Who can correct it? Thanks :)

Reading nowadays
We are always told that reading is important, not only for our mind, but for our spirit as well. Already at school, teachers try to make our interest in reading increase, but sometimes, or rather, often,* children do not take their teachers' attempts to reproach* them to the world of reading very seriously.
Just yesterday, while flicking through a newspaper, I came across an interesting and, at the same time, alarming article an article that was simultaneously interesting and alarming*. The title took me aback so much that I had to repeat it to myself several times before understanding it to the fully: "Italians read less and less".
I'm Italian, so reading that my compatriates are losing more and more interest in reading was a shocking piece of news.
The reality is that youth, according to the official statistics, rarely read. Almost 68% of Italian youth (from 14 to 24 years of age) read less than 3 three* books a year or does do not read at all. I asked myself: "How can it this be possible?".
I mean, why would so many people not even touch a book?
And the worst thing is that this percentage is rising not only in Italy... but all over the world!
I think there should be cultural improvements in this way. Indeed, I believe it is NECESSARY to promote reading and encourage people, from children to elders, to rediscover the beauty of diving into the pages, into new worlds made of words, feelings and emotions.
I do not believe those who say, "I do not like reading!" I cannot stop myself from asking them, "Are you completely sure? Have you ever tried to find the right books for you? The right styles and authors?"*
I've always thought that the most difficult step to take in this path is to look for and , at last, to find the books that probably you'll you'll probably like best. Everybody is interested in something, so why not to read about that topic?
In short, reading is first of all a discovery... the discovery of ourselves that will permit us to follow the path and if we really discover ourselves we won't be discouraged and won't give up.*

*This is grammatically correct, but it sounds better if you either say "but often, children..." or "but sometimes, children..." instead of "but sometimes, or rather, often, children..."

*"Reproach" is a negative word—it means "to show disapproval of." Do you mean something like "introduce"?

*Your original wasn't incorrect, but it sounds less clunky to say it this way.

*This is a very small correction, and it's really up to preference, but most writing style guides say that at least numbers 1 through 10 should be spelled out; "one, two, three... etc."

*Commas should be used before quotes. Also, if there's punctuation (like a question mark) in a quote, you don't need a period after it.

*This last sentence doesn't really make a lot of sense. The main idea of "reading helps us discover ourselves" is clear, but it's unclear what "the path" is.

Hope this helped! :D

Happy Holidays

Hi xxx and xxx,

This is a little email to wish you, your family, and all the team at xxx, happy holidays and a lot of rest.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A short story

Try to write a short story to practice my grammar and tense, please help me to correct it and make it more natural.

One day, Ben saw a discount on a haunted house. He didn't believe in ghosts, so he decided to go there and stay one night inside to prove that ghosts aren't real.

When he arrived, he met an old lady named Mrs. Rose. She had short, gray hair and was wearing an old fashioned dress and pearl necklace. She told Ben that she was the owner of the haunted house and then took him to look around the house. It was tidy, neat and had a number of beautiful sculptures. Later after dinner, Mrs. Rose led Ben to settle in a room on the second floor.

The temperature unexpectedly dropped around midnight, and Ben was shivering when he woke up from a nightmare. He got off the bed and closed the window. Suddenly, the floorboard outside his room's door was creaking.
"Mrs. Rose?" Ben asked, "Are you there?"

The sound stopped but no one answered him. He opened the door and saw no one outside the room, and found that the house only had one floor.