Becoming a Reader argues that there is a regular sequence of attitudes we go through as we mature, which affect how we experience fiction. This developmental perspective provides a useful framework for assessing the implications of competing theories of reading and for charting the evolution of individual readers.

Introduction; 1. Early childhood: the reader as player; 2. Later childhood: the reader as hero and heroine; 3. Adolescence: the reader as thinker; 4. College and beyond: the reader as interpreter; 5. Adulthood: the pragmatic reader.

'This book is an excellent introduction to the kinds of fiction that appeal to school-age children, adolescents, and adults. It provides a rich and provocative as well as informative view of the why and what of experiencing fiction by readers of different ages. It introduces the basic ideas, assumptions, and themes in literary interpretation and criticism. It portrays the kinds of characters and stories that are recurrent in formulaic romance and adventure that appeal to all ages in different forms. As a basic primer on literature and literary experiences of children and adults, it is highly recommended.' American Journal of Psychology' ... a lucid and useful book on the way reading fiction helps us construct and enlarge our personal and social identities.' America'Happily, Appleyard is in the 'grip' of neither Frye nor anyone else. Like his pragmatically conceived adult reader, Appleyard uses Frye's Anatomy because it works. He manages to hold aloft at once a number of theories, examining and extracting the best and most sensible ideas before moving on.' Book Reviews