Publisher's Synopsis
One of the first things I ask a new student is "What was the last book you read for fun?" They typically laugh, then pause, and finally admit to me (and to themselves) that they can't remember the last time they read something for fun. Remember when you were young and you enjoyed reading? You read stories of adventure, tales of pirates and wizards and knights, of jungles and deserts and space. New books were devoured like chocolate cake. Library days meant you were entering an unexplored world or going on a new adventure with old friends. Sooner or later, however, school intervened. Reading became something you had to do. Teachers assigned book reports, reflection papers, essays. Midterms sap the fun out of reading faster than anything. Anything except standardized tests, that is. The reading sections of the SAT and ACT not only take the fun out of reading, but they also inject a healthy dose of anxiety into your already chaotic and busy world. But the best way to improve your reading score is to read. It's hard to study for the reading section of standardized tests. The passages are not the types of books and essays you would typically choose to read. Sometimes, the content can trip you up. Other times, the archaic words and phrases of nineteenth-century literature slow you to a crawl. There are lots of strategies you can deploy to help yourself with the passages but nothing will improve your score faster than reading regularly. This book will help you prepare for the test in three ways. First, you will (re)-learn to read for fun. You'll get more out of reading when you read something you want to read. Second, you'll know what to expect on the test. The passages here, more or less, conform to the types of passages you'll see on test day. Third, you'll learn to focus, relax, and pace yourself. These tests are stressful enough as it is. Preparing will remove some anxiety and give you the confidence to succeed. One final thing: There is nothing parents like to see more than a student doing homework. Read this book in the living room or at the dining room table, someplace where they can see you. Write all over this book. Make it clear to your parents that you care and you'll find that the stress levels in the house drop noticeably. The passages in this book are, more or less, the kinds of passages you would find on standardized tests. However, I have chosen these particular passages because I think that they may be more interesting than those you'll find on test day.
