The Reading Habits of Estonian Schoolchildren

In the rapidly changing world of today many adults have gained an impression that young people are sitting in front of a computer rather than reading fiction. Nevertheless, according to a study carried out in Estonia in 2008-2009 most of the schoolchildren can name their favourite authors as well as books, giving reasonable arguments for their choice. Literature lessons have a significant role in shaping pupils' taste in literature, as many a good book would otherwise miss their attention. However, in drawing up the lists of school literature, more attention should be paid to the age and abilities of the audience as poor reading competence combined with a restive mind is hardly enabling enjoyment of a rich text of fiction, rather, it may scare children off the literary world. Adapted from the source document