Pew: Fewer bookworms

The Pew Research Center recently reported that almost a quarter of American adults haven't read a single book in the past year. *Gasp* Here's a look at the numbers, starting with 1978 when Gallup conducted the poll.

Percentage of Americans who haven't read at least one book in the past year:

Gallup 1978: 8 percent
Gallup 1990: 16 percent
Gallup 1999: 13 percent
Gallup 2001: 13 percent
Gallup 2002: 18 percent
Gallup 2005: 16 percent
Pew 2011: 18 percent
Pew 2012: 23 percent
Pew 2014: 23 percent

Does this surprise you?

Tooth Fairy spurs money talk

According to a survey by Visa, the Tooth Fairy, on average, leaves $3 per tooth — up 15 percent over last year.

Upon hearing this report, discussion erupted in the newsroom. Journalists talked about what they got when they were kids or, if they were parents, how much they gave their kids.

There were a couple of gems that I heard and mentally filed away for use in a middle grade novel.

Eileen said when she was a kid, she got 25 cents for a tooth. Her friend received a dollar. So Eileen, convinced that her friend got more because her friend's tooth was shinier, spent the whole day buffing her tooth. The next morning when she peeked under her pillow hoping for a dollar, she saw only a quarter. (Poor kid)

Then Eileen proceeded to tell us about the time she swallowed her tooth and, despite having no "evidence" for the Tooth Fairy,  still got a quarter. So, it kind of made up for her parents being cheapskates, at least temporarily.

Do you have a Tooth Fairy story? How much did you get? Give?