Editor’s Note: The Struggle of RA Is Real

Abstract

As a librarian, I love doing readers’ advisory (RA). But there are two things about it I struggle with.

The first is that the parent rarely (or never) brings the child along. When asking for books for their child, they often don’t know what the child is currently reading, what they like, or what they might like. They might incorrectly judge their reading level. Or, they often say, “They don’t like to read.”