This magical volume begins by recalling the tender triangular relationship of a parent, a storybook and a child who loves to be read to. Years later, the enchanted child has become a reluctant teenaged reader. How, Pennac asks, does the love of reading begin? How is it lost? And how can it be regained - by everyone from children to adults?

Delving into his experiences as a parent, a writer and a teacher, Pennac uncovers new ways to restore the enchantment of reading and draws up a liberating Readers Bill of Rights, including the right to skip pages, the right to read anything, the right to not defend your tastes, and the right to escapism.