Celebrate Books with Bite @ Norfolk Public Library During Teen Read Week 2008!

Norfolk, VA (October 2, 2008) Many area teens will be reading for the fun of it as the Norfolk Public Library (NPL) celebrates Teen Read Week ™, October 12 - 18, 2008. NPL joins thousands of other libraries, schools and bookstores across the country who are encouraging teens to celebrate this year's theme, "Books with Bite @ Your Library®."

Teen Read Week is the national adolescent literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association. This year's theme encourages teens to read a wide variety of humorous books and graphic novels "just for the fun of it."

Today's teens are techies, bloggers and gamers with lots of options for entertainment. Therefore, it's important to remind them to spend time reading for pleasure; it's enjoyable, free, and can be done anywhere! Literacy is a topic of both local and national concern, and falling test scores and lower graduation rates among teens today are a serious issue. Research shows that teens who read for fun have better test scores and are more likely to succeed in the workforce.

Norfolk Public Library hopes to increase teen literacy by offering a variety of programs for teens during Teen Read Week ™. Parents, encourage your teen to read, and to visit their local library to attend one of these programs: