Results

Nearly all students said they enjoyed reading (216/224, or 96%).² Of these, 118 identified a particular book that first interested them in reading, a remarkable 53% of the sample.

It was clear from students' responses that they understood the second question. While most simply reported the name of a book, some added commentary, such as:

"It was the Box Car Children that started me reading, because it was a good book."
"Captain Underpants! That book turned me on, because it was funny and an adventure."
"The book that got me interested was Clue, because I didn't like to read before."
"I liked to read ever since my first book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom."

The results for each of the three schools were very similar (table 1). One might expect fewer home run book experiences from the school with the most number of disadvantaged children, because poorer children typically have less access to books, but this was not the case. Interestingly, this school (school 2 in table 1) devotes a large portion of its Title I funds to purchase books, and has the best library of the three schools.

Table 1. Percentage of home run book experiences in three schools

Limited English proficient students responded similarly to the others: 95% (41) said they liked to read and 56% (24) named a book that first interested them in reading. All but two LEP students answered the questions in English, although children were told they could answer in Spanish or English.

Students mentioned a wide variety of home run books, including Animorphs (8), various "scary books" (16; but 15 of the 16 mentioned a book by R. L. Stine), Marvel Comics (3), Charlotte's Web (2), books by Judy Blume (2), a book from the Boxcar Children series (2), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2), books by Beverly Cleary (4) and many, many others. The clear implication of these results is that beginning and reluctant readers should have access to a wide variety of reading materials. The home run experience varies enormously among readers.

Our study confirms Trelease's hypothesis, but some interesting questions remain.
- What motivates potential readers to read a home run book? How do they get interested enough to even try it in the first place?
- Are there also "strike out experiences," negative experiences with reading that discourage free reading?
- Can a home run experience make up for a "strikeout" experience? Can one positive experience be a cure for one or more negative experiences?

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