kinds are not. As reading habits often diminish during the teenage years, this session can help the families and friends of teenage readers support a continued enjoyment of reading.

This event is aligned with the Australian Reading Hour, a national celebration of Australians’ love of reading hosted by the Australian Publishers Association. The panel draws on the experience of children’s booksellers, authors, publishers, literary agents and librarians as well as showcasing some new findings from Deakin’s current ARC Linkage Project, Discovering a good read: Cultural pathways to reading for teens in a digital age.

The event is a collaboration between Deakin Libraries and the Teen Reading in the Digital Era Research group. We are grateful for the support of the following industry partners: The Australian Publishers Association, The Australian Booksellers Association, The School Library Association of Victoria, The Australian Library and Information Association, and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.