Why Reading Rules

Books don’t get enough credit. Stories shape our world. We read them, hear them, and talk about them throughout our lives.

For centuries, books functioned as vital record keepers. More recently, they’ve also served as the basis for popular movies and TV shows. In 2017, almost 40 movies based on books were released.

“Your imagination is so alive when you are reading,” says Lisa Lucas. She is the head of the National Book Foundation. Each year, the organization chooses the country’s best book in four categories. Lucas, who carries a book with her wherever she goes, envisions a world where book awards are as closely watched as the Oscars.

When books become movies, they often get a second life. The movie version of A Wrinkle in Time will come out next month. It’s based on a popular fantasy book published in 1962.

The director, Ava DuVernay, made some changes to the story for the big screen. For example, she cast the main character as a mixed-race child. “I was interested in a heroine that looked like the girls I grew up with,” she says.

Books don’t get enough credit. Stories shape our world. We read them. We hear them. And we talk about them throughout our lives.

Books functioned as vital record keepers for centuries. More recently, they’ve also served as the basis for popular movies and TV shows. In 2017, almost 40 movies based on books were released.

“Your imagination is so alive when you are reading,” says Lisa Lucas. She is the head of the National Book Foundation. Each year, the organization chooses the country’s best book in four categories.

Lucas carries a book with her wherever she goes. She would love to see book awards watched as closely as the Oscars.

When books become movies, they often get a second life. One example is A Wrinkle in Time. The popular fantasy book was first published in 1962. Next month, a movie will come out based on the book.

The movie’s director is Ava DuVernay. She made some changes to the story for the big screen. For example, she cast the main character as a mixed-race child. “I was interested in a heroine that looked like the girls I grew up with,” she says.

Andrea Cipriani Mecchi

Marley Dias

Telling diverse stories is also important to 13-year-old Marley Dias. In 2015, she founded #1000blackgirlbooks, a mission to collect 1,000 books with black girls as the main character. A book called Brown Girl Dreaming inspired Marley to start the campaign. “The book changed my life,” Marley writes in her book, Marley Dias Gets It Done—And So Can You!

Telling diverse stories is also important to 13-year-old Marley Dias. In 2015, she founded #1000blackgirlbooks. It is a mission to collect 1,000 books with black girls as the main character. A book called Brown Girl Dreaming inspired Marley to start the campaign. “The book changed my life,” Marley writes in her book. It is called Marley Dias Gets It Done—And So Can You!

On the line graph, what does each increment on the x-axis represent?

A. number of movies

B. books

C. box office profits

D. year

On the line graph, what does each increment on the x-axis represent?

A. number of movies

B. books

C. box office profits

D. year

From 2007 to 2017, in which year were the smallest number of books made into movies?

A. 2007

B. 2008

C. 2010

D. 2011

From 2007 to 2017, in which year were the smallest number of books made into movies?

A. 2007

B. 2008

C. 2010

D. 2011

Do you notice any trends in the line graph? Explain.

Which expression shows the number of books made into movies in 2008 and 2009?

A. 61 movies + 62 movies

B. 45 movies + 40 movie

C. 30 movies + 40 movies

D. 40 movies – 30 movies

Which expression shows the number of books made into movies in 2008 and 2009?

A. 61 movies + 62 movies

B. 45 movies + 40 movie

C. 30 movies + 40 movies

D. 40 movies – 30 movies

Which books and movies from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series were released before 2013?

Correct the following statement to make it true: So far, 4 years have elapsed between the publishing of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book and its film adaptation.

Which book on the chart “Year of Select Books and Their Movie Release” came out first? In what year was that book released? How long ago was that?

A student makes the following list, saying the books are listed in order by their year of release: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Matilda, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Where the Wild Things Are, A Wrinkle in Time. Where did the student make a mistake? Explain.