Unconscious delight refers to the second stage in learning to read (after simple decoding) in which the reader, typically from third to sixth grade, becomes hooked on a specific topic or type of book and reads everything he or she can about it. The Harry Potter and Twilight crazes are excellent examples, as is the voracious reading by youngsters of everything about space or dinosaurs. Generally, the desire must be saturated before the reader is able to successfully move on to the next stage, which is typified by fiction or nonfiction that allows the reader to put him or herself into the author’s place. The Diary of Anne Frank is a popular novel for young girls in this stage.
Sadly, I did not encounter any readers at the unconscious delight stage among my ninth- or tenth-graders at South Delta High School. Most were simply decoding at best, and those who were reading for content had most likely missed the window of opportunity to satisfy the natural curiosity of early readers due to a lack of availability of books or the overpowering influence of other media. Several of my current students are involved in personal reading of series such as Twilight or Dean Koontz. They seem more interested in genre fiction than in using reading as a way to engage specific nonfiction subject matter.
Unconscious delight is mentioned in my reflection on MTC Coursework. I have had to auto-correct unconscious every time I have written it.
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