In adolescent literacy research, there is a gap in literature relating to adolescent constructions of reading. It is not possible to gather significant research on the topic without hearing from the adolescents themselves. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover what the adolescent participants consider to be "reading" and how they construct what reading means to them. In this interpretive study using a case study approach, seven adolescent participants were interviewed multiple times over a period of three months. The adolescents were from three different public, suburban secondary schools in southeastern Tennessee. The primary research question was "How do adolescents construct reading?" Through careful examination and interpretation of the interviews, transcripts, fieldnotes, and reading logs, the process of inductive analysis helped me identify the following themes in the data: reading models; variety of texts; positive and negative interactions with texts; interactions with textbooks; multiliteracies; interactions with school-based reading interventions; reading motivation; reading choice; self-concept/identity; and changes in reading requirements from elementary to middle to high school. Several conclusions were drawn regarding adolescent constructions of reading, including evidence that mothers and teachers are very influential in adolescent reading practices; reading choice is important to adolescents yet they often feel forced to read texts; and major reading changes take place between elementary and high school, taking the fun out of reading by attaching grades to reading assignments. Additional conclusions as well as recommendations for future research are included. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]