Research regarding the reading preferences of children often focuses on the differences between boys and girls, but rarely looks at reading ability as a factor. The purpose of this study is to address the connection between children's reading preferences and reading ability. By looking at the school library circulation records of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students, this study examines relationships between gender, age, reading ability, and the reading preference of elementary school children. Quantitative data was collected from circulation records in order to find trends related to Fiction or Non-Fiction reading choice based on a student's reading ability, age, and gender. Fiction and Non-Fiction are determined based on call numbers of books checked-out; specifically, those titles that are picture or chapter books are considered Fiction, whereas those labeled with Dewey Decimal coding are considered Non- Fiction. Reading ability--in terms of reading level scores (II, III, or IV)--is determined by the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test in Reading. The hope is that the results of this study may contribute to further research and discussion addressing the relatively poor literacy performance of boys compared to girls both in school and on standardized achievement tests
