Updated: January 14, 2013 6:36 AM | By The Associated Press, thecanadianpress.com

E-book reading on the rise among young people

In this Feb. 4, 2011 photo, Heather Stephenson, a librarian at the Siouxland Library main branch, demonstrates how to download a book. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP,The Argus Leader, Emily Spartz

NEW YORK, N.Y. - E-books may finally be catching on with the toughest of customers: young people.

A report commissioned by children's publisher Scholastic Inc. finds that 46 per cent of respondents aged 9-17 had read an e-book as of 2012, compared to just 25 per cent in 2010. And around half of those who have not read an e-book say they want to do so. But the appeal of paper remains. Around 80 per cent of kids who read an e-book still read print books, according to Monday's report.

While e-books are believed to comprise around 25 to 30 per cent of total book sales, the number has been much lower among children. The rise of iPads and other tablets has helped vastly expand the availability of picture books and other children's books in electronic format.