Digital Smarts - Lizzie Bennet and Classic Characters on YouTube Revive Required Reading

The digital reimagining of classic literature -- such as Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" told through a YouTube Web series -- is piquing teenagers' interest in required reading. The YouTube series "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries," has attracted a young audience with characters interacting outside the series on other social media platforms, including Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest. Teachers are using these series to introduce and supplement required reading and lessons. Other classic novels receiving the same treatment include Emma, Sanditon, Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing, Peter Pan and Little Women among others. These web series are good to keep in mind if one of these classic works is of interest to your teen, or if they need some incentive to read.