1 . Recently, 16 Chinese online novels have been added to the collection of the British Library for the first time, including The Era of the Earth, The First Order, Great Doctor Ling Ran, and Great Power, Heavy Industry. Covering themes of science fiction, history, reality and fantasy, these works are considered the classics of Chinese online literature from the past 20 years.

One of the largest research libraries in the world, the British Library houses more than 170 million items, including the cultural relics of different civilizations from throughout history. The library usually selects works based on their popularity or by considering an item’s value. Readers can check the information about the 16 books on the library’s website, and borrow printed copies.

As one of the current pillars(支柱)of mass cultural consumption, which began with “fast food” romances, fantasies and mysteries-enjoyable to consume, but not intellectually nutritious, the Chinese online literature industry has quickly matured during its fast development over the last two decades.

In recent years, online novels have received increasing acknowledgment from home and abroad. In 2019, 10 online novels, including Great Power, Heavy Industry, were added to the collection of the Shanghai Library, and between 2020 and 2022, 144 online novels like Battle Through the Heavens and Lord of Mysteries were entered into the collection of the National Library of China.

Great Power, Heavy Industry tells of how China’s manufacturing industries have grown stronger in recent decades, and foreign readers can learn about the Chinese system and culture behind the country’s swift economic development, getting to know China better in the process, the author, whose online pen name is Qicheng, says.

In recent years, Chinese online literature has attracted an increasing number of readers from overseas. One of the largest online literature platforms, China Literature Group, has authorized the digital and print copyrights of more than 800 online novels to overseas markets.

2 . Steph Clemence always intended to go to college. But life tends to throw barriers in the way. Her mother remarried several times. By the time she was a senior in high school, Steph had lived in 25 places. Her stepfather died in a car accident, leaving her mother to support three daughters on a modest income. Paying for college became out of the question.

One afternoon, Dorothy Clarks, her English teacher, walked into the classroom, handing out a paper sheet titled “Mrs. Clark’s Book List”, and said, “Some of you might not go on to higher education, but you can continue to learn.” She created a list of 153 fiction and nonfiction books, covering science, history, economics, politics, and literature. It would, she believed, form the equivalent(等同)of two years at a liberal arts college.

So she began in 1970. Starting at the top, Steph would read every book in the order they appeared. Each of those books fueled her passion to learn more about the person, subject matter, or time in history. Unlike many people who open a book in bed before it’s time to sleep, Steph prefers to read while sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee by her side. She doesn’t race through a book, as she wants to savor the experience.

Now Steph is 70 and she never did get to college. But she has only four books left to read from the list. She expects to complete them sometime in 2023.

In Madame Curie, the author, Eve Curie, writes, “Each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.” The way Steph sees it, Mrs. Clark felt it was her particular duty to help young students. She wishes she could thank Mrs. Clarks and share with her how reading the works on her list has changed her life. “It was never just a list I got from some teacher in school. It’s always been Mrs. Clark’s Book List,” says Steph.

5 . 4 Books for Your Christmas List

These spectacular books would make fantastic presents this Christmas.

Journey to the River Sea

by Eva Ibbotson.

Illustrated by Katie Hickey

(Macmillan Children’s Books)

In this children’s classic, travel deep into the Amazon jungle in search of adventure with heroine Mala. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of an award-winning, best-selling story this gift edition comes packed with lots of colorful artwork from illustrator Katie Hickey.

Little People Big Dreams Treasury

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Lisbeth Kaiser

(Frances Lincoln Children’s book)

In this wonderfully illustrated collection you can explore the fascinating true stories of 50 brilliant “dreamers” including activists like Greta Thunberg, artists such as Frida Kahlo, musicians, scientists, sporting legends and writers.

Daughter of the Deep

by Rick Riordan

(Puffin Books)

Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan’s latest book is a thrilling sci-fi adventure set in an academy for underwater explorers. During the sea-trials at the end of their first year, Ana and her classmates witness a terrible tragedy and soon begin to uncover deep, dark secrets and age-old rivalries.

Everyone Sang

by William Sieghart.

Illustrated by Emily Sutton

(Walker Books)

If you like poetry, you’ll love this illustrated collection, which is divided into four sections: Poems to Make You Smile; Poems to Move You; Poems to Give You Hope; and Poems to Calm and Connect You. Poets such as Carol Ann Duffy and Lemn Sissay are included.

6 . The story of a 92-year-old book lover in a village of Chongqing has touched many recently, Sun Shiquan has collected more than 7,000 books over the past years and has offered a free local library to people there for years.

He was born in Pipa Village in Xiuqi Town of Chongqing’s Chengkou County. Being a bookworm as a child, he read all kinds of ancient books including the Four Books and the Five Classics. In the 1950s, he became one of only a handful of local college graduates and later served as a middle school teacher in the county.

He started to collect books in 1983 and gradually built a collection of many kinds over more than 40 years. Among his holdings is a precious set known as the Si Ku Quan Shu, dating back to Qing Dynasty. It is one of the only seven copies in the country.

Wearing glasses, Sun reads for more than three hours every day. Now he has finished reading most of his collections. Speaking of her father, Sun Ziyu, said, “My father has a habit of making notes on each book. He makes a mark whenever he stops reading so that he can carry on reading from where he left off.”

Village official Liu Jiao said, “Many children in the village love to visit Sun and listen to his stories.” She said the elderly man has earned respect from the whole village. People call him “Teacher Sun” and children call him “great-grandfather”.

Sun Ziyu said her father also writes poems and prose(散文) in his spare time and enjoys reading his works to the family. She said under her father’s influence, family members take the time to read together and exchange views. “That’s their favorite part,” she said.

“My father has loved reading for a lifetime,” Sun Ziyu said. “Reading is his meat and drink.”

9 . An important lesson in the moral (道德的) education of children could be as close as the book in their hands. Stories matter. And they can play a role in building moral values in young audiences, according to the results of a new study.

Lindsay Hahn is the first author of the new study, which explores how media content (内容) influences children. Many studies done before have focused on wide concept (概念), but Hahn’s study looks at how moral values might influence the kids’ values. Do children reading particular moral, characteristics take in those qualities and build their own morality? The findings suggest so.

“Parents, caregivers, and teachers are often wondering how media can be used for good,” says Hahn. “How can it be used for good things? How can it discourage bad habits? How can it educate?” Answering those questions begins with a better understanding of how to use media. “When parents are considering what media they might want to select for their children, they can deliberate what particular moral value is being stressed by the main character, and how the main character is treated because of those actions,” she says.

For the study, Hahn and her workmates took the main character from a young adult novel. They wrote the content to reflect the study’s focus on moral values. Those stories were shared with about 200 participants (参与者) between the ages of 10 and 14. This is a favorable range for media research because it’s more difficult to introduce the understanding of stories to younger kids, while challenging to hold the attention of older teenagers, who become bored with basic storylines, according to Hahn.

10 . 1. As a first-time e-paper user, I am not sure if all the momentary pixilation (像素) is normal. The size is ideal for my new-teenager. There are hardly any annoyances and the kid seems enjoying the experience. The parental controls are, mildly put, inadequate. I would anticipate being able to define lock-down timings and limit usage duration for a device targeted at kids.

---Miki

2. This is such a lifesaver! My son reads books constantly. We were doing our best to buy books and use the library, but it was hitting our wallets hard. With the Kindle Free Time included with this Kindle kids edition, he has access to thousands of books. I get to set the age appropriate limits on the book access. As we live on a tight budget, it’s great to have a one-year free subscription to Free Time.

---Billie

3. Just received this device today and I’m ready to throw it out the window. Navigation is horrible and even customer service admitted that they don’t know how to help. It’s a nightmare trying to get your free subscription set up as they just keep redirecting you to set up a 30-day trial and be charged after. I’ll be cancelling everything and sending this back as soon as possible.

---Catherine

4. This is a reader’s kindle. We want our children to read—not play video games all day. From the moment we received this device as a gift, our kids had immediate access to 55 books that we had purchased through our Amazon account. Now they can carry around a whole library of books. Not to mention all of the free out of copyright material that is available.

---Norah