What British teens love (and loathe) to read
Anne Frank is still speaking to British teens, more than fifty years after her diary was first published. A survey published today by Britain’s Guardian newspaper puts Anne sixth on a list of most loved reads (just after Harry Potter). And there are only five books-as-we-know-them on the list. Top of the pops are two magazines, Heat and Bliss, with online cheat-sheets for games, film scripts and blogs all coming in ahead of conventional novels. Anthony Horowitz, C.S. Lewis and Louise Rennison all make the cut.
And what do they loathe? Well, Shakespeare is up there, as are books over 100 pages, assigned reading and … Harry Potter. Yes, although Harry came in fifth on the loved reads, he also came in eighth on the loathed, so as they say, you either love him or hate him. Surprisingly, Facebook is also on the loathed list.
I wonder what an Australian survey would reveal? Any guesses?
