Yet between the ages of 12 and 18, many teens who may have been voracious readers in elementary or middle school, nearly stop reading. The peak of reading interest for many students comes between the ages of 12 and 14. It is not uncommon for students this age to read as many as 200-300 books per year. Yet by the time a student is in the upper grades of high school, readers can be considered well above average if they are reading only 25 books a year. Books of 70-120 pages written especially for adolescents are often abandoned for adult literature.
Most students have increasing demands made of their extracurricular time.
Sports, jobs, hobbies, clubs, and more demanding homework all use the time that younger children formerly spent reading. There are fewer opportunities for teens to hear about and access books of interest to them. Regular book talks in classes or as a part of the media program are no longer given. Senior high library book collections often build non-fiction and reference collections at the expense of fiction collections, especially in tight budgetary times. Teens are often required to read books which are inappropriate for them.