Reading for fun sharply declines around age nine in an alarming trend that coincides with years of learning loss since the pandemic, data shows.
Only 35% of nine-year-olds are reading at least five days a week compared to 57% of eight-year-olds, according to the latest Scholastic survey on the issue.
“The number of kids who say they love reading drops significantly from 40% among eight-year-olds to 28% among nine-year-olds,” the Scholastic report notes.
The trend, dubbed the “decline by nine” has concerned researchers, who note that reaching reading proficiency by third grade is a good predictor of academic success.
Sales of books aimed at children eight through 12 were down 10% in the first three quarters of last year after dropping 16% in 2022, according to data from Circana BookScan.
Meanwhile, books aimed at other age groups are not underperforming compared to 2019, the data…
