2 . Are you expecting some hottest books? Here are 4 best-sellers popular with teenagers.

Cuba in My Pocket

Cuba in My Pocket follows 12-year-old Cumba from Cuba to America in the 1960s. After being sent to a new country, Cumba must find his footing in unfamiliar surroundings. Over time, he learns how to trust others and get over difficulties with the great help of the locals.

Author Cuevas bases the story on her dad’s experiences. For Cuevas, hope is an important theme in Cuba in My Pocket.

Fast Pitch

In Stone’s Fast Pitch, Shenice is captain (队长) of the Fulton Firebirds. She decides to make her softball team become the winner in the final. But she loses focus after learning a family secret. Can Shenice find out her family secret and still lead her team to victory? She makes it. She fights with her team and they get the final victory.

Ivy + Bean Get to Work

Annie Barrows is the author of Ivy + Bean Get to Work. Ivy and Bean are best friends. They attend a Career Fair at school. They learn about jobs adults can have. But the girls are interested in just one job: Searching for treasure! The two look for gold. But they can’t find it. Barrows hopes kids will feel relaxed about themselves when reading this book.

A Shot in the Arm!

A Shot in the Arm!, by Don Brown, is a graphic (绘图) novel about the history of vaccines (疫苗). Readers learn how vaccines have been used throughout history to fight illness. The author also praised those who worked hard for the development of vaccines. A Shot in the Arm! isn’t a boring history book. Instead, it’s an exciting read that uses colorful drawings to pull readers in.

4 . If the only reading you ever do is the novel or magazine, the speed at which you read -probably does not matter very much. But if you have to read a great deal for study, you will appreciate the benefits of being able to read more quickly.     1    

·Before you open the book, make sure that you are comfortable. You need a seat which supports your back and the book should be at the right distance from your eyes.     2    

    3     Look at the table of contents, the preface, the chapter heading,etc.This will help you to decide whether you really need to read the whole book or only certain parts of it. Ten minutes spent in this way could save you quite a lot of time in the long run.

If you decide that you need to read the whole book, decide how much you can read at a time.     4     A history book which may contain the facts in story form will be easier to read than one dealing with scientific subjects. In the former case you may be able to read a chapter. In the latter you may only be able to read one page.

Always keep a pencil and paper beside you.     5    Note also the facts important for your purpose as well as anything which leads you to further research. You don't have to write these things in detail. It is enough to put the page number and one or two words as a reminder .

5 . Do you get lots of reading assignments as part of your homework? You might wish that you could read faster.

    1     But experts have dismissed this claim.

“    2    ” said Elizabeth Schotter, a scientist at the University of South Florida, US. Schotter pointed out that people who claim that they can teach others how to speed read are usually doing it to make money by selling courses and books.

In fact, speed reading has been advertised since 1959, when US educator Evelyn Wood introduced a speed reading program. Several US presidents have even asked their staff to take speed reading courses.     3    

Schotter explained that reading is a complicated task. It involves four stages: seeing a word, retrieving its meaning from your memory, relating it to other words in the same sentence, and then moving on to the next word.     4     It can’t be sped up.

Some people who claim to be able to speed read are simply skimming. Skimming involves reading a passage quickly and only looking for certain words or sentences. Skimmers can figure out the main idea of a passage—especially if it’s a topic they’re familiar with—but they will not be able to recall all of the details.

    5     Research suggests that you should try to improve your vocabulary and simply read more.

7 . Best books for 12 to 14-year-olds

Mortal Engines

Author: Philip Reeve

Publisher: Scholastic

London is on the move again: the city searches the world for resources on wheels, eating smaller towns. But when he is thrown off the city, young hero Tom is soon forced to reexamine life as he knows it.

Set in a futuristic background, this imaginative story is a blend of action and adventure. The book has won the Blue Peter Book Award.

Coram Boy

Author: Jamila Gavin

Publisher: Egmont

Toby’s and Aaron’s lives are linked by the Coram Man, who collects unwanted children from across the country, supposedly to send them to a safe new life. In reality, the man sells the children into slavery. Soon, Toby and Aaron find themselves united on a journey, filled with danger and excitement.

Rich with historical detail, this book provides an important insight into the 1750s society. It was a winner of the Whitbread Children’s Book Award.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Author: Mark Haddon

Publisher: Red Fox

Seen through the eyes of Christopher, a mathematical talent and Sherlock Holmes fan, this novel opens with the discovery of a dead dog on a neighbor’s lawn. In his search to discover the identity of the killer, Christopher uncovers some information about his own family and he starts a journey to London to find his mother.

Watership Down

Author: Richard Adams

Publisher: Penguin

Young rabbit Fiver believes that a great disaster is about to strike the place where he lives－but no one will listen to him. At last he manages to ask a few brave rabbits to leave before it’s too late. Hunted by dogs and foxes, their journey is a dangerous one—but the rabbits can still dream of a peaceful and safe new life at Watership Down.

This book won both the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Carnegie Medal.

8 . My little cousin is already three years old. Last week, when I was shopping with my aunt, 1 suggested she buy some wordless books for him. She refused and said wordless books were useless. If you also think so, then you're wrong.

Anyone who has “read” a picture book can tell you that you don't need words to tell a story. Preschoolers(学前儿童)can follow a story told in pictures. And even though kids aren't reading words, it turns out that wordless books can help them develop important skills. Here are some reasons why little kids should read wordless books.

Through reading wordless books, young kids and preschoolers can learn how a book works: from front to back, left to right, and top to bottom. Following a story helps kids understand the structure of storytelling: cause and effect, conflict(冲突)and resolution, character development and a narrative(叙述的) way with a beginning, middle and end. Kids can hear many new words. They can also learn to recognize objects, people, places, animals and actions and tell a story based on pictures. This helps kids have a larger vocabulary and connect pictures with things they see.

Reading wordless books helps kidsobtainconfidence. A young kid or preschooler is proud to have finished a favorite book and have understood the whole story from start to finish without adults' help. When they're proud of themselves, they become more confident.

Reading wordless stories helps little kids develop a love of books. Wordless book can be enjoyed by little kids. After they find the pleasure in reading, they’ll fall in love with reading.

Wordless books can be enjoyed by all little kids. Books without text are great for kids who speak different languages, are learning English, or have developmental or learning difficulties that make reading words challenging.