While I write fiction for young readers from age 7 up through middle school, the bulk of my books are read by second and third graders at level, and older readers who, for any number of reasons, might be a bit slower to come to books. A reluctant reader myself in those years, I know that (in the absence of a learning issue) it’s often a case of finding the right book at the right time to make a young person into a lifelong reader. Parents and teachers know this firsthand.

A bigger problem, as I see it, is that among those who do read, “quiet reading” — the manner of reading without distraction — is fiercely under attack. Because of the homogenization of culture and the pervasiveness of technology, even the youngest readers face a bewildering spectrum of distractions that cut into their time and ability to focus on reading. Even then, much of the reading being done is secondary to the activity — such as Internet reading, video game manuals, web browsing, and the like. We could call it “noisy reading,” in which the paradigm of the solitary reader interacting with words on the page is drowned under near-constant music, whining computer fans, and flickering images, not to mention the “horror” of being alone.

The concept of quiet reading faces awesome competition. Authors for children have had to face this competition and adapt to it, hoping that books can form a part of that busy spectrum of activities — such as the inclusion of computer and non-book elements into the storytelling. This is brilliant, in a way, though the jury is still out.

On the other hand, I’ve read quite a number of new children’s books in the last year, and I can say that, luckily, there is some outstanding publishing taking place; fine objects are being made in the great tradition of the book. Also, if I may give a plug for series publishing for young readers . . . original paperback publishing is often passed over in discussions of children’s literature, but it can be an important element in encouraging literacy, because of its ready appeal to the reader.

The solution to a decline in both broad literacy, and its apex, quiet reading, is probably to be found in an ongoing, open, and strenuous dialogue among writers, parents, classroom teachers, reading specialists, and school media specialists — in other words, the phalanx of workers who have literacy as their constant goal.