Scieszka calls himself "a fan of stupid reading."

"I've been a big champion of stuff like 'Captain Underpants' and 'Junie B. Jones,' " he said. "It horrifies some parents and teachers because it is not grammatical and there are misspellings, but that is fun reading."

And fun, he said, is the ticket to getting youngsters to read, especially those children for whom reading is hard.

Books that appeal to a child's interests can avoid what he calls "the death spiral," which goes like this: "It's where kids aren't reading and then are worse at reading because they aren't reading, and then they read less because it is hard and they get worse, and then they see themselves as nonreaders, and it's such a shame."

Scieszka was born in 1954 in Flint, Mich., and received a bachelor's degree in writing from Albion College and a master's of fine arts from Columbia University. He spent several years teaching first through eighth grade, spending the most time in second grade, where many children learn to read. That experience, he said, helped him realize how hard it is for many children to learn to read.

Reading, he said, is not an elective in life, but a necessity.

Not every book is appropriate for every 7-year-old, or children of any age, experts say. Here are some tips to help you make the right selection.

Rachel Harlan, supervisor of young adult services at the Arlington County, Va., Public Library:

Q. What's the first thing a parent or other adult should do in helping a child find a book to read?

A. Find out what your kids like, what kinds of things engage your child. We all know that if we are trying to do something that doesn't interest us, it can be a chore.

Q. How hard is it to determine content appropriateness?

A. Very, especially for kids who have very strong reading skills. The books they are able to read have content that may not be as appropriate for them. "Star Wars" is big. Kids love "Star Wars" ... but the books are for teens and older adults. Yet you've got third-graders who want to read them.

Q. Why shouldn't they?

A. Most "Star Wars" books have a level of violence that might not be appropriate for younger kids. It also has difficult themes. The theme of going to the dark side can be a hard concept for a child to understand. ... We don't want to sell kids short. They are smart. But hard topics, consumed in a vacuum, can be very hard. A hard topic that is viewed in a safe environment, with trusted people around who can explain or add to it, is a different story.

Teri Lesesne, professor of children's and young adult literature at Sam Houston State University and author of "Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12":

Q. Children often like to reread books, or read books that seem beneath their ability. Should parents worry?

A. Well-intentioned parents say you will never grow if you stay fixated in this rut of reading, say, those "Goosebumps" books or those "Magic Treehouse" books. There is a fear they won't grow as a reader. But what kids are doing is finding comfort. They think, "Every time I pick up a 'Magic Treehouse' book, I know what I'm getting."

Q. And there is value in that?

A. Absolutely. They know they are going to be successful with them, and that is important. Success leads to better motivation. If you are successful on a diet, you are more motivated to stay on the diet. If you pick up a book that you are familiar with, you will finish it, which is a huge accomplishment, and move on to the next one.

Q. Is there an age when children should be pushing themselves?

A. (Reading researchers) say that when the kid is ready, they will move, and I think there is some wisdom there. We panic as parents, but we shouldn't.