Dear Parent, Reading for pleasure is possibly the single-most important activity your child can do to improve achievement in school. Research has shown that reading helps cognitive development; a recent study by the Institute of Education revealed that students who read at home do ‘significantly better’ across the curriculum – including 9.9% better in maths – than students who don’t read. Linked to this is the fact that reading is the best way to improve vocabulary, essential for success in every subject. Reading also has social and emotional benefits. It increases self-esteem and studies show that students who read are more empathetic. Growing up is not always easy - reading can help young people explore complex problems from the safe fictional world of a book. Is your child a reluctant reader…? The problem, of course, is convincing young people of the importance and joy of reading. As the parent of three children, I understand how difficult this can be in a world of electronic distractions. Here are some tactics that may help: • Find books with a connection to something they love. If they are football fans, look for footie fiction for teens – try Booked by Kwame Alexander; Football School Star Players by Bellos; or Dan Freedman or Tom Palmer’s books. If they like military/action/war, then try the Dog Tag series by CA London or Andy McNab’s teen books. If they like to watch Youtubers, try Zoella’s book club and if they are into gaming, try fast-paced chapter books or ‘choose your own adventure’ stories. (Tip: try teen/YA author Alex Scarrow’s books – he was a professional video-game developer before he turned to writing; or Jeff Norton’s MetaWars series, billed as ‘a video game you can read’). • Please use the ‘Recommended Reads’ list that accompanies this letter: we have lists broken down by genre for Years 7 to 11. We also have lists to suit particular interests. Should you require it, we can provide further booklists such as subject specific non-fiction books. • Any type of reading is helpful, so try graphic novels. Graphic novel versions of The Recruit by Muchamore, Silverfin by Higson and Stormbreaker by Horowitz are popular. Likewise, it is absolutely fine to read Wimpy Kid books if this is what sparks the interest of your reluctant reader. • Try Barrington Stoke books: these are produced with tinted pages, special fonts and spacing, thicker paper and editing to reduce comprehension barriers and/or issues resulting from dyslexia. https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/ • If your child is ready, you might select a ‘grittier’ book, then Charlie Higson’s Enemy series is a gritty series written for teens, as is Zom-B by Darren Shan; or try books from our ‘difficult/complex issues’ list. • Try a ‘phone free’ hour. For example if you have a Playstation addicted child ask him/her hand in his phone for an hour. Out of boredom, he/she may start re-reading a favourite series or turning to new books. • Be enthusiastic about what they are reading: ask them to describe a character or to read aloud an exciting bit. You might read a teen/YA book yourself; the plot-driven nature of many of these books means they are relatively easy reads – perfect after a day at work. • Let your children see you reading for pleasure, and talk about what you read and how you choose books. • If you have younger children, ask your older (reluctant reader) child to read aloud to them. This is a big confidence booster and it helps with sibling bonding. Michael Morpurgo is a particularly good shared read, as his books have something for everyone; I highly recommend Kensuke’s Kingdom for sibling read-alouds. • Offer incentives such as a reading rewards programme. For example, if they read a certain number of books or pages take them to a favourite restaurant. We don’t want our children to read only for rewards, but this can work for school holidays or for times when a ‘breakthrough’ is necessary. • Another idea is to find the book version of a movie: Stormbreaker, Eragon, Harry Potter, The Book Thief, I am Number Four, The Princess Diaries, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, Fault in Our Stars, Twilight and Inkheart and Wonder are all films based on children/YA books. Both of you can read the book, go to the movie together -- then discuss the differences. • Have them pick up a device – an e-reader – for example, try the Kindle daily deal. • Try audio books: for example Audible has a wide range of teen books. Many teens like the idea of being able to do something active while listening to a book. By listening to an audio book, your teen will pick up new vocabulary, hear complex sentence structures and engage with stories. • Visit a bookstore and allow your child to select a book of their choice. The visually appealing marketing and layout of best- selling books can often attract even reluctant readers. • Try biographies/autobiographies that interest your child. Recent student favourites have been Maddie Diaries by Ziegler & The Greatest (Muhammed Ali) by Walter Dean Myers. • Non-fiction books linked to a child’s interests are a great way to spark a desire to read. • Gentle encouragement works best. JFS will be supporting this initiative by working on the following: 1. At JFS we recognise the essential role we play in encouraging our pupils to read regularly. Because of this, we are working hard to provide students with the tools to succeed. We are: • restocking the library with fantastic books for young people • providing extra support to those who don’t read regularly or don’t enjoy reading yet through our Paired Reading programme • launching reading for pleasure lessons which promotes reading for enjoyment • Engaging students in texts that make them think about the wider world through our Read, Register, Respond programme that is run during Tutor Time. Finally, we use a software programme Accelerated Reader and once a book is completed, your child should undertake quizzes that check if he/she has understood the novel. He/She can then be given guidance on what might be a suitable new book to read. Login usernames and passwords have been issued and we are asking students to access the quizzes at home via the following website: https://ukhosted79.renlearn.co.uk/2231271/ Moreover, in years 7 to 9, once a term, you will receive a report which indicates your child’s reading scores. Kindly see below. The aim is to keep you informed and also for us all to work as a team in order to continue to encourage reading. I will leave you with one final quotation: “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” Jim Rohn With warmest regards, Anna Joseph Assistant Headteacher T&L Recommended Reads: Years 7/8 Action & Thrillers Inkheart (& sequels) by Cornelia Funke (!) Bodyguard or Young Samurai (& sequels); Bullet The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (!) Catcher or Gamer by Chris Bradford* Blackberry Blue by Jamila Gavin (!) Alone by DJ Brazier Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Mortal Chaos, Speed Freaks, The Everest Files (& (!) sequels) or Lie, Kill, Walk Away - Matt Dickinson Skulduggery Pleasant (& sequels) by Derek Landy (!) Zom-B or Cirque du Freak (& sequels) by D. Shan* Lightning Girl (& sequels) by Alesha Dixon * Eragon (& sequels) by Christopher Paolini The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (!) Tales of Terror, Mister Creecher –Chris Priestley Silverfin or The Enemy (& sequels) by C Higson Northern Lights (& sequels) by Phillip Pullman (!) Stormbreaker (& sequels) by A. Horowitz* Goth Girl (& sequels) by Chris Riddell* Girl Missing (& sequels) by Sophie McKenzie Mrs Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children -Riggs The Recruit (& sequels) by R. Muchamore* Percy Jackson or Kane Chronicles series by Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Riordan Wolf Wilder, The Good Thieves, The Explorer, Thunderstruck or Unleashed by Ali Sparkes* Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell The Edge Chronicles by P Stewart and C Riddell Night Speakers or Carjacked by Ali Sparkes Humorous books Murder Most Unladylike (& sequels) – R Stevens Little Badman &[…] Killer Aunties by Humza Lost (Choose Your Own Adventure) -T Turner.* Arshad Dystopian & Science Fiction Millions, Cosmic or Broccoli Boy by Frank C Boyce Ink (& sequels) by Alice Broadway The Last Kids on Earth (& sequels) by Max Brallier Gone or BRZK (& sequels) -Michael Grant Fenway and Hattie by Victoria Cole* The Boy Who Flew by Fleur Hitchcock Adventures of a Wimpy Vampire(&more)- The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (!) T.Collins* The Knife of Never Letting Go (& sequels)-P Ness To Be a Cat by Matt Haig (!) Cookie & the Most Annoying Boy… by Konnie MetaWars: Fight for the Future (&sequels)- Huq* Norton* Enginerds (& sequels) by Jarrett Lerner* Railhead & Mortal Engines (& sequels)-P Reeve Disaster Diaries: Zombies (&sequels)-R (!) McGeddon* Remade (& sequels) or Time Riders - Alex The Donut Diaries series – A McGowan* Scarrow The Accidental Billionaire series- T McLaughlin Dry, Scythe, Unwind (& sequels) – N Shusterman The World of Norm series by Jonathon Meres* (!) Planet Omar by Zanib Mian Contagion or Slated (& sequels) by Teri Terry Timmy Failure series by Stephan Pastis* The 5th Wave (& sequels) by Rick Yancey (!) Middle School series by James Patterson* Fantasy, Magic Realism, Horror & Ghost Tom Gates series by Liz Pichon (dyslexia- friendly)* Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce* The House With Chicken Legs & The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson Killer Animals series by Tracey Turner Cogheart by Peter Bunzl Relationships & Tough Situations Mind Writer by Steve Cole* Boy Underwater by Adam Baron Artemis Fowl (& sequels) by Eoin Colfer (!) Noughts and Crosses, Cloud Busting, Boys Don’t The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper Cry or Pig-Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman (!) The Stormkeeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle Blubber or anything by Judy Blume (!) Rumblestar by Abi Elphinstone Artichoke Hearts or Jasmine Skies -S.