When Daniel Pennac published his manifesto for readers, Better Than Life, it was a sensation in France. It's since been translated into numerous languages, and made the bestseller list in many countries.

Roughly translated, his "Rights for Readers" are:

1. 1. The right not to read something
2. 2. The right to skip pages
3. 3. The right not to finish
4. 4. The right to reread
5. 5. The right to read anything
6. 6. The right to escapism
7. 7. The right to read anywhere
8. 8. The right to browse
9. 9. The right to read out loud
10. 10. The right to not defend your tastes

Daniel Pennac in Better Than Life

The list is such a good set of benchmarks for comparing instruction in schools with the habits and behaviors of lifelong readers. Over the years, I've enjoyed debating these rights with teachers and students. It's fun to ponder...

Is there a certain age when the right to read "anything" should kick in?

Is there any time finishing a text is essential?

Are there times when reading out loud might be a nuisance?

If you're looking for a big, juicy, and provocative set of ideas to throw out for discussion at your next meeting with colleagues or reading workshop with students, you could do worse than Pennac's list.

This week we've posted other ideas for making reading relevant, a new quote collection, and lots more. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

If there's anyone who's advocated for the rights of readers, it's Ellin Keene. In this interview excerpt from the archives, she talks about her own history as a reader, and who influenced her at home and beyond. We've included a transcript for dial-up users:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/311.cfm

The rights of readers are established in homes as well as schools. If you're interested in more possibilities for expanding literacy outreach in low-cost ways, PBS has an excellent set of materials designed for use by parents and children in home book clubs. This would useful material for a school newsletter or family literacy night:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/bookfinder/

We've posted a new quote collection on writing revision, with an eclectic mix of authors from Naomi Shihab Nye to Mark Twain:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/310.cfm

Last week for our Think Spring! DVD Promotion, including our one-cent ground shipping deal:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/270.cfm

For Members Only

Franki Sibberson writes about how she organizes for writing groups, in this quick article with a video example of a group on crafting leads:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/311.cfm

Part 4 of our six-part series on notetaking is posted. "What Counts and Writing the Unwritable" provides some strategies for getting out of notetaking ruts:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/311.cfm

The second part of our interview with Kathy Collins is up. In this excerpt she gives practical examples of how to assess learning at reading centers, and ensure they stay imaginative and "kid-like. " A transcript is included for dial-up users:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/313.cfm

New Site Feature: We've finally posted the Annotated Archives. This section of the site includes descriptions, titles, and authors for the over 200 articles, videos, print downloads, and interviews currently available at Choice Literacy. If you only started your membership in the last few months, this is the section of the site where you can catch up on what you may have missed. The Annotated Archives link is on the lefthand margin of every page, listed under "Resources":

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/department27.cfm

That's all for this week!