For years, the question "Why can't Johnny read?" has plagued teachers, students and parents. Another troubling question, especially as students move into their teen years, is: "Why won't he or she read?"

The questions point to two critical problems affecting millions of teenagers: students who can't read at grade level and those who don't want to read, known as "reluctant readers."

More than 8 million adolescents between grades four and 12 are identified as "struggling readers," according to the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices.

Many others read reluctantly.

The nature of reading changes between elementary and middle school, said Wayne Brinda, assistant education professor at Duquesne University. "You go from learning to read to reading to learn. The texts become more complicated. There are less pictures, new vocabulary, new ideas."

Many middle and high school students can read words, but don't understand the ideas and concepts they're reading about. Rita Bean, an education professor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in reading, said students need help "learning strategies that will enable them to read successfully in the various content classes -- science, geography, history, math."

Some education advocates say the problem is that educators lay a good foundation and then stop building the house instead of continuing literacy efforts into middle and high schools.

In addition, many teens simply aren't practicing reading enough. Voluntary reading drops as students progress through school, especially during the middle and high school years, according to a report on student reading and writing habits from the National Center for Education Statistics.

There are many reasons why teens become reluctant readers.

"Secondary students have competing demands -- and are very much influenced by their social group and its views of reading," said Dr. Bean.

Even so, she said, "they read more than we think -- but not necessarily textbooks or school reading materials. They are involved with the Internet, with blogs, with text messaging."

Dr. Bean believes more needs to be done at schools and in homes to foster motivation and interest in reading.

"What we know about adolescents is that they are interested in participating in activities that have meaning for them. Some educators believe that if we provide materials and activities that relate to the interests of students, they will be more motivated to read," she said.

"This means including books and other reading materials that deal with issues about which teens are interested. Some of these tend to be controversial or difficult issues with which to deal in schools -- dating, drug use."

Julia Rippel, 13, of Bloomfield, a student at Rogers Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts, likes to read fantasy, mysteries and books with humor. She said many of her friends like to read, and they go to the library together.

But she does think some books lose their glow in classroom discussions.

"They overanalyze it so much," she said.

For some teens, J.K Rowling's young wizard hero Harry Potter has performed some real magic, getting young readers into books that number in the hundreds of pages -- voluntarily.

Andrew Sims, 18, of Medford, N.J., who lived in Murrysville as a child, said the first Potter book, which a teacher read to the class, got him interested in the series. Mr. Sims, who is starting at Rowan University this fall, is part of a group that hosts a podcast and Web site (mugglenet.com) devoted to Potter books.

The Potter books sparked his interest in mystery and fantasy fiction for younger readers, like the Lemony Snicket "Series of Unfortunate Events" series.

But assigned texts in school were another story, Mr. Sims said. Even a classic fantasy like "Beowulf" -- and the classroom discussions about it -- failed to engage him.

Local educators at the secondary level are trying to capture some of that Potter magic -- finding the way to make reading an activity to enjoy.

"I would do anything and everything to get a book in their hands," said Mario Zinga, co-founder and an administrator at City Charter High School, Downtown. Mr. Zinga takes groups of students to bookstores and lets them pick out books to read and share, using his own credit card to pay.

One popular purchase among his students has been "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series about the adventures of a female detective in Botswana. Mr. Zinga said it's an ideal choice because the mysteries feature a female protagonist and they open the door to a different culture.

People of all ages read the books they want to read, not what's foisted upon them, he said.

"When it's a chore, it's a lost cause. If you get kids to the point where they enjoy reading, I think the other things begin to fall in place," he said. "Once they enjoy reading, then my giving them a book that is nonfiction, they're willing to struggle through it."

In the Penn Hills School District, Daniel C. Lujetic, director of curriculum and assessment, said, "Every child has an interest. If you can find what their interest is, and find something for them to read on that, then you've found the hook".

One strategy some schools are adopting is to combine assigned reading across disciplines. For example, students read fiction that has a connection to what they're learning in history class.

While studying Afghanistan, City Charter students read Khaled Hosseini's novel "The Kite Runner," the story of an Afghan boy growing up in Kabul in the 1970s.

"Even below-grade-level readers found the book amazing," Mr. Zinga said.

Efforts to improve teen literacy extend beyond schools.

Prime Stage Theater, based Downtown, is using the stage to build a bridge between teens and books.

In the Prime Stage initiative, students read a novel -- often one that is required reading in middle and high schools -- and follow the entire production process. Like actors, the students learn how to identify with and understand characters and their motivations. Like set designers, they learn to exercise their imaginations and visualize text.

When they read "Treasure Island," they were asked to envision a set. The result: detailed drawings of the island as the students saw it, with swamps and trees.

"It worked because it stimulated their imagination," Dr. Brinda said. "That's what reading should do."

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has increased its programming for teen readers, which has resulted in an increase in book circulation among the age group, said Holly Anderton, manager of teen services at the library's main location in Oakland. About 70 percent of city youths 13 to 18 have library cards.

The library offers reading resources beyond books.

"Simply by giving access to the Internet on our public computers, we can aid in raising test scores," said Ms. Anderton, citing a Michigan State University study showing improved grades for low-income children who were given Internet access and visited text-heavy sites over six months.

Families can help. Suggestions include letting children see you read, reading with your children, leaving reading materials around the house, giving books or bookstore gift cards as gifts and listening to audio books while traveling.