Reading avidness is recognized as one of the predictors for academic achievement and as motivators for adult to be a life-long learner. The fact is that the number of avid readers is dwindling, and a recent survey showed that Malaysians read an average of two books per year. Thus, the focus of this research is to identify the factors that first led to students' interest in reading and then to sustain this interest. The case study uses observations, interviews and documentary analyses method to collect data from seven 15-year-old Malaysian teenagers selected based on their reading avidness and various backgrounds. Through the course of this research, it was recognized that a key factor for reading ability stems from the home and choice of early childhood education. On the other hand, although parents do encourage and sustain interest in reading, the greater force seems to be from peers with similar interest. Like other facets of a teenager's life, peer influence or as in this case positive peer influence, can be a key to unlock the dilemma of 'reading reluctance'.