Provo, Utah, October 30, 2024

Literal, the Provo-based platform for digital classroom reading, has announced the public beta release of Literal Stacks, a place for K12 students to find, share, and read engaging stories through a familiar vertical feed of personalized book recommendations.

Borrowing from popular social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, Literal Stacks offers students an engaging, safe space to discover high-interest reading material, transforming what might be endless scrolling time into purposeful reading time.

The rising concerns about the effects of social media on adolescents’ mental health and attention spans, coupled with the global decline in reading engagement, underline the need for tools that make reading as enjoyable and accessible as today’s most popular apps. Literal Stacks is designed to do just that, providing middle and high school students with a dynamic, personalized reading experience that encourages them to dive into stories on their own terms.

Every time a student opens Literal Stacks, they’re greeted with a customized “stack” of reading recommendations based on their interests, previously read titles, and social interactions within the platform, such as favorites, shares, and saved stories. The platform’s adaptive recommendation system continually refines suggestions to fit each student’s evolving interests, helping educators address one of their top challenges: keeping students motivated to read independently. This personalized approach allows students to explore genres and authors that resonate with them, fostering a habit of reading that can have long-lasting positive effects on academic achievement and emotional well-being.

"Teens today face overwhelming challenges with their mental health - including very real challenges with attention, sustained focus, and social connection," stated Lawton Smith, CEO of Literal (pictured above) explaining the significance of Literal Stacks in today’s educational landscape."

He continued,

"The pressures of school, family, peers, and the constant presence of addictive social media feeds create a lot of noise in their heads. Literal Stacks has been purpose-built to help teens center their focus on reading—a positive, proven predictor of academic success and a habit known to calm emotions, sharpen focus, and foster meaningful social connections."

Literal Stacks complies with FERPA and COPPA regulations to ensure privacy and security. Educators can easily manage content with tools to blacklist or restrict titles, and both teachers and students can report content for review, adding an extra layer of oversight. This careful curation means that students are discovering age-appropriate, relevant content within a secure, classroom-friendly environment.

"You've never seen literature like this before...and your students may just love it,” said James Denby, Common Sense Education.

Literal’s partnerships with publishers and distributors, including a featured integration with Comics Plus, also bring a diverse selection of content to Literal Stacks, ensuring that students of all reading levels and interests can find engaging material. Literal Stacks sifts through thousands of approved titles for elementary, middle, and high school students, giving teachers and librarians a powerful tool for promoting literacy without the burden of constant content curation.

The popularity of apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels highlights a clear trend: today’s students are captivated by the quick, scrollable feed. Literal Stacks embraces this trend and channels it toward educational ends. In a generation where social media has monopolized screen time, Literal Stacks redefines this engagement model to offer students a constructive, education-focused scrolling experience. Teachers can feel confident knowing their students are spending screen time exploring stories that capture their imaginations and expand their minds.

Literal Stacks is available on tablets, phones, PCs, and Chromebooks, offering flexible access through LiteralApp.com and the Literal apps on iOS and Android. This cross-device compatibility means students can engage with reading wherever they are, making it easier than ever to integrate independent reading into daily routines.

Since its founding in 2019, Literal has expanded its reach to thousands of schools and districts worldwide, serving tens of thousands of educators and students. With a mission to create meaningful, impactful reading experiences in classrooms, Literal continues to innovate by developing tools that inspire curiosity, comprehension, and a lifelong love for reading.

See previous coverage of Literal from June 2021 here.

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