13-year-old shares e-reading habits

[JSWolf]

I'm posting this not because she has a Kobo, but because she is a teenager discussing why she likes to read with a Reader.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/checkup/blog...bits-1.4265396

Maddie Ashe: I thought I should call in because I'm 13 years old and I read a bit differently than everyone else. I read on my Kobo, and I find it a lot easier to read on an e-reader.

[AnotherCat]

It's my mom's credit card that's hooked up to it. So I don't have that worry about going to the store and buying books. I just say 'Mom, I'm getting a new book,' and there it is.

Does that Moms' credit card service come with every ereader or just Kobos? If so I need to know how to get it .

[cfrizz]

Could he have tried any harder to have her find something good to say about paper books?

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Could he have tried any harder to have her find something good to say about paper books?

No kidding!

On one hand, he posts her conversation as a benefit to e-reading, but it sure seemed like he wanted her to say "but I really miss the smell of books!" (or something like that)

[Katsunami]

LOL. "The professor is biased towards paper books" was the first thing I thought as well

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

LOL. "The professor is biased towards paper books" was the first thing I thought as well

Not unexpected. We've been using paper based books for some 5-6 centuries now and so it's the way that people in general are most familiar with overall.

[darryl]

I've posted here before about my 11 year old niece's persistence in having me buy her a Paperwhite, and her love of it. I had a conversation with her recently where she was telling me her mother had bought her the latest in Andy Griffith's Treehouse series for children, which she has been reading for years. I remarked that it was probably better that her mother had bought her the print book and not the ebook, observing that there must be many illustrations which e-ink readers often don't render well. She did not agree with me, saying that an ebook would have been fine. She actually brought me the book to show me that the illustrations were all black and white in any event and expressed her opinion that they were not important to her anyway.

I also bought her sister a Paperwhite for her 8th birthday. I am told whilst she has used it a little she has not embraced ebooks as enthusiastically as her older sibling. I am thinking that perhaps as a general rule 8 is a bit young for an e-ink reader, though of course there are also exceptions. However, for those children who are enthusiastic readers I think about age 10 is probably a good time for their first ereader. Above all, however, we should remember that the right choice is a very individual one, and there is absolutely no reason why a preference for ebooks over print or vice versa need be an exclusive one.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Could he have tried any harder to have her find something good to say about paper books?

I think his response is valid. When you are talking about ONE thing, and in one way, it doesn't hurt to be reminded of an alternative viewpoint. I don't know the context of the radio program, so I'm willing to be wrong on this, but should any of us care how people read, so long as they READ?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by darryl

I've posted here before about my 11 year old niece's persistence in having me buy her a Paperwhite, and her love of it. I had a conversation with her recently where she was telling me her mother had bought her the latest in Andy Griffith's Treehouse series for children, which she has been reading for years. I remarked that it was probably better that her mother had bought her the print book and not the ebook, observing that there must be many illustrations which e-ink readers often don't render well. She did not agree with me, saying that an ebook would have been fine. She actually brought me the book to show me that the illustrations were all black and white in any event and expressed her opinion that they were not important to her anyway.

I also bought her sister a Paperwhite for her 8th birthday. I am told whilst she has used it a little she has not embraced ebooks as enthusiastically as her older sibling. I am thinking that perhaps as a general rule 8 is a bit young for an e-ink reader, though of course there are also exceptions. However, for those children who are enthusiastic readers I think about age 10 is probably a good time for their first ereader. Above all, however, we should remember that the right choice is a very individual one, and there is absolutely no reason why a preference for ebooks over print or vice versa need be an exclusive one.

Did the 8 year old read as much as the older sibling before the ereader? I don't think you can put an age on it. I needed one at 4 but they weren't invented yet.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Did the 8 year old read as much as the older sibling before the ereader? I don't think you can put an age on it. I needed one at 4 but they weren't invented yet.

I was looking at age more as a guideline than a rule. Though of course the real danger of guidelines is that they will be interpreted rigidly as rules. And my suggested guideline is after all based on a sample of two, and for discussion. It could well be that even a guideline is not helpful here and, as you say, you simply can't put an age on it.

The older girl is definitely going to be a lifelong reader. The 8 year old has only just started to take a real interest in reading. Time will tell.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by darryl

I was looking at age more as a guideline than a rule. Though of course the real danger of guidelines is that they will be interpreted rigidly as rules. And my suggested guideline is after all based on a sample of two, and for discussion. It could well be that even a guideline is not helpful here and, as you say, you simply can't put an age on it.

The older girl is definitely going to be a lifelong reader. The 8 year old has only just started to take a real interest in reading. Time will tell.

I think the scenario you described says more about personalities than ages.
I am assuming the older child has always loved reading.
The younger child probably has other interests.
I know I loved to read and my brother loved challenging games. People were actually shocked when my brother got an electronic chess set for his 6th Christmas. A couple of them actually said he is too young to play chess. Yes, he offered to play them.
The reason for the electronic game was because we were all tired of him beating us. He actually taught me how to play. He had found a chess set in the hall closet and thought it sounded like a neat game. I am the older sibling (sort of). My brother is a genius.

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Did the 8 year old read as much as the older sibling before the ereader? I don't think you can put an age on it. I needed one at 4 but they weren't invented yet.

My eight year daughter shows no particular preference between paper books and her ereader (assuming color illustrations are not involved). My just-turning-six year old daughter enjoys using my tablet to look at picture books.

Some of my older children prefer paper books but they all appreciate the advantage of ereaders when spending time waiting outside of the house (small, lots of choice, no need to worry about running out of reading material) and they understand why I prefer to buy ebooks (space and the fact that books in a properly kept* elibrary last longer than many a well-read paper book).

They can get paper books from the library which is within walking distance.

*properly kept = freed from DRM, backed up both on and off site, format shifted when necessary, sufficiently organized to make it easy to find desired book(s)

[darryl]

@Cinisajoy. You may well be correct. Perhaps it is not possible to give even general guidance in this area. Though likely someone will eventually do a study, the results of which will no doubt reflect the source of the funding.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by darryl

@Cinisajoy. You may well be correct. Perhaps it is not possible to give even general guidance in this area. Though likely someone will eventually do a study, the results of which will no doubt reflect the source of the funding.

That is an always and of course.

[Hemmi]

I've always been a reader. I would have loved an ereader when I was young. As far back as I can remember, at least one book has gone with me everywhere I go. Usually more. Now, it's always an ereader with me no matter what. I love having 300+ books at my fingertips at all times.