Digital literacy and online reading platforms provide students with a plethora of options to tailor their reading experience to suit their needs. Online stories can be read to students who have visual impairments and font sizes and styles can be adjusted accordingly. Online books can be manipulated to support student learning. Features that provide word definitions, clickable font, pictures appear and animated illustrations deepen students understanding and expand connections to the book. Non-linear reading opportunities exist through hyperlinks to additional related content beyond the book covers.

Authors are extending their writing as they create an online presence and medium for communicating with their readers, social reading. Readers have the opportunity to contribute and comment on endings, ideas for future books and discuss books similar to an online reading club. Author websites support fan fair, readership and create a connection between author and reader. Reading is no longer one-way of communication but rather an ongoing conversation.

Reading apps support student engagement through animations and unpredictable multimedia features create an element of unpredictability. Interactive books also lend themselves to extending reader engagement beyond the covers. Online mediums faciliate online learning games that check student comprehension, extend the story and gamify literature.

Stories have been evolving since the beginning of time – oral, printing press, CD Rom books, eBooks now interactive, enhanced and audiobooks. These are all different mediums for storytelling, readers and writers now have more options for creativity with the evolution of technology. However the importance of stories and books hasn’t changed, they provide an escape from reality or method of learning new information. Online reading platforms have provided the reader with a choice as they can interact directly in the reading experience.