I'm currently organising a Reading for Pleasure TeachMeet to take place later in the year. Full details are below- admission is FREE! Come along and join the fun.
Saturday 18th June
Fakenham Junior School
2:00pm-5:00pm
Admission free- tickets available here
If you are interested in presenting on any aspect of Reading for Pleasure, please contact jon.biddle@gmail.com
Speakers include:
Marilyn Brocklehurst (Norfolk Children's Book Centre)- 60 books in 6 minutes
Chitra Soundar (author)- Reading for Pleasure in Asian culture
Steve Willshaw- Should we abandon Reading for Pleasure?
James Nicol (author)- Author visits in schools
Ruth Keys (librarian)- Reading aloud
National Literacy Trust- ?
Amelia Bird (Speech Bubbles)- Speaking and Listening in KS1
Harriet Cox (Norfolk SLS)- Reading for Pleasure in Ten Objects
Stephanie Hamman (teacher)- Questioning in reading
Jeanette Baker- The Buzz Mag
John-Paul Ringer (teacher)- Reading and the outdoor environment
Christopher Lunt- Using
the Reading Cloud to promote reading for pleasure
Jon Biddle (teacher)- Why your school needs a Patron of Reading!
Saturday, 2 April 2016
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Patron of Reading update
Last month I wrote a short article for the UKLA Primary 4-11 magazine about the growth of the Patron of Reading initiative across the UK. Some of that article appears below.
The Patron of Reading initiative continues to flourish in schools across the United Kingdom. Since it was last mentioned in this magazine (Summer 2014), it has grown from approximately 50 schools to more than 150. For those currently unaware of the initiative, a Patron of Reading is a school’s special designated author (or poet, illustrator or storyteller) with whom they develop a relationship over a period of time. As well as all the usual benefits to a school from organising an author visit, working with a Patron can offer whole lot more.
We began by inviting existing patrons to join the cluster and then brokered some additional partnerships and held a launch event in partnership with the library service. The response from schools and authors has been fantastic, with many new partnerships to be announced in the autumn, and schools queuing up for patrons. We are beginning to create opportunities for patrons to share ideas and successes - showcasing activity on our website and encouraging authors to tag Patron of Reading activities on their social media. We are also building our understanding of the barriers to participation for some schools - and exploring exciting ideas such as shared patrons and patrons in branch libraries.
The best thing so far has been the sheer volume of goodwill towards this initiative (which Big Green Bookshop Education has undertaken to support for at least 3 years). Schools, authors, storytellers, community organisations, other bookshops: so many people are supporting us (not forgetting Big Green Bookshop customers who have generously donated money and help). It's early days for us yet but it's up to us all to make this something really special.
The Patron of Reading initiative has also recently started to forge links with Empathy Lab, a new venture from Miranda McKearney OBE, founder of The Reading Agency. Empathy Lab is researching into how a more focused use of stories and books can help children build the foundational skill of empathy, and is beginning to trial their empathy education approach with a small group of schools from September 2015. Miranda says of the Patron of Reading/Empathy Lab partnership:
Wouldn't it be amazing if every single child was putting into practice the empathy skills to respect, value and care for themselves, other people and the world? We're inspired by the power of empathy to make the world a better place, and the power of stories to build empathy.
Liaising with writer Helena Pielichaty, we have begun testing some of our thinking with the Patron of Reading initiative, a wonderful grassroots organisation, which places authors in schools as champions of reading.
We see authors as a powerful catalyst in a drive to help children develop empathy. To create compelling characters, writers use empathy in spades; they're empathy experts. We hope to build an army of authors helping lead a movement to connect literacy and reading for pleasure more closely with social and emotional education. As part of this we are planning to start working with several Patron of Reading schools in the very near future.
As the initiative has been up and running for almost four years, several patrons are now coming to the end of their tenure in schools. Fortismere School in Haringey was one of the very first schools to adopt a patron, Sita Brahamachari, author of Artichoke Hearts, in 2012. In September 2015, Sita is handing over the baton to SF Said, the creator of the Varjak Paw series. Gill Ward, the librarian at Fortismere, gives her view as to why the initiative has been so successful:
The Patron of Reading initiative continues to flourish in schools across the United Kingdom. Since it was last mentioned in this magazine (Summer 2014), it has grown from approximately 50 schools to more than 150. For those currently unaware of the initiative, a Patron of Reading is a school’s special designated author (or poet, illustrator or storyteller) with whom they develop a relationship over a period of time. As well as all the usual benefits to a school from organising an author visit, working with a Patron can offer whole lot more.
John Dougherty, author of the Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face series and
Patron of Reading at West Earlham Junior School since 2013, said:
I
love visiting schools, and invariably get a great response from the
kids; but there’s something different about visiting my Patron of Reading
school. I think it’s the sense of connection - even of ownership - that the
children feel with me and my work. And I can do things that I don’t normally do
on school visits - drop-in visits to classrooms for a bit of a chat about
books; assemblies where we challenge and explore preconceptions about reading;
even talking shops with parents - where we can get stuck right in, without
any need for warm-up or introduction.
Tim Redgrave, headteacher of Ysgol Esgob Morgan in North Wales and the
person behind the original idea, reported:
Having a
personal link to a ‘famous’ person has helped make reading cool at our school.
The interaction is a very personal link between the child and the author. It's opened
up a new world of literature for our pupils who now read for pleasure so much
more. We’ve had 100% completion of the Summer Reading Challenge three years on
the bounce, and have extended the library once and need to do so again! All
from having a Patron of Reading!
The second Patron of Reading conference took place in London earlier
this year and was attended by almost 100 authors, poets, librarians and
teachers. Speakers included Alan MacDonald, author of the Dirty Bertie books,
who spoke passionately about the importance of schools with authors; Josh
Seigal, who talked about how being a performance poet helped him in his patron
role and Gillian Cross, author of Carnegie Medal winner Wolf, who shared her
experiences of being a patron at more than one school. There were many other
speakers throughout the day and a full write-up of the day can be found on the
Patron of Reading website.
Ways that schools and patrons can support each other by sharing good
practice have been discussed several times over the past year. Ian Coles,
representing Big Green
Bookshop Education CIC , has recently helped create the first local ‘chapter’
of patrons in Haringey:
We asked to set up the first regional chapter because schools were
always asking the Big Green Bookshop to arrange author visits and we knew there
was already significant support for the scheme across the borough.We began by inviting existing patrons to join the cluster and then brokered some additional partnerships and held a launch event in partnership with the library service. The response from schools and authors has been fantastic, with many new partnerships to be announced in the autumn, and schools queuing up for patrons. We are beginning to create opportunities for patrons to share ideas and successes - showcasing activity on our website and encouraging authors to tag Patron of Reading activities on their social media. We are also building our understanding of the barriers to participation for some schools - and exploring exciting ideas such as shared patrons and patrons in branch libraries.
The best thing so far has been the sheer volume of goodwill towards this initiative (which Big Green Bookshop Education has undertaken to support for at least 3 years). Schools, authors, storytellers, community organisations, other bookshops: so many people are supporting us (not forgetting Big Green Bookshop customers who have generously donated money and help). It's early days for us yet but it's up to us all to make this something really special.
The Patron of Reading initiative has also recently started to forge links with Empathy Lab, a new venture from Miranda McKearney OBE, founder of The Reading Agency. Empathy Lab is researching into how a more focused use of stories and books can help children build the foundational skill of empathy, and is beginning to trial their empathy education approach with a small group of schools from September 2015. Miranda says of the Patron of Reading/Empathy Lab partnership:
Wouldn't it be amazing if every single child was putting into practice the empathy skills to respect, value and care for themselves, other people and the world? We're inspired by the power of empathy to make the world a better place, and the power of stories to build empathy.
Liaising with writer Helena Pielichaty, we have begun testing some of our thinking with the Patron of Reading initiative, a wonderful grassroots organisation, which places authors in schools as champions of reading.
We see authors as a powerful catalyst in a drive to help children develop empathy. To create compelling characters, writers use empathy in spades; they're empathy experts. We hope to build an army of authors helping lead a movement to connect literacy and reading for pleasure more closely with social and emotional education. As part of this we are planning to start working with several Patron of Reading schools in the very near future.
As the initiative has been up and running for almost four years, several patrons are now coming to the end of their tenure in schools. Fortismere School in Haringey was one of the very first schools to adopt a patron, Sita Brahamachari, author of Artichoke Hearts, in 2012. In September 2015, Sita is handing over the baton to SF Said, the creator of the Varjak Paw series. Gill Ward, the librarian at Fortismere, gives her view as to why the initiative has been so successful:
The Patron of Reading scheme has
worked brilliantly for us; it's wonderful for the students to have their own,
dedicated author and to be able to build up a connection with them. Sita
inspired many of our students to explore the world of books and even some of
our reluctant readers are discovering themselves in books. The great thing
about the scheme is that it has allowed Fortismere and Sita to build our own
special relationship and way of working. I'm now super-excited and looking
forward to working with SF; it's going to be so interesting to see where our
Patron of Reading journey will take us next.
SF Said, a passionate advocate of reading for pleasure in schools,
added:
I've always believed that
reading for pleasure has the power to change people's lives. I'm honoured and
thrilled to be Fortismere School's new Patron of Reading. Just seeing the
superb school library and hearing librarian Gillian Ward's passion for books, I
feel sure that Fortismere children have access to the very best resources. I'm
looking forward to inspiring the children to make the most of them, and
building on the brilliant work done by Sita.
Why has the Patron of
Reading idea been so successful in schools? Michael Rosen, the keynote speaker
at the recent launch of the Haringey chapter, summed it up when he said that it
was a grassroots initiative, owned directly by schools and writers, for the
benefit of children and young people, in direct contrast to many ‘top-down’
interventions and organisations. As the creator of the Patron of Reading
website, I am always genuinely delighted when I am contacted by a school who
talk about wanting to create a ‘genuine’ or ‘real’ reading culture, and whether
there are writers available to become patrons. I am also equally delighted when
I am contacted by a writer who has heard from their peers about the impact that
having a Patron of Reading can have on children’s attitude to reading.
If there are any schools
or colleges who are interested in getting involved, please visit the website -
your Patron of Reading is waiting!
www.patronofreading.co.uk
www.patronofreading.co.uk
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
New school library
Over the past few weeks, we've made quite a bit of progress with
redeveloping our school library. It currently consists of three shabby
looking shelves in a corridor and does absolutely nothing to promote
reading in the school.
We're
in the process of moving it to a much larger space and having a major
cull of the books. The new site is still a bit of a thoroughfare in the
school, but with a few screens and some nifty furniture movement, we're
going to turn it to a space that's a lot more welcoming.
We were lucky enough to be given a large grant from the Norwich Town Close Estate Charity which has helped us buy a lot of new furniture.
We were unsuccessful with a bid to the Foyle Foundation (probably due to our Pupil Premium figures being too low), but we then received some money from The Adnams Charity which was a huge help when deciding what to buy to restock the shelves. There has been no significant investment in books at the school for the best part of 15 years so there are massive, massive gaps on the shelves.
The
first thing we did was send round a class wishlist to each class so
that the children could have as much input as possible over what we
bought. Classes spent time discussing what genres and authors they
enjoyed and then completed the lists. We also asked for advice about
graphic novels from the Reading for Pleasure in Schools group on
Facebook and looked at shortlists for book awards, etc. Eventually a
whole school list was created. The focus this year has been entirely on
fiction and poetry, with the focus from September being on non-fiction.
There just isn't enough money or time to do it all at once.
Getting the most value for our money was absolutely key, so several hours were spent trawling through websites, with Amazon, The Book People and Peters being the main focus. We then put the orders together and waited for our shiny new books to arrive. Most of them were delivered over half-term although a few are still outstanding. We purchased Junior Librarian to help with stock and will be getting the support of Norfolk SLS when we catalogue the books. The current plan is to have a grand launch just before the Easter holidays.
It's taken longer than I anticipated. The children are getting excited about their new library but also rather impatient. They've seen the furniture around the school for a few weeks and want books on shelves!
We've now got to think about how can ensure it functions as a library and doesn't just become another set of disorganised bookshelves. Unfortunately, the money isn't available to employ anybody and moving staff from classes will obviously have a knock-on effect. Training up Year 5/6 librarians will certainly help, but they're going to need guidance and support. It's by no means perfect, but it's a lot more positive than it was a year or so ago.
Our present 'library'
We were lucky enough to be given a large grant from the Norwich Town Close Estate Charity which has helped us buy a lot of new furniture.
Some of the new furniture
We were unsuccessful with a bid to the Foyle Foundation (probably due to our Pupil Premium figures being too low), but we then received some money from The Adnams Charity which was a huge help when deciding what to buy to restock the shelves. There has been no significant investment in books at the school for the best part of 15 years so there are massive, massive gaps on the shelves.
Some
of our current library books: A 50-year-old copy of Stig of the Dump
that claims 'Pleasure in Reading' and a book about the Industrial
Revolution that appears to have been published during the Industrial
Revolution
Class wishlist
Getting the most value for our money was absolutely key, so several hours were spent trawling through websites, with Amazon, The Book People and Peters being the main focus. We then put the orders together and waited for our shiny new books to arrive. Most of them were delivered over half-term although a few are still outstanding. We purchased Junior Librarian to help with stock and will be getting the support of Norfolk SLS when we catalogue the books. The current plan is to have a grand launch just before the Easter holidays.
It's taken longer than I anticipated. The children are getting excited about their new library but also rather impatient. They've seen the furniture around the school for a few weeks and want books on shelves!
We've now got to think about how can ensure it functions as a library and doesn't just become another set of disorganised bookshelves. Unfortunately, the money isn't available to employ anybody and moving staff from classes will obviously have a knock-on effect. Training up Year 5/6 librarians will certainly help, but they're going to need guidance and support. It's by no means perfect, but it's a lot more positive than it was a year or so ago.
Saturday, 23 January 2016
An exciting week at school!
This week, the staff of my school were lucky enough to have two extremely influential sets of visitors come and work with us.
On Wednesday we were joined Miranda McKearney OBE, who created The Reading Agency, and Craig Hill. They are both focusing their energies on a brand new project, Empathy Lab. We're pleased to be one of only 12 schools in the country involved in trialling the project. The focus is on using books and stories to improve children's empathy skills. We talked about a lot of exciting ideas, including creating Empathy Detectives and Book Spotters, as well as using Empathy Mentors The focus will be on the children in Year 5 to start with, but the plan is to spread the initiative across the school. We'll be meeting Miranda and her team again in a couple of months so we can give feedback alongside the other schools involved.
On Friday we were delighted to host a training day delivered by Rob Smith, the genius behind The Literacy Shed website. He spend the whole day sharing inspirational ways to use film and images in the classroom to help improve children's writing. There were about 20 teachers there from about five schools, and it was wonderful to see such a buzz of excitement and enthusiasm in the room. Rob is a really entertaining speaker, with a wealth of knowledge about teaching English, and the general consensus was that it was one of the most useful training sessions in a very long time!
On Wednesday we were joined Miranda McKearney OBE, who created The Reading Agency, and Craig Hill. They are both focusing their energies on a brand new project, Empathy Lab. We're pleased to be one of only 12 schools in the country involved in trialling the project. The focus is on using books and stories to improve children's empathy skills. We talked about a lot of exciting ideas, including creating Empathy Detectives and Book Spotters, as well as using Empathy Mentors The focus will be on the children in Year 5 to start with, but the plan is to spread the initiative across the school. We'll be meeting Miranda and her team again in a couple of months so we can give feedback alongside the other schools involved.
On Friday we were delighted to host a training day delivered by Rob Smith, the genius behind The Literacy Shed website. He spend the whole day sharing inspirational ways to use film and images in the classroom to help improve children's writing. There were about 20 teachers there from about five schools, and it was wonderful to see such a buzz of excitement and enthusiasm in the room. Rob is a really entertaining speaker, with a wealth of knowledge about teaching English, and the general consensus was that it was one of the most useful training sessions in a very long time!
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Poetry in the garden centre
Despite being very dependent on successful Christmas play rehearsals, parents visiting to decorate the classroom and various other festive delights, at the end of this week my class are off to visit the local garden centre to share some of
our favourite poetry with the customers. It's one of the initiatives in the school's campaign to get the local community more involved with reading, alongside #mydadreads, #mymumreads and various other ideas that the School Reading Council have come up with for the new term.
The plan is that they will work together in pairs to read and perform poetry. They'll be performing some of their own poems, alongside work by a selection of poets they enjoy. Included on the 'to perform' list are Paul Cookson, Liz Brownlee, Michael Rosen, Josh Seigal and Benjamin Zephaniah, although more are being added on a daily basis. We'll hopefully be able to get a few people to stop and have a proper listen. The customer will then be offered a photocopy of the performed poem to take home, along with the name of the collection it's taken from. The garden centre have been really supportive about the idea and have offered us all free refreshments when we visit. If it's successful, the plan is to repeat it in other parts of the village although unfortunately, for some unknown reason, we're not allowed to try it in the village pub.
The plan is that they will work together in pairs to read and perform poetry. They'll be performing some of their own poems, alongside work by a selection of poets they enjoy. Included on the 'to perform' list are Paul Cookson, Liz Brownlee, Michael Rosen, Josh Seigal and Benjamin Zephaniah, although more are being added on a daily basis. We'll hopefully be able to get a few people to stop and have a proper listen. The customer will then be offered a photocopy of the performed poem to take home, along with the name of the collection it's taken from. The garden centre have been really supportive about the idea and have offered us all free refreshments when we visit. If it's successful, the plan is to repeat it in other parts of the village although unfortunately, for some unknown reason, we're not allowed to try it in the village pub.
Monday, 26 October 2015
School Reading Council
After half-term we are going to be officially launching our School Reading Council. Full details are currently a bit sketchy, but the overall aim is to give the pupils much more ownership over how we promote reading in school. Findings from the Literacy Trust's 2008 report, Young People's Self-Perception As Readers, emphasise the need to 'use systems of peer-to-peer recommendation, involving pupils in their school's reading culture and championing reading to other pupils' and a 2011 literacy survey reports that 'young people who are encouraged to read by their friends a lot are nearly twice as likely to enjoy reading and nearly three times more likely to say that they think reading is "cool" than those who are not.'
So far, we've chosen two children to represent each class, one who is already an avid reader and one who isn't (yet). Hopefully being on the council will remedy that! They are all allowed to wear a 'Book Champion' badge around school, which will give the position some real status, and will be attending meetings every couple of weeks, as well as feeding back to their class regularly.
When we had our inaugural meeting last week, they were absolutely full of ideas and suggestions about how to get the other pupils, the staff and their parents reading more. They're planning to be in charge of organising and delivering book boxes to the playground at lunchtime so that pupils can read outside if they wish. They talked about developing the book area in each classroom and getting each class to focus on a Class Author every half-term, as well as having more say in selecting the books we borrow from our local school library service. There were also suggestions to roll out the Mystery Book idea across the whole school.
They council members were desperate to be given a reading display board in a prominent area in the school, over which they would have complete control. One of their first ideas for a display was to go and photograph staff reading their favourite books and then expand on our #mymumreads and #mydadreads initiatives by launching a #myvillagereads campaign. Hopefully that will involve more than wandering around the village and harassing the local butcher into holding up a copy of his daily newspaper.
A couple of them were also extremely keen to be 'reading experts' and share their book recommendations with children who are struggling to find anything they want to read, which could be very successful if introduced sensitively.
One of the areas I'd love to give them a real say in is organising future author visits. At the next meeting I'm planning to give them a shortlist of 3/4 authors and then ask them to go off and do some research into who they think would be popular for a whole school visit. I will also leave it up to them to publicise the visit, ensure that each class has access to some relevant books, etc. They were also very interested to find out if they were allowed any sort of budget to spend on certificates and prizes for reading and new books, comics and magazines.
The fact that they were so full of enthusiasm has given me confidence that the idea can be sustained throughout the year, even if some of the council members change. In my experience, a buzz about reading created by children has more impact than a buzz about reading created by adults and, to quote from the Literacy Trust's 2008 report, 'we can use the enthusiasm of the self-defined readers to encourage other readers to widen their choice of reading materials in creative and innovative ways.'
I'm looking forward to seeing how the School Reading Council develops over the coming months and will update this post at some point with a progress report. On a completely separate subject, this afternoon my youngest daughter (age 4) went upstairs and took all the books off her bookshelves. She then hid them under her bed and filled the shelves with her collection of princess tiaras. Her argument was that 'They look nicer!'. I think she's going to be quite a tough nut to crack with this whole reading business...
So far, we've chosen two children to represent each class, one who is already an avid reader and one who isn't (yet). Hopefully being on the council will remedy that! They are all allowed to wear a 'Book Champion' badge around school, which will give the position some real status, and will be attending meetings every couple of weeks, as well as feeding back to their class regularly.
When we had our inaugural meeting last week, they were absolutely full of ideas and suggestions about how to get the other pupils, the staff and their parents reading more. They're planning to be in charge of organising and delivering book boxes to the playground at lunchtime so that pupils can read outside if they wish. They talked about developing the book area in each classroom and getting each class to focus on a Class Author every half-term, as well as having more say in selecting the books we borrow from our local school library service. There were also suggestions to roll out the Mystery Book idea across the whole school.
They council members were desperate to be given a reading display board in a prominent area in the school, over which they would have complete control. One of their first ideas for a display was to go and photograph staff reading their favourite books and then expand on our #mymumreads and #mydadreads initiatives by launching a #myvillagereads campaign. Hopefully that will involve more than wandering around the village and harassing the local butcher into holding up a copy of his daily newspaper.
A couple of them were also extremely keen to be 'reading experts' and share their book recommendations with children who are struggling to find anything they want to read, which could be very successful if introduced sensitively.
One of the areas I'd love to give them a real say in is organising future author visits. At the next meeting I'm planning to give them a shortlist of 3/4 authors and then ask them to go off and do some research into who they think would be popular for a whole school visit. I will also leave it up to them to publicise the visit, ensure that each class has access to some relevant books, etc. They were also very interested to find out if they were allowed any sort of budget to spend on certificates and prizes for reading and new books, comics and magazines.
The fact that they were so full of enthusiasm has given me confidence that the idea can be sustained throughout the year, even if some of the council members change. In my experience, a buzz about reading created by children has more impact than a buzz about reading created by adults and, to quote from the Literacy Trust's 2008 report, 'we can use the enthusiasm of the self-defined readers to encourage other readers to widen their choice of reading materials in creative and innovative ways.'
I'm looking forward to seeing how the School Reading Council develops over the coming months and will update this post at some point with a progress report. On a completely separate subject, this afternoon my youngest daughter (age 4) went upstairs and took all the books off her bookshelves. She then hid them under her bed and filled the shelves with her collection of princess tiaras. Her argument was that 'They look nicer!'. I think she's going to be quite a tough nut to crack with this whole reading business...
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Author interviews
As my previous school's book blog is no longer updated, and in the spirit of being environmentally friendly, I have decided to reuse and recycle some of the writing that appeared on there. One of the most successful and popular posts published was when my class at the time emailed a wide range of authors to ask them their views on reading in schools. We were absolutely delighted (and very appreciative) when we received almost thirty replies from a wide range of authors and poets.
The four questions we asked were:
1. What was your favourite book as a child?
2. Which of your own books are you most proud of?
3. Is there a book that you think all children in Year Four should read, or have read to them?
4. Do you think children should be allowed more time to read in school?
I have pasted the results below. The children loved reading the responses, some of which caused huge amounts of discussion in class.
By the way, if there are any other authors out there who would like to share their answers with my current class, it would be great to read them!
Cathy Cassidy
1/ So many - the Narnia series, Little House on the Prairie series, Swallows & Amazons series and many more. I'd probably pick Watership Down which I read when I was 12... I loved that book to pieces.
2/ I'm fickle, I always love the newest book the best... but I guess I'm most proud of Dizzy, because it was the first book I ever wrote and started off my career as a children's author.
3/ Whatever they WANT to read... we're all so different!
4/ Yes, more time for reading, always. And, dare I say it, more time for daydreaming... xxx
Catherine Johnson
1 Favourite book?> Spike Milligan's Book of Soilly Verse, - story book? Comet In Moominland well, that was the first book i remember buying with my own money!
2 SAWBONES! I really enjoyed writing it and it just come out of my head and on to the page so easily, it's a real romp. I loved Sunday afternoon drama on TV (they don't do this now) and I was thinking of those stories when I wrote that, although Sawbones is a little gorier - a forensic murder mystery set in 18th century London.
3 People how ever old should read books they like. Poems are great though because they are short and often funny. And then you can irritate your friends and family by saying them over and over again!
4 Yes, but I am biased, but even if you really really don't like reading, there are so many books with brilliant pictures, Shaun Tan for example you can look at those pictures and imagine so many different stories.
Helena Pielichaty
1. My favourite book was The Family From One End Street by Eve Garnett because it was all about a real family who get into all sorts of scrapes. They didn't live in a huge house or castle like in Enid Blyton's books. I loved The Borrowers, too.
2. They're all works of genius.
3.Y4 - Love that Dog - Sharon Creech, The Dragonsitter series - Josh Lacey Captain Crow's Teeth Eoin Colfer, The Smallest Girl in the World by Sally Gardner, Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman - all funny books you can get stuck into.
4. Do I? Do I? Yes. Not only that, more time to choose books properly and more time being read to by your teacher or TA.
John Dougherty
1. Probably The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - though there were lots of contenders!
2. I'm proud of them all. Please don't ask me to pick a favourite!!! I'm really pleased with the reception Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers is getting, though...
3. Stinkbomb and... No, not really. I think it's a bad idea to say that every child aged x should read this or that book, because we're all different. How about this: Every child in year 4 should read whatever books they want to read!
4. Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. Unequivocally. Without doubt. And as a matter of urgency.
DJ Kirkby
1. I couldn't possibly choose just one! My favourite series when I was about ten years old was the Little House on the Prairie series, and the Anne of Green Gables series. There are so many more books I loved reading as a child that it hurts to have stop at just these two series...
2. Each time I write a new book that becomes my most favourite new shiny. I'm fickle that way....
3. I think by the time people get to Year Four they should have read The Sneetches by Dr Seuss because it has a very important message about how we're essentially all the same on the inside no matter how different we look or behave.
4. I echo what John said above!
Matt Dickinson
1. My favourite book as a child was Swallows and Amazons. I loved the sense of adventure and wilderness that Arthur Ransome so brilliantly described. Wild camping on remote beaches, cooking over little twig fires, swimming in crystal clear lakes, exploring mountains---that really got my imagination going and I wanted to BE one of the characters in that book!
2. I think the book of my own that I am most proud of is the one I have just written-- 'The Everest Files'. I have always wanted to write a book that would bring the mountain alive for young readers, to share some of my own experiences of climbing to the summit. Writing this book has been a sheer joy and through it I hope a whole new generation will discover Everest and the Himalayas.
3. The book I think all young children should read is 'The Sneetches' by Dr Seuss. It is the funniest and wisest book I have ever come across and the illustrations are totally brilliant. All five of my own children have loved it so that would get my vote!
4. Should there be more time devoted to reading for pleasure in schools?! Naturally yes! And for creative (free) writing as well. Luckily, doing school events all over the country (both secondary and primary) I get the feeling that teachers are realising (once again) just how important this is. Children's horizons are expanded through books. They can discover new and exciting worlds. And the more time given to that the better!
Brian Moses
1. Anything by Enid Blyton - she established the reading habit for me & I've read and read and read ever since.
2. Difficult to pick a favourite but my best of, 'Behind the Staffroom Door' is always the one I recommend.
3. 'Rebecca's World' by Terry Nation - sheer delight.
4. Time for reading is vital. It's such an important skill to acquire and such an enjoyable one too.
Sita Brahmachari
1. Alice In Wonderland
2. Can't say... It would be like asking which of my children I love most. I love them all differently and for different qualities.
3. 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan (All children can read the pictures - a book suitable for anyone who is human)
4. Yes, Yes, Yes because reading opens up your world, is the place that your can learn throughout your life....the best kept secret in schools is that the best teacher in the world is your library.
Michelle Robinson
1. Um... so many! Maybe The BFG.
2. Each of them feels like a total and utter miracle of achievement - me? Published?! I always get really excited about each new one when it publishes and it becomes my favourite for five minutes, but there's always another one in the pipeline to get excited about, too.
3. 'The King of The Copper Mountains' by Paul Biegel.
4. Always. Especially in nice weather, sitting under a tree. But always.
Cid and Mo
1. 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith
2. The Janksters and the Talking Slug
3. Stig of the Dump by Clive King - when I was a teacher I read this to my Year 4 class every year!
4. Absolutely! 'To get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.' Roald Dahl
Tracy Alexander
1. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr.
2. The one I've just finished that's coming out in October because it's a thriller!
3. The Beak Speaks by Jeremy Strong because laughing is mandatory.
4. Not just more time . . . armchairs too.
Joan Lennon
1. Mark of the Horselord by Rosemary Sutcliff
2. That's like asking me which 4JB child am I most proud of - the answer has to be all of them - and all of you!
3. I hear Joan Lennon's quite good ...
4. YES!!
Nicola Morgan
1. Different ones at different time but one was The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. Mystery, fabulous clothes, a horse and SHORTBREAD.
2. Fleshmarket
3. The Legend of Spud Murphy
4. YES YES YES YES!
John Townsend
1. 101 Dalmations – great villain in Cruella!
2. Hmm – my next one! Soooo hard to choose!
3. Danny Champion of the World – Roald Dahl
4. Abso-bloomin-lutley!!! And being read to/told stories
Jenny Sullivan
1. The Wind in the Willows and from the age of 13, The Once and Future King.
2. I'm most proud of Tirion's Secret Journal, which is a very accessible historical novel aimed at 8/10 year olds that won me the Tir na n-Og award in 2006. I'm also proud of my adult historical Silver Fox novels.
3. Stig of the Dump. My own children loved it. And Horrid Henry which is great fun. I was reading it to my grand-daughter Catrin just two weeks ago and there's great scope for "voices"!
4. Yes, yes and yes. And given access to the wonders of libraries, and talked to by authors (I love doing this!). Reading is like a big fat golden key that opens all the doors into knowing stuff.
Michaela Morgan
1. Alice in Wonderland (I loved the mix of poems into the story)
2. Walter Tull's Scrapbook (true story of a World War One hero and star footballer)
3. My own book Night Flight. Short Poetic. Huge themes dealt with simply. Maurice Sendak's picture book, Where The Wild Things Are (even adults love a good picture book) and lots and lots of poems. Listen to a poem every day.
4. Yes!!
Damian Harvey
1. I loved lots of books and comics - I really enjoyed The Beano and then the 2000AD comics - but the first book I bought with my own money was Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown so that's probably my favourite.
2. This is hard to answer really - the ones I'm most proud of are the ones I'm working on now but that's not much help to you, but whenever I get a letter or email from a parent or someone that has read and enjoyed one of my books that makes me very happy and quite proud too.
3. There are lots of great books but I wouldn't like to say that everyone in year four should read a particular book in case they didn't like it because everyone likes different kinds of stories. I could suggest my Robo-Runners books of course but I would also suggest books by other authors. I like books that I find funny so perhaps you would like to try something by Michael Lawrence - The Killer Underpants or Jeremy Strong - I'm Telling You, They're Aliens...
4. Yes! Yes! Yes! More time to read and more time to be read to...
Linda Strachan
1. The book I remember most was the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. The idea that you could climb into something as mundane as a wardrobe and find another magical land beyond...!
2. So difficult to choose, Usually the one I am writing now is my answer to that question but I am very proud of Spider, my first YA book,because I never thought I'd have something to say that teenagers would be interested in reading. But I am also very proud of the Hamish McHaggis series because I get so many letters from children and parents about how much they love Hamish and it has been an amazing journey.
3. I don't think you can have any book everyone should read because it is about reading something that makes you want to turn the page. If they like fantasy Troll Fell series by Katherine Langrish or Gill Vickery's Dragon Child series. For humour Emma Barnes Wild Thing series. My own book Greyfriars Bobby.
4. Yes there should be time in school where children are free to read, but without pressure to read certain books. It is as always about finding the book/ comic/ picture book that makes them want to have even more reading time.
Caryl Hart
1. What was your favourite book as a child?
When I was very young, it was Snuffy by Dick Bruna
when I was about 7 or 8 it was The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton
2. Which of your own books are you most proud of?
Ooh, that's so hard! I'm proud of them all in different ways. But if I have to choose one it would be The Princess and the Peas because it's quite a complex rhyme and I love the illustrations that Sarah Warburton has done.
3. Is there a book that you think all children in Year Four (age 8/9) should read or have read to them?
Cautionary Tales by Hilaire Belloc - This book will turn you all into upstanding citizens! (not really, but it is funny, especially Jim and the Lion and Matilda)
4. Do you think children should be allowed more time to read in school?
I'm not sure how much time they get now! I think children should be encouraged to read as much as they can wherever they are!
Tom Palmer
1. I didn’t really have one. I didn’t like reading until I was 17.
2. Over the Line. Because it is about real people, unlike all my other books. It is about footballers who fought in WWI.
3. No. I think teachers and children should choose books based on what they are into at the time. There are different perfect books for everyone.
4. Yes. Time to read to themselves. And time to be read to. Then time to talk about what they’ve read. About how the book made them feel. About things they liked – and didn’t like – about the book.
Caroline Green
1. My favourite childhood book was The Didakoi by Rumer Godden.
2. I have been asked this before and always say it's like asking me to choose between my children! I'm proud of them all in different ways.
3. One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson. I LOVE that book.
4. I don't think reading time is ever wasted so YES!
Joe Craig
1. What was your favourite book as a child?
Age 8: Magnus Powermouse by Dick King-Smith
Age 10: The Guinness Book of Cricket Records
Age 13: Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
Age 16: New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
Age 32: The Sneetches & Other Stories by Dr Seuss
2. Which of your own books are you most proud of?
This changes every day. Today it's either Jimmy Coates: Blackout or Jimmy Coates: Power. I was re-reading JC: Power yesterday for a work thing and I found myself thinking, "Wow, I really knew what I was doing with this plot." It was a bit weird to be getting into the story and finding it so exciting when it was something I'd written myself a few years ago.
3. Is there a book that you think all children in Year Four (age 8/9) should read or have read to them?
Obviously Jimmy Coates: Killer. But apart from that... READ WHATEVER YOU LIKE. Try something new and if you don't like it after two pages pick up something else. I go through a lot of books this way, but I also find a lot of books I end up loving. And it doesn't cost you anything because at the library books are free. Awesome.
4. Do you think children should be allowed more time to read in school?
I think we should all have more time to read, especially in school. You should also be able to pick a week in the year and declare, THIS IS MY READING WEEK and in that week you do nothing at all except read. And there should be more time for creative messing about too. Reading, experimenting, discovering, failing over and over again... those are the most important things if you want to come up with anything that rocks the world.
Emma Barnes
1. Lots. I loved the Narnia books, especially The Silver Chair, which has a very funny character called Puddleglum.
2. I'm usually most proud and excited about my latest book, so I'll say Wild Thing. It's also my first series!
3. I like funny books so I'd suggest "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume, the "Killer Cat" books by Anne Fine and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson.
4. I think schools are so busy that sometimes reading can get squeezed out. So yes, more time for quiet reading, and more time for a read-aloud class novel at the end of the day.
Emily Diamand
1. I always find it hard to choose between the Lord of the Rings and the Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. I must've read them both a dozen times.
2. I am always proudest of the book that's still inside my mind, waiting to get out - because that's the one I haven't made all sorts of mistakes in yet!
3. Hmmm, hard. I'm not sure I really think any book should be a 'should' - one person's page turner is another one's yawn fest, after all. So these aren't 'should' they're 'try this, and if you don't like it, try something else': 1. The Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton, because one of the characters is a biscuit with electric muscles. 2. When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, because it will get you thinking in all sorts of sideways.
4. Yes, I absolutely do. Books are secret doorways into a million different worlds, so why wouldn't you want time for them in your day?
Josh Seigal
(1) In primary school my favourite novel was Roald Dahl's The Twits, but I mainly enjoyed non-fiction. Roald Dahl's autobiography Boy was probably my favourite. As a teenager my favourite book was The Diary Of Adrian Mole.
(2) I've only written one book, so it would have to be that one! It's called My Grandpa's Beard, and is a collection of lots of my poems. For me, though, it's important that my poems are experienced in performance as well as being read, so I don't mind not having loads and loads of books.
(3) Hmm. I think all children should experience Roald Dahl and Michael Rosen. I also read an amazing book recently by Morris Gleitzman called If and Then (I think it's two books in one actually), but it is a very sad book. It nearly made me cry.
(4) I think this varies from school to school. I think reading for pleasure is something that should be encouraged both at home and at school.
Cathy MacPhail
1) My favourite book when I was in Primary was Little Women. Little Women is a book about four sisters, and one of them wants to be a writer. and I was one of four sisters, and ...well, you know the rest. I love that book.
2)I find it very hard to choose which of my books I like best, they are like your babies. I wouldn't want to offend one by preferring another. But I will always have a soft spot for my first, that started it all off. Run Zan Run. And of course, you always have a soft spot for your new baby, Mosi's War. (Though I am expecting a few more soon.)
3) I think as long as children are reading, I don't care what they read. We all have different tastes. So, I would not like to specify any particular book. (Except for mine of course!)
4) Most schools I visit have reading time set aside and the children love it. If I did visit a school that didn't I would certainly recommend that they start.
Roy Apps
1: ‘Norman & Henry Bones: The Boy Detectives.’ My mum gave my copy away to the Cub Scout Jumble Sale while I was away at University (boo-hoo!) But my wife bought me a copy on eBay for my birthday a couple of years ago. (Hooray!)
2: ‘The Secret Summer of Daniel Lyons’ won an award, which meant I got a posh dinner at a swanky London hotel for free!
3: It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80,, different books speak to different people. Having said that… you really should read ‘The 100 Mile an Hour Dog’ by Jeremy Strong. It’s so funny.
4: Yes, I should say so! And while we’re about it, there should be more time for teachers to read at school, too!
Craig Bradley
1. 'Kes' by Barry Hines. When I read this book, it was like it had been written about me! I absolutely loved it, and still do!!
2. My first poetry book for young people 'I Like To Rhyme It, Rhyme It' - this book kind of set me off on the road as a children's poet.
3. I don't really have a book that everyone 'should' read. Everyone should just read the books they want to read - that's the best reason to read anything!
4. Yes, I do think there should be more time to read in schools - Reading for Pleasure Time. Reading because you want to read something, is so important. It doesn't matter what you read, books/comics/magazines, as long as you read them because you want to and you enjoy reading them!
The four questions we asked were:
1. What was your favourite book as a child?
2. Which of your own books are you most proud of?
3. Is there a book that you think all children in Year Four should read, or have read to them?
4. Do you think children should be allowed more time to read in school?
I have pasted the results below. The children loved reading the responses, some of which caused huge amounts of discussion in class.
By the way, if there are any other authors out there who would like to share their answers with my current class, it would be great to read them!
Cathy Cassidy
1/ So many - the Narnia series, Little House on the Prairie series, Swallows & Amazons series and many more. I'd probably pick Watership Down which I read when I was 12... I loved that book to pieces.
2/ I'm fickle, I always love the newest book the best... but I guess I'm most proud of Dizzy, because it was the first book I ever wrote and started off my career as a children's author.
3/ Whatever they WANT to read... we're all so different!
4/ Yes, more time for reading, always. And, dare I say it, more time for daydreaming... xxx
Catherine Johnson
1 Favourite book?> Spike Milligan's Book of Soilly Verse, - story book? Comet In Moominland well, that was the first book i remember buying with my own money!
2 SAWBONES! I really enjoyed writing it and it just come out of my head and on to the page so easily, it's a real romp. I loved Sunday afternoon drama on TV (they don't do this now) and I was thinking of those stories when I wrote that, although Sawbones is a little gorier - a forensic murder mystery set in 18th century London.
3 People how ever old should read books they like. Poems are great though because they are short and often funny. And then you can irritate your friends and family by saying them over and over again!
4 Yes, but I am biased, but even if you really really don't like reading, there are so many books with brilliant pictures, Shaun Tan for example you can look at those pictures and imagine so many different stories.
Helena Pielichaty
1. My favourite book was The Family From One End Street by Eve Garnett because it was all about a real family who get into all sorts of scrapes. They didn't live in a huge house or castle like in Enid Blyton's books. I loved The Borrowers, too.
2. They're all works of genius.
3.Y4 - Love that Dog - Sharon Creech, The Dragonsitter series - Josh Lacey Captain Crow's Teeth Eoin Colfer, The Smallest Girl in the World by Sally Gardner, Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman - all funny books you can get stuck into.
4. Do I? Do I? Yes. Not only that, more time to choose books properly and more time being read to by your teacher or TA.
John Dougherty
1. Probably The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - though there were lots of contenders!
2. I'm proud of them all. Please don't ask me to pick a favourite!!! I'm really pleased with the reception Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers is getting, though...
3. Stinkbomb and... No, not really. I think it's a bad idea to say that every child aged x should read this or that book, because we're all different. How about this: Every child in year 4 should read whatever books they want to read!
4. Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. Unequivocally. Without doubt. And as a matter of urgency.
DJ Kirkby
1. I couldn't possibly choose just one! My favourite series when I was about ten years old was the Little House on the Prairie series, and the Anne of Green Gables series. There are so many more books I loved reading as a child that it hurts to have stop at just these two series...
2. Each time I write a new book that becomes my most favourite new shiny. I'm fickle that way....
3. I think by the time people get to Year Four they should have read The Sneetches by Dr Seuss because it has a very important message about how we're essentially all the same on the inside no matter how different we look or behave.
4. I echo what John said above!
Matt Dickinson
1. My favourite book as a child was Swallows and Amazons. I loved the sense of adventure and wilderness that Arthur Ransome so brilliantly described. Wild camping on remote beaches, cooking over little twig fires, swimming in crystal clear lakes, exploring mountains---that really got my imagination going and I wanted to BE one of the characters in that book!
2. I think the book of my own that I am most proud of is the one I have just written-- 'The Everest Files'. I have always wanted to write a book that would bring the mountain alive for young readers, to share some of my own experiences of climbing to the summit. Writing this book has been a sheer joy and through it I hope a whole new generation will discover Everest and the Himalayas.
3. The book I think all young children should read is 'The Sneetches' by Dr Seuss. It is the funniest and wisest book I have ever come across and the illustrations are totally brilliant. All five of my own children have loved it so that would get my vote!
4. Should there be more time devoted to reading for pleasure in schools?! Naturally yes! And for creative (free) writing as well. Luckily, doing school events all over the country (both secondary and primary) I get the feeling that teachers are realising (once again) just how important this is. Children's horizons are expanded through books. They can discover new and exciting worlds. And the more time given to that the better!
Brian Moses
1. Anything by Enid Blyton - she established the reading habit for me & I've read and read and read ever since.
2. Difficult to pick a favourite but my best of, 'Behind the Staffroom Door' is always the one I recommend.
3. 'Rebecca's World' by Terry Nation - sheer delight.
4. Time for reading is vital. It's such an important skill to acquire and such an enjoyable one too.
Sita Brahmachari
1. Alice In Wonderland
2. Can't say... It would be like asking which of my children I love most. I love them all differently and for different qualities.
3. 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan (All children can read the pictures - a book suitable for anyone who is human)
4. Yes, Yes, Yes because reading opens up your world, is the place that your can learn throughout your life....the best kept secret in schools is that the best teacher in the world is your library.
Michelle Robinson
1. Um... so many! Maybe The BFG.
2. Each of them feels like a total and utter miracle of achievement - me? Published?! I always get really excited about each new one when it publishes and it becomes my favourite for five minutes, but there's always another one in the pipeline to get excited about, too.
3. 'The King of The Copper Mountains' by Paul Biegel.
4. Always. Especially in nice weather, sitting under a tree. But always.
Cid and Mo
1. 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith
2. The Janksters and the Talking Slug
3. Stig of the Dump by Clive King - when I was a teacher I read this to my Year 4 class every year!
4. Absolutely! 'To get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.' Roald Dahl
Tracy Alexander
1. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr.
2. The one I've just finished that's coming out in October because it's a thriller!
3. The Beak Speaks by Jeremy Strong because laughing is mandatory.
4. Not just more time . . . armchairs too.
Joan Lennon
1. Mark of the Horselord by Rosemary Sutcliff
2. That's like asking me which 4JB child am I most proud of - the answer has to be all of them - and all of you!
3. I hear Joan Lennon's quite good ...
4. YES!!
Nicola Morgan
1. Different ones at different time but one was The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. Mystery, fabulous clothes, a horse and SHORTBREAD.
2. Fleshmarket
3. The Legend of Spud Murphy
4. YES YES YES YES!
John Townsend
1. 101 Dalmations – great villain in Cruella!
2. Hmm – my next one! Soooo hard to choose!
3. Danny Champion of the World – Roald Dahl
4. Abso-bloomin-lutley!!! And being read to/told stories
Jenny Sullivan
1. The Wind in the Willows and from the age of 13, The Once and Future King.
2. I'm most proud of Tirion's Secret Journal, which is a very accessible historical novel aimed at 8/10 year olds that won me the Tir na n-Og award in 2006. I'm also proud of my adult historical Silver Fox novels.
3. Stig of the Dump. My own children loved it. And Horrid Henry which is great fun. I was reading it to my grand-daughter Catrin just two weeks ago and there's great scope for "voices"!
4. Yes, yes and yes. And given access to the wonders of libraries, and talked to by authors (I love doing this!). Reading is like a big fat golden key that opens all the doors into knowing stuff.
Michaela Morgan
1. Alice in Wonderland (I loved the mix of poems into the story)
2. Walter Tull's Scrapbook (true story of a World War One hero and star footballer)
3. My own book Night Flight. Short Poetic. Huge themes dealt with simply. Maurice Sendak's picture book, Where The Wild Things Are (even adults love a good picture book) and lots and lots of poems. Listen to a poem every day.
4. Yes!!
Damian Harvey
1. I loved lots of books and comics - I really enjoyed The Beano and then the 2000AD comics - but the first book I bought with my own money was Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown so that's probably my favourite.
2. This is hard to answer really - the ones I'm most proud of are the ones I'm working on now but that's not much help to you, but whenever I get a letter or email from a parent or someone that has read and enjoyed one of my books that makes me very happy and quite proud too.
3. There are lots of great books but I wouldn't like to say that everyone in year four should read a particular book in case they didn't like it because everyone likes different kinds of stories. I could suggest my Robo-Runners books of course but I would also suggest books by other authors. I like books that I find funny so perhaps you would like to try something by Michael Lawrence - The Killer Underpants or Jeremy Strong - I'm Telling You, They're Aliens...
4. Yes! Yes! Yes! More time to read and more time to be read to...
Linda Strachan
1. The book I remember most was the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. The idea that you could climb into something as mundane as a wardrobe and find another magical land beyond...!
2. So difficult to choose, Usually the one I am writing now is my answer to that question but I am very proud of Spider, my first YA book,because I never thought I'd have something to say that teenagers would be interested in reading. But I am also very proud of the Hamish McHaggis series because I get so many letters from children and parents about how much they love Hamish and it has been an amazing journey.
3. I don't think you can have any book everyone should read because it is about reading something that makes you want to turn the page. If they like fantasy Troll Fell series by Katherine Langrish or Gill Vickery's Dragon Child series. For humour Emma Barnes Wild Thing series. My own book Greyfriars Bobby.
4. Yes there should be time in school where children are free to read, but without pressure to read certain books. It is as always about finding the book/ comic/ picture book that makes them want to have even more reading time.
Caryl Hart
1. What was your favourite book as a child?
When I was very young, it was Snuffy by Dick Bruna
when I was about 7 or 8 it was The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton
2. Which of your own books are you most proud of?
Ooh, that's so hard! I'm proud of them all in different ways. But if I have to choose one it would be The Princess and the Peas because it's quite a complex rhyme and I love the illustrations that Sarah Warburton has done.
3. Is there a book that you think all children in Year Four (age 8/9) should read or have read to them?
Cautionary Tales by Hilaire Belloc - This book will turn you all into upstanding citizens! (not really, but it is funny, especially Jim and the Lion and Matilda)
4. Do you think children should be allowed more time to read in school?
I'm not sure how much time they get now! I think children should be encouraged to read as much as they can wherever they are!
Tom Palmer
1. I didn’t really have one. I didn’t like reading until I was 17.
2. Over the Line. Because it is about real people, unlike all my other books. It is about footballers who fought in WWI.
3. No. I think teachers and children should choose books based on what they are into at the time. There are different perfect books for everyone.
4. Yes. Time to read to themselves. And time to be read to. Then time to talk about what they’ve read. About how the book made them feel. About things they liked – and didn’t like – about the book.
Caroline Green
1. My favourite childhood book was The Didakoi by Rumer Godden.
2. I have been asked this before and always say it's like asking me to choose between my children! I'm proud of them all in different ways.
3. One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson. I LOVE that book.
4. I don't think reading time is ever wasted so YES!
Joe Craig
1. What was your favourite book as a child?
Age 8: Magnus Powermouse by Dick King-Smith
Age 10: The Guinness Book of Cricket Records
Age 13: Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
Age 16: New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
Age 32: The Sneetches & Other Stories by Dr Seuss
2. Which of your own books are you most proud of?
This changes every day. Today it's either Jimmy Coates: Blackout or Jimmy Coates: Power. I was re-reading JC: Power yesterday for a work thing and I found myself thinking, "Wow, I really knew what I was doing with this plot." It was a bit weird to be getting into the story and finding it so exciting when it was something I'd written myself a few years ago.
3. Is there a book that you think all children in Year Four (age 8/9) should read or have read to them?
Obviously Jimmy Coates: Killer. But apart from that... READ WHATEVER YOU LIKE. Try something new and if you don't like it after two pages pick up something else. I go through a lot of books this way, but I also find a lot of books I end up loving. And it doesn't cost you anything because at the library books are free. Awesome.
4. Do you think children should be allowed more time to read in school?
I think we should all have more time to read, especially in school. You should also be able to pick a week in the year and declare, THIS IS MY READING WEEK and in that week you do nothing at all except read. And there should be more time for creative messing about too. Reading, experimenting, discovering, failing over and over again... those are the most important things if you want to come up with anything that rocks the world.
Emma Barnes
1. Lots. I loved the Narnia books, especially The Silver Chair, which has a very funny character called Puddleglum.
2. I'm usually most proud and excited about my latest book, so I'll say Wild Thing. It's also my first series!
3. I like funny books so I'd suggest "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume, the "Killer Cat" books by Anne Fine and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson.
4. I think schools are so busy that sometimes reading can get squeezed out. So yes, more time for quiet reading, and more time for a read-aloud class novel at the end of the day.
Emily Diamand
1. I always find it hard to choose between the Lord of the Rings and the Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. I must've read them both a dozen times.
2. I am always proudest of the book that's still inside my mind, waiting to get out - because that's the one I haven't made all sorts of mistakes in yet!
3. Hmmm, hard. I'm not sure I really think any book should be a 'should' - one person's page turner is another one's yawn fest, after all. So these aren't 'should' they're 'try this, and if you don't like it, try something else': 1. The Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton, because one of the characters is a biscuit with electric muscles. 2. When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, because it will get you thinking in all sorts of sideways.
4. Yes, I absolutely do. Books are secret doorways into a million different worlds, so why wouldn't you want time for them in your day?
Josh Seigal
(1) In primary school my favourite novel was Roald Dahl's The Twits, but I mainly enjoyed non-fiction. Roald Dahl's autobiography Boy was probably my favourite. As a teenager my favourite book was The Diary Of Adrian Mole.
(2) I've only written one book, so it would have to be that one! It's called My Grandpa's Beard, and is a collection of lots of my poems. For me, though, it's important that my poems are experienced in performance as well as being read, so I don't mind not having loads and loads of books.
(3) Hmm. I think all children should experience Roald Dahl and Michael Rosen. I also read an amazing book recently by Morris Gleitzman called If and Then (I think it's two books in one actually), but it is a very sad book. It nearly made me cry.
(4) I think this varies from school to school. I think reading for pleasure is something that should be encouraged both at home and at school.
Cathy MacPhail
1) My favourite book when I was in Primary was Little Women. Little Women is a book about four sisters, and one of them wants to be a writer. and I was one of four sisters, and ...well, you know the rest. I love that book.
2)I find it very hard to choose which of my books I like best, they are like your babies. I wouldn't want to offend one by preferring another. But I will always have a soft spot for my first, that started it all off. Run Zan Run. And of course, you always have a soft spot for your new baby, Mosi's War. (Though I am expecting a few more soon.)
3) I think as long as children are reading, I don't care what they read. We all have different tastes. So, I would not like to specify any particular book. (Except for mine of course!)
4) Most schools I visit have reading time set aside and the children love it. If I did visit a school that didn't I would certainly recommend that they start.
Roy Apps
1: ‘Norman & Henry Bones: The Boy Detectives.’ My mum gave my copy away to the Cub Scout Jumble Sale while I was away at University (boo-hoo!) But my wife bought me a copy on eBay for my birthday a couple of years ago. (Hooray!)
2: ‘The Secret Summer of Daniel Lyons’ won an award, which meant I got a posh dinner at a swanky London hotel for free!
3: It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80,, different books speak to different people. Having said that… you really should read ‘The 100 Mile an Hour Dog’ by Jeremy Strong. It’s so funny.
4: Yes, I should say so! And while we’re about it, there should be more time for teachers to read at school, too!
Craig Bradley
1. 'Kes' by Barry Hines. When I read this book, it was like it had been written about me! I absolutely loved it, and still do!!
2. My first poetry book for young people 'I Like To Rhyme It, Rhyme It' - this book kind of set me off on the road as a children's poet.
3. I don't really have a book that everyone 'should' read. Everyone should just read the books they want to read - that's the best reason to read anything!
4. Yes, I do think there should be more time to read in schools - Reading for Pleasure Time. Reading because you want to read something, is so important. It doesn't matter what you read, books/comics/magazines, as long as you read them because you want to and you enjoy reading them!
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