Reading train - Improve your reading skills

Do you read books lower than your "reading level"?

As children we often find books with reading levels. Most didn't have them but we got a general idea of what age group the books went for. I have loved many young adult authors, but now I feel like I'm too old for reading them again. What I'm asking is...do you read books even though you know you are older than the intended readers of the author would be? Like if you grew up reading an authors books and as you grow up you forget about them and move onto more mature readings. I wouldn't think any less of anyone if I saw them reading a book that is below what they can be reading...but sometimes when I ponder bookstores I find myself walking by the young adult sections and finding books i didn't even know existed from authors I loved years back. Maybe its a series that took to long to finish before you grew up. I sometimes just feel embarrassed for wanting to read those books because I know I'm too old to be reading it.

Public Comments

1. Nothing wrong with that, a good story is a good story, and many of the youth authors do a great job. It's interesting to see what they can do using simple language, that in itself an art.
2. i dont...i try to read stuff @ my level or slightly above it...
3. Well I read Harry Potter and I am in college.
4. hehe.. sometimes.. *smiles sheepishly*
5. Absolutely! I often read books that are supposedly lower than my "reading level," because I love them. For instance, some books that are considered "children's" books like The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis and the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. They are timeless, and I have read them over and over. I think you should walk into the young adult section like you own the entire book store and pick whatever appeals to you. Refuse to be embarrassed! It's the mark of a truly great author to have written books that are so enjoyable you want to read them again even though you're supposedly too old for them! It's the mark of a discriminating reader to know that certain books are worth rereading no matter your age. Go for it!
6. Some books push the limits, like Animal Farm is readable at like age 8, but the allegory to Russia may not be appreciated until a much higher reading level. Really though, read whatever you get enjoyment from.
7. I read whatever I want from kids books to romance novels, it's whatever floats your boat.
8. Rereading childhood favorites, and passing them on to your children, has been done for as long as there have been children's books. A couple of my YA favorites are, "The Chronicles of Prydain," and, "The Chronicles of Narnia." I'm 26 years old, btw.
9. no... i hate teen-level books. i look for older books because they're more interesting. but i LOVE the little prince. it may be childish, but its so sweet and so meaningful...its a classic
10. All the time. That's because I want to write children books, so I'm always interested.
11. I'm not a young adult, but I often choose books from this genre. I've enjoyed Scott Westerfeld's work as well as Philip Pullman and many others. The reading level isn't an issue - I'm looking for a good story with interesting characters, and when I find an author I like, I look at his/her other titles, just as you mentioned. Some may read different genres and levels for research purposes, too, so they know what is and isn't working for that particular audience (like writers, librarians, teachers). YA has grown quite a bit, and I find when I'm in the library, I gravitate toward that section to see what else is new and what I might have missed. You're never too old to read any story. I consistently read books at the grade school level with younger children. There are so many reasons someone will pick something up that isn't their reading level. Twilight is YA, but with all the "talk" on here, I decided to check it out. And how often do you see questions on here asking about books people read years ago? They loved it and want a copy now, for themselves or others because they want to share. I say pick out whatever interests you, no matter the author and no matter the level and enjoy!
12. There's no shame in a little light reading. I loved R.L. Stine and Sweet Valley Twins books when I was growing up and I still read them for the nostalgia. My friend still reads young adult novels because they have all the comedy and shallowness of regular chick-lit except the heroines aren't husband-hunters with shoe fetishes which is refreshing. Louise Rennison's "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging" is a good one. Also, a lot of children's literature is classic now that you might not have had a chance to read when you were younger. Wizard of Oz, A Little Princess, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Little Women and anything by Roald Dahl are some of my favorites. One piece of advice: Buy them at a used book store. Used kids books often sell for less than a dollar and they will probably have all your old favorites.
13. When I was in Kindergarten, my prescribed reading level was a 6.5-12.9 so I doubt I read within that range all the time. Even now at age fourteen, I take time to put down the books on Fixed Income securities, options pricing volatility models, neoclassical economics, and theoretical physics to enjoy the masterpieces of old. Such texts include the work of Sir Auther Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Eric Arthur Blair( George Orwell).
14. Well, I read my son's book "Holes" and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it!
15. It's great to be able to sit back every once in a while and have an easy read. If I have the chance, I sometimes go back and flip through my old fairytales, just because I used to and still continue to love them! Go ahead and take a trip back to the teenage years! Hope this helps!
16. Always, always, always. I was always able to read about level in school, but even as an adult never completely abandoned young adult books. The good ones are so enjoyable! And guess what, after all those years of reading young adult books, now I write them. So, rock on!