Research shows that middle school students overwhelmingly cite three characteristics that they like in books they read: (1) humor; (2) mystery and suspense; and (3) reality (true stories about real people). Matching students with appropriate books helps turn students "on" to reading, and it is this "electric" reading that encourages lifetime readers. Educators, therefore, need to identify books whose features provide powerful reading for young adults. "Aliens for Breakfast" (1989) by J. Etra and S. Spinner, and "Maniac Magee" (1990) by Jerry Spinelli are just two examples of humorous books written for these students. Stories by Avi, such as "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" (1990) and "The Man Who Was Poe" (1989) are well known to middle school students who love mystery and suspense. And students who like to read about "real" people in "real" situations will surely enjoy Susan Beth Pfeffer's "The Year without Michael" or Caroline Cooney's "The Face on the Milk Carton." Such books truly provide the electricity to prompt students into becoming lifetime readers. It is time for teachers to use the switch provided by research to turn students on to reading. (Eighteen references are included.) (PRA)