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A group of professionals from television, film and theatre, have launched ReadThrough – a brand new online play reading service designed to improve the comprehension of exam-body English plays for students across the UK.

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A group of professionals from television, film and theatre, brought together by theatre company Moya Productions, have launched ReadThrough - a brand new online play reading service designed to improve the comprehension of exam-body English plays for students across the UK, with a particular focus on students from less privileged backgrounds.

The first live ReadThrough will be Macbeth on 11th February, 4pm - 6pm. Joe Lycett is confirmed for this ReadThrough. If your students are studying Macbeth and you would like to join please email [email protected] to reserve your school's place.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on both education and the arts. With the UK in lockdown many students are now struggling to study at home and any access that previously existed to live, in-person learning, either at a theatre or via theatre-in-education, has been impeded. ReadThrough is built on the belief that seeing a story brought to life enriches the learning process and gives far greater insight into themes, context and characters within the text. The team behind ReadThrough have seen first-hand how the live reading of exam texts can enhance students' understanding of curriculum texts and enrich their learning experience.

Theatre can be inaccessible to some, not least during a pandemic, and ReadThrough wants to help level the playing field regardless of a school or student's personal circumstances, supporting their progress in English, Drama and other relevant studies. ReadThrough will work with schools across the country to offer full readings of curriculum texts, performed live via digital platforms for as many students as possible, using professional actors and directors. The organisation also offers bespoke workshop sessions where they can take over English/Drama lessons and concentrate on a selection of scenes with the students that are performed, dissected and discussed, and there is the additional possibility for students to read in for parts.

ReadThrough will bring together a diverse range of talent to participate in their workshops. As well as Joe Lycett, others taking part in future events include: Esther Smith ( Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre & Apple TV+'s Trying), Nari Blair-Mangat ( Macbeth, Manchester International Festival / Park Avenue Armoury, New York - winner of the Ian Charleson Award commendation), Alasdair Buchan ( An Inspector Calls, UK tour, Richard III, West End), Edward Franklin ( Valhalla, Netflix & Shakespeare In Love, Noel Coward Theatre), Elisabeth Hopper (BBC's Ghosts, Theatre Royal Haymarket's The Tempest alongside Ralph Fiennes) and Mark Weinman ( The Salisbury Poisonings, I May Destroy You) and Alex Lawther ( End of the F***ing World).

The organisation is inviting schools to get in touch if their students are studying the text and wish to attend. Contact detils below.

ReadThrough has also received the support of high-profile figures from across the industry, including Dame Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Simon Callow, Amma Asante and Shazad Latif. On its launch, Thompson said: 'As remote learning has become a necessity of our current situation, I can think of no better or more engaging use of it than what ReadThrough are doing. With this in mind, I whole-heartedly endorse ReadThrough's mission - that if schools can't go to the theatre, then they will bring the theatre to them, regardless of the school they attend or the part of the country they live in.'

Stephen Fry added: 'Sometimes you hear about an idea and you find the only correct response is to smack your forehead. Of course! ReadThrough is just such a winner of an idea. Please do everything you can to help us all make ReadThrough a living reality.' Asante commented: 'I'm delighted to voice my support for ReadThrough, a fantastic idea that can hopefully help inspire students without access to theatre and live performance. I know from my own childhood how vital it is to see texts brought to life by readings and performance, and I sincerely hope ReadThrough will offer young people a way to enjoy and better comprehend the texts they're studying.'

The ReadThrough founders are: producer Caitlin Albery Beavan (co-producer of award-winning feature Mrs Lowry & Son, which starred Timothy Spall and Vanessa Redgrave), actor Edward Franklin (whose credits include Netflix's Valhalla and on stage, Shakespeare In Love, Noel Coward Theatre), Art Director Billie Temple (whose clients have included See-Saw Films and The Royal Academy) and Alasdair Buchan (who toured the UK with Stephen Daldry/National Theatre's An Inspector Calls).

ReadThrough has received an initial tranche of funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which will allow them to offer their services to of some of the most disadvantaged comprehensive schools for free. However, they continue to seek funding so that they can roll out the programme to many more schools across the UK. As well as seeking funding from companies, funds and benefactors they have launched a KickStarter campaign open to the general public. As a gift, some of the KickStarter tier levels allow the donor to nominate a school for ReadThrough to work with.

The founders said: "We believe ReadThrough can help bridge the gap between students and theatre. Our aim is to bolster students' understanding of their set texts by seeing them performed live. Through technology we can overcome issues of access caused by the pandemic, socio-economic or geographic constraints. Having conducted some grassroots sessions with a small number of students and schools in recent months, we have seen the huge benefit live readings of texts provide. We've rounded up some brilliant actors, who bring their considerable talent to the characters and texts they bring to life. Even though we are just launching, we are already being contacted by lots of schools around the UK keen to organise sessions."
To support the ReadThrough Kickstarter campaign, click For further information and to get in touch please visit wearereadthrough.com.

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News: Joe Lycett Kicks Off New Online Play-Reading Events for Students

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A group of professionals from television, film and theatre, brought together by theatre company Moya Productions, have launched ReadThrough - a brand new online play reading service designed to improve the comprehension of exam-body English plays for students across the UK, with a particular focus on students from less privileged backgrounds.The first live ReadThrough will be Macbeth on 11th February, 4pm - 6pm.

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If you're interested in taking part in this mini book club let me know and I will get hold of a copy of the book for you. Don't forget I already run an online reading group on Teams for Y7 and Y8's. All welcome to join that too.

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Introduction to Mini Book Club - At Home

Welcome to Mini Book Club - At Home! Here you will find all the information on how to run the Mini Book Club and the BCiS free resources.

Book Clubs in Schools (BCiS) has teamed up with HarperCollins to offer this exciting new activity. Mini Book Club - At Home is a curriculum enrichment activity supporting young people's access to books, reading for pleasure and the development of character, communication and social skills.

It is a high impact, easy to run activity and requires only a minimal time commitment for teachers. The clubs run for 5 weeks and each weekly session lasts 20 minutes.

You will be able to download the following BCiS resources once you register:

Pupil information flyer

Bespoke questions about the book divided into 4 weekly sessions plus a Live Q&A with the author in the fifth week.

Some fun activities to do at home

A self-evaluation survey to be filled in online by you and the Book Clubbers

The resources have been designed to enable you to run a weekly discussion online, however if this is not possible, they can also be sent home for pupils to work through on their own.

We will be reading I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson, a page turning thriller seen through the eyes of a unique narrator, which was nominated for a CILIP Carnegie Medal and won the FCBG Children's Book Award for Older Readers.

Supported by

The BCiS Mini Book Club is supported by Electric Monkey and Harper Collins Publishers as part of their work to help children, families and schools to access books and sustain reading for pleasure.

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Mini Book Club at Home - Book Clubs in Schools

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Welcome to Mini Book Club - At Home! Here you will find all the information on how to run the Mini Book Club and the BCiS free resources. Book Clubs in Schools (BCiS) has teamed up with HarperCollins to offer this exciting new activity.

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Check out the World Book day website for suggestions

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Information about our use of cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users and enhance your user experience. They also help us improve our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Learn more OK, I agree

Brilliant book lists for everyone

Wondering what book to pick up next? Keen to try a new author? Looking for a book to inspire a reluctant reader? We're here to help you discover your next read and to give children, families, teachers and librarians ideas of what books are suitable and brilliant for each age and stage of reading.

World Book Day's aim is for the books we present to be for all children and families, and particularly to offer a gateway into reading for those who don't currently see themselves as readers.

We use an approach to reading scales, developed by CLPE, that recognises that reading for pleasure develops at different times for all children - and that children less engaged in reading are likely to have a reading level lower than their chronological age.

We are also aware that some children develop their reading skills at a rate that exceeds their emotional development. Please be aware that most of the books listed as being suitable for Independent Readers in these lists will include content that is not emotionally suitable for a young person under the age of 11 and some will be intended for an older teen.

We suggest that these lists are shared between an adult and a child and titles chosen that match both their reading and their chronological age.

Whether you love books about animals, poetry, tales of adventure or books that make you laugh out loud, enjoy having a browse and choosing your next read.

World Book Day® is a charity sponsored by National Book Tokens.

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Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users and enhance your user experience. They also help us improve our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more OK, I agree Wondering what book to pick up next?

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If you want something short but not so sweet, here is a list of spooky quick reads you can try.

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Recommended Books for Action and Adventure

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Recommended Books for Action and Adventure

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For lovers of Alex Rider and the Cherub series, I have listed some recommendations for other action books that are part of a series. The books stated are book one of the series.

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Free access to The Reading Is Magic Festival streaming service

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Free access to The Reading Is Magic Festival streaming service

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You can enjoy free access when they join as members by using the promo code FREEMAGICBCLF at readingismagicfestival.com.

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The Reading is Magic Festival, featuring a top line-up of children and young adults' writers and illustrators, is generously expanding its free streaming service to give home schoolers an extra helping hand for the duration of the lockdown. Followers of The Bath & Wilts Parent and Bristol Parent can enjoy free access when they join as members by using the promo code FREEMAGICBCLF at readingismagicfestival.com.

Festival organisers, the Bath Children's Literature Festival, used their creativity when they realised that they weren't able to put on a live festival for kids last autumn, inviting a host of writers to film themselves putting on a variety of events, from simple storytelling to heartfelt monologues sharing their own experiences. The autumn festival reached more than 155,000 children in some 30 countries.

Reading is Magic was supported by Cressida Cowell, creator of the How to Train Your Dragon series and the Waterstones UK Children's Laureate (Photo David Bebber)

The initial plan was to start recouping some of the costs to arts charity Bath Festivals by charging a modest sum to view the 25 plus events, from 1 January 2021. But in light of the current social restrictions, partial school closures and return to home schooling for thousands of young people, it was decided to extend the free access period until the end of lockdown.

Here are some of the highlights of Reading is Magic:

Storytime. Join Kristina Stephenson for a visual session telling the story of her popular character Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and The Tale of Two Treasures. Or snuggle down with American award-winning writer and illustrator Jessica Love as she reads her book Julian is a Mermaid, a story of a grandmother's unconditional love.

Inter-active sessions. Grab a pen and pencil and learn how to draw a cartoon version of yourself with Adam Murphy, creator of Corpse Talk, or draw along with The Big Draw Off as illustrators Steve Lenton and Sophy Henn battle it out to see who can create the best picture. Or if word games are your thing, try tackling some fiendish tongue-twisters with poet Joseph Coelho.

Each festival event is introduced by CBBC star Karim Zeroual.

Big issues. Bring a fresh perspective into your home by listening to someone talk about the bigger picture. Listen to activist, model and writer Eunice Olumide in conversation with Malizah, a young activist from Bristol about their experiences of the black curriculum in schools. Or hear author of the acclaimed book A Kind of Spark, Elle McNicoll speak candidly about representation in books and finding yourself.

Laugh out loud. Everyone needs a break. For sheer giggly silliness watch Sue Hendon and Paul Linnet of Supertato and No-Bot, or dive into the world of scary dinner ladies with author Pamela Buchart who also talks about her latest book Icarus was Ridiculous.

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Free access to The Reading Is Magic Festival streaming service

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The Reading is Magic Festival , featuring a top line-up of children and young adults' writers and illustrators, is generously expanding its free streaming service to give home schoolers an extra helping hand for the duration of the lockdown.

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I love dystopian fiction and have read a few on this list that I can thoroughly recommend. I plan to get through them all so if you're looking for a good read check this out

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Free reading and writing activities from your favourite childrens’ authors from the National Literacy Trust.

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Free reading and writing activities from your favourite childrens’ authors from the National Literacy Trust.

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Check out their virtual library

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Recommended Books for Well Being and Mental Health for Young Adults 

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Recommended Books for Well Being and Mental Health for Young Adults 

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Check out the list of books available from the library

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Listen to the full audio book here.

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All the stories from Conan Doyle's first collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, can be listened to if you click on the following link and skip the ads.

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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Audiobook - FULL 12 Stories Easy to Navigate

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If you know anyone who works for a library, prison, hospital, college, care home, or any other organisation that can reach new and lapsed readers, apply now to receive copies of books to distribute to people who don’t regularly read for pleasure or have access to books. See link below.

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Happy World Book Night!

Today is all about celebrating books and sharing the benefits that reading has on our lives.

How can you join in? Its simple, read a book! You can read anything you like in any way you want. We also want you to share what you're reading with others, whether it's in person or online. Can you encourage someone who doesn't regularly read to join you today?

Everyone is invited to the #ReadingHour from 7-8pm tonight. This is a time for you to dedicate just for books; you can read alone, with others, or even call a friend to swap recommendations. Share how you're spending the hour on social media using #ReadingHour.

Join us tonight with host Bobby Seagull, who will be joined by Dr Alex George, Ayisha Malik, Dreda Say Mitchell and Lemn Sissay for a night of celebrating reading. Tickets are available to join us in-person at the British Library, or online for you to watch at home. Find out more.

Everyone is invited to the #ReadingHour from 7-8pm on 23 April. This is a time for you to dedicate just for books; you can read alone, aloud to others, or even call a friend to swap recommendations. Share how you're spending the hour on social media using #ReadingHour. Find out why you should take part.

Find out which books are on the World Book Night 2022 booklist, offering recommendations for everyone, with fiction, non-fiction, Quick Reads and audiobooks for adults and young people aged 16+. Take a look at the booklist and choose your next read.

Do you love audiobooks, or would you like to try one for the first time?

We're offering you the chance to download a free audiobook, selecting between four titles from our World Book Night 2022 booklist.

World Book Night is run by The Reading Agency, a national charity that tackles life's big challenges through the proven power of reading.

Tweets by WorldBookNight

News

Impact

Resources

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Today is all about celebrating books and sharing the benefits that reading has on our lives. How can you join in? Its simple, read a book! You can read anything you like in any way you want. We also want you to share what you're reading with others, whether it's in person or online.

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Do you fancy reading a book with a wintery theme. Here are some suggestions of books in the library.

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How many facts about winter do you know?

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Continue good reading habits over the holiday period and take part in the Winter Mini Challenge

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The Winter Mini Challenge encourages children to keep up their reading habits over the winter holidays, with a free-to-access website featuring rewards and incentives for reading and reviewing books.

Over the school holidays children can experience a 'dip' in reading skills and learning, and due to the disruption to education caused by Covid-19, this year is set to have an even greater impact on learning loss.

This winter we are very excited to team up with award-winning inclusive publisher Knights Of  to run an Everyone Is A Hero themed Mini Challenge to celebrate heroes in all their forms and keep children reading this winter.
The Winter Mini Challenge starts on Tuesday 1 December 2020 and finishes on Friday 15 January 2021.
This year's Mini Challenge features characters from books published by Knights Of, including those from Knights and Bikes (written by Gabrielle Kent; illustrated by Rex Crowle), High-Rise Mystery (written by Sharna Jackson; illustrated by Wumzum), and the Run series (written by Jason Reynolds; illustrated by Selom Sunu).

Knights Of have also created a special booklist of their favourite titles to try during the Challenge. The list is full of heroes that inspire, challenge and push the definition of what it means to be a hero. There is something for every age - from early years to middle grade - and even some recommendations for teens and young adults who'd like to get heroic too!

How can children take part in the Winter Mini Challenge?

The Winter Mini Challenge is run through our year-round children's website.

To take part, children simply read three or more books - these can be any books of their choice. Every time they finish a book, they add it to their Challenge website profile and leave a short book review.

Reaching their online reading goal will unlock a virtual badge and a special Everyone Is A Hero certificate to print off and keep!

We'll also have a whole host of fun activities, videos and reading recommendations, plus an exciting competition.

Children can visit the Winter Mini Challenge website at  www.wintermini.org.uk  from 1 December 2020 to start rating and reviewing their books and enjoying the online activities.

Visit our  Shop to download your free Winter Mini Challenge resources pack (also available in Welsh). The pack includes promotional posters, social media assets and a communications toolkit so you can start building the excitement amongst your young readers! It also includes a Winter Mini Challenge completer's certificate, so you can prepare to join in the fun in your library, school, reading group, activity club, or at home. Check back again soon for a themed reading record and activity sheets.

You can keep up to date with all of The Reading Agency's latest children's activities and offers by following us on  Facebook or following the hashtag #WMC2020.

Artwork credit: Marssaié Jordan, Rex Crowle, Wumzum and Selom Sunu

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The Winter Mini Challenge encourages children to keep up their reading habits over the winter holidays, with a free-to-access website featuring rewards and incentives for reading and reviewing books. Over the school holidays children can experience a 'dip' in reading skills and learning, and due to the disruption to education caused by Covid-19, this year is set to have an even greater impact on learning loss.

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How Best Selling Author Chris Ryan Learned to Love Reading

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How Best Selling Author Chris Ryan Learned to Love Reading

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Read the article here.

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'With imagination and reading, the world is your oyster': Chris Ryan on encouraging children to enjoy books

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Chris Ryan tells us how the army helped him to enjoy education - and why he now wants to encourage all children to get reading.

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Recommended Books For English Language Learners

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Recommended Books For English Language Learners

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Put in your requests with the library.

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There are memoirs, essay collections and books with great advice.

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How Reading Fiction Can Change Your Perspective on Reality

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How Reading Fiction Can Change Your Perspective on Reality

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Listen to this TED talk to find out more.

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How to Read a Book was first written in 1940. It elaborates on ways to effectively read books from several different genres. It was revised in the 1970's to include a list of the top books you should read. Take a look to see how many of the books on the list you have read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_a_Book
Here's an article on how to become an author. http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Be-an-Author/45932/
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States of America, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in four buildings in Washington, D.C., as well as the Packard Campus in Culpepper, Virginia, it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books. http://www.loc.gov/index.html
To some avid readers, The New York Times is an invaluable source for book reviews, best sellers, new release announcements, and general news about books. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html
Take a look at the American Library Association's website and see if you agree with the decision to ban books. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/

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How fiction can change reality - Jessica Wise

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Reading and stories can be an escape from real life, a window into another world -- but have you ever considered how new fictional experiences might change your perspective on real, everyday life? From Pride and Prejudice to Harry Potter, learn how popular fiction can spark public dialogue and shape culture.

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Love cats? Why not take this fun quiz to find out what sort of cat you'd be.

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Tate Kids: play free art games and fun quizzes, find art activities, read about artists and share your art. The best art website for kids.

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Check out the shortlist for some great reading suggestions.

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Detectives, discoveries and incredible people from history make the line-up as the 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards contenders are revealed

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The six shortlisted titles for the 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards are revealed...

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Why not try a revolting recipe?

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FROBSCOTTLE Recipe | The BFG - Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes

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Author Anthony McGowan gives his best book selection.

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As part of the celebrations for our 40th anniversary, we are revising our long-running Ten of the Best feature and asking six authors to choose the children's books they consider essential reading. Our thanks to Anthony McGowan for this selection, and our congratulations on his Carnegie Medal win.
It's almost impossible, of course, to choose 10 'essential' books. Apart from anything else, whatever we book fanatics occasionally claim, books are not essential, as food and water are essential. We can live without them. We just don't want to. So I have picked books which I have loved and wouldn't want to live without. On another day, I could easily have chosen 10 completely different titles. And perhaps not all of the ones I have plumped for will work for all young readers. But they are all part of the furniture of my head, and I wouldn't be me without them being there. I've noticed that most of the books are decades old, and it's heart-breaking to exclude brilliant recent historical novels by Tanya Landman and Catherine Johnson, the emotionally gripping YA by Phil Earle, the tense and exciting work of Alex Wheatle... So the list is a little long in the tooth - but then so am I!

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, Penguin, 978-0141184982, £8.99 pbk

This booked changed me. I read it as a class reader in Year 9, in a tough school in Leeds. Most of the kids there weren't big into books, to say the least. But soon we were all gripped, not only by the narrative, about the struggles of young Billy Caspar and his beautiful kestrel, but also by the world - that gritty, hard-scrabble, working-class Northern world so brilliantly depicted; and also by the language: the perfect precision of the descriptions, and the total realism of the speech.

Red Shift by Alan Garner, HarperCollins Children's Books, 978-0007127863, £6.99 pbk.

Alan Garner is one of the all-time greats of children's writing. He's perhaps best known for his fantasy works (or rather books that weave fantasy and realism together), such as The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, but this is my personal favourite. It's a difficult, demanding book, that entwines together three different timelines, and the reader has to work hard to keep up with the lightning flashes of the language. But its power, once it grips you, is immense. You finish it shattered and broken. But in a good way...

Doing It by Melvin Burgess, Andersen Press, 978-1783440634, £7.99 pbk

Melvin Burgess was the first writer to portray adolescent boys as they truly are: funny, filthy, vulnerable, tender, violent. Doing It is a little less well known than his equally fine novel about addiction, Junk, but it adds an extra dose of humour. It can be an uncomfortable read - the truth is often uncomfortable - but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't stare it in the face. And that's precisely what Burgess does.

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, HarperCollins, 978-0261103252, £20.00 pbk

Until I was 8 or 9 years old, my main reading obsessions were the natural world and war. There wasn't a tank, an aircraft or a bird that I couldn't identify. But then a teacher, more or less out of the blue, gave me a copy of The Lord of the Rings. It was the first novel I ever read and it took me a couple of years to work my way through it. But by the end I was a different person - a novel reader, and one day a novel writer. Tolkien may now seem a little dated (it's hard to avoid the conclusion that he really wasn't very interested in women) but his world-building, the beauty and power of his language, and the engrossing plot, make this surely the greatest fantasy work ever written.

The Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles by Rosemary Sutcliff, OUP, 978-0192789983, £12.99 pbk

Rosemary Sutcliff was one of the few children's writers I loved when I was younger. Although her plots are wonderfully exciting and action-packed, she can be a challenging writer. Her language is intricate and relatively complex, and the reader is never spoon-fed. All of her many books are brilliant (her retellings of the Iliad, Black Ships before Troy was by children's favourite bedtime reading) but I think her masterpiece is the three linked novels about the Romans in Britain, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, and The Lantern Bearers - which are available as a single volume. They combine great learning and epic storytelling.

Orange Boy by Patrice Lawrence, Hodder Children's Books, 978-1444927207, £7.99 pbk

I read Orange Boy a couple of years ago, and was immediately seized by the style and the story. Although it has a powerful message about racism and inequality, it is in no sense a simple 'message' book: it's an exciting thriller, one of those books where you can hardly turn the pages quickly enough. Patrice Lawrence is simply one of the finest writers for young adults working today.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London, OUP, 978-0199538898, £5.99 pbk

The Call of the Wild is perhaps the greatest of wilderness adventure stories. Its depiction of the lives of both people and dogs (and wolves) in the wilds of Canada is often brutal: these animals (and men) hunt and fight and kill. We're a long way from Disney: the animals are never anthropomorphised, never do anything inauthentic. And yet we come to care desperately for the fate of Buck, a huge and pampered pet, who is stolen and used a sled-dog. After many adventures, Buck answers the call of the wild, and joins the wolves, entering into the legend of the native Americans. He still haunts my imagination.

You're a Bad Man Mr Gum by Andy Stanton, Egmont, 978-1405293693, £6.99 pbk

The Mr Gum series are simply the funniest children's books ever written. My wife and I used to fight over who got to read them at bedtime to our children. Although young and old both find them hysterical, it isn't quite true to say that there are two different levels of humour - one for the kids and one for the adults. It's more that almost every page has such a dazzle of brilliant comic ideas, sophisticated and silly, that you feel like you're in the middle of a comedy blitz, with every part of your funny-bone rubbed raw. But there's also heart in there, amid the intellectual fizz, and you come to care for characters, whether a dancing bear or a schoolteacher made of gingerbread.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin, Puffin, 978-0141354910, £7.99 pbk

I said earlier on that The Lord of the Rings was the greatest fantasy work ever written, but the Earthsea series runs it a close second. Tolkien gives us a brilliantly realised world, a rich and poetic language, and an exciting plot; Le Guin does all that, but adds characters with a little more complexity and nuance, and also sprinkles ideas that stretch the mind, and challenge expectations. It's a cliché to say of a book that 'It makes you think', but Earthsea does just that. And it's ultimately the reader that has to answer those questions.

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, OUP, 978-0192734501, £6.99 pbk

Tom's Midnight Garden has, I think, the greatest plot of any children's novel. Pearce gives us characters not instantly lovable, and her writing can be a little stiff and formal (I seem to recall a page with eight semi-colons!), but that story, involving the eponymous hero slipping back through time, but then also losing what he'd found, is so gripping and engrossing that no one who's started the book has failed to finish it. As I closed the book for the last time, I remember the darkened room resonating around me, like the silence as a piece of music you've loved comes to an end.

Anthony McGowan is one of the most widely acclaimed young-adult authors in the UK and his novel won the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal.

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As part of the celebrations for our 40th anniversary, we are revising our long-running Ten of the Best feature and asking six authors to choose the children's books they consider essential reading. Our thanks to Anthony McGowan for this selection, and our congratulations on his Carnegie Medal win.

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How well do you know 'The Recruit'?

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Do you want to read a good story and learn about history at the same time? Then check out these historical fiction books

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Find your Jacqueline Wilson character name in this fun activity

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Have you ever wanted to go an adventure with a Jacqueline Wilson character? Who would be your BFF - fiery Hetty Feather, wild Tracy Beaker, or a new friend like Rose Rivers? Find out what your name would be if you were in a Jacqueline Wilson story by using the chart below.

Just find the first letter of your first name and the first letter of your last name to reveal your new Jacqueline Wilson character name - what's yours?

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Find your Jacqueline Wilson character name

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Have you ever wanted to go an adventure with a Jacqueline Wilson character? Who would be your BFF - fiery Hetty Feather, wild Tracy Beaker, or a new friend like Rose Rivers? Find out what your name would be if you were in a Jacqueline Wilson story by using the chart below.

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Here are some gems to get you started.

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Take a look of some of the Prize Winning books form last year.

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Excitingly, there are loads of big book prizes that celebrate the serious talent among authors writing for children, tweens, teens and young adults. As ever, this year's award-winning list is packed full with fabulous books that we absolutely recommend for your child. We've gathered them all together in one handy round-up.

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Here is a list of books for children and teenagers that take a variety of different approaches to representing the events of World War II.

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War can be a difficult subject for children to understand properly, especially the conflict of the Second World War. From classic favourites to more recent titles, these books for children and teenagers take a variety of different approaches to representing the events of World War II.

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On Tuesday, the government announced its plan to get more children reading. It takes the form of a competition, aimed at seven- to 12-year-olds and slated to kick off in September, that will reward the young readers who devour the most books: the clear intention, as schools minister Nick Gibb put it, is "to give a competitive spur to reluctant readers".

Both boys and girls will be eligible, but as boys make up the majority of these "reluctant readers" - one in 10 British boys are now leaving primary school with the reading-age of a seven-year-old - Gibb added that he hoped boys in particular would be inspired "by a bit of healthy competition".

So which books should the nation's boys be reading if they want to get a headstart? Here's a handy guide to the 10 best books for boys aged seven to 12, chosen with the help of Ellen Ainsworth, a retired children's librarian and mother of two grownup sons who has more than 33 years' experience of getting boys reading.

1. Alex Rider Anthony Horowitz's series about a 14-year-old boy recruited by the British secret service has proved phenomenally popular: there are nine novels, from 2000's Stormbreaker to Scorpia Rising, released last March, suitable for readers aged around 10 and over; a number of spinoff short-story collections; a film; and a video game. "Definitely my No 1," says Ainsworth.

2. Harry Potter No list would be complete without JK Rowling's much-loved novels about a teenage wizard battling the evil Voldemort, while getting to grips with Quidditch, strange spells and first love. Their addictive qualities are likely to have young boys (and girls, of course) wanting to devour all seven in a row, quickly putting them ahead in the competition.

3. Young Bond Covering similar ground to Alex Rider, Charlie Higson's books - suitable for ages 10 and over - act as a compelling prequel to Ian Fleming's Bond series: here, we meet Bond as a 13-year-old at Eton in the 1930s. "007 should certainly give Harry a run for his money" was the verdict of Observer associate editor Robert McCrum on the second book, Blood Fever.

4. Horrid Henry Younger boys will love Francesca Simon's series about a perpetually naughty young boy and his butter-wouldn't-melt brother, Perfect Peter. Though unpopular in Simon's native US, over here we might even be permitted to call them a phenomenon: 20 books, a number of joke books, a series for early readers, a film, a stage show and a CITV cartoon series.

5. Flat Stanley This classic children's book, written in 1964 by Jeff Brown, tells the decidedly surreal tale of a boy named Stanley Lambchop who is flattened in the night by a collapsed pin-board. He makes the best of the situation by using his newly flattened state to slide into locked rooms, be used as a kite, and even posted in a letterbox. "A lot of boys of seven to nine are still not reading very well," Ainsworth says. "This book is really likely to engage them."

6. Artemis Fowl The anti-hero of Irish author Eoin Colfer's seven novels (the last is due out this summer) is like the Blofeld to Higson's Bond: a teenage criminal mastermind named Artemis Fowl II. "This is in the solid nine-12 years category," says Ainsworth.

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Boys aged seven and up will relate to American author Jeff Kinney's tales about a hopelessly uncool boy named Gregory. There are six books in the series, which originated on the website FunBrain.com, where it scored 20m hits over five years. "My own boys loved these books," Ainsworth says.

8. Captain Underpants In Dav Pilkey's series of amusingly illustrated novels, two primary-school boys accidentally hypnotise their headteacher, turning him into the eponymous superhero. Exuberant fun for younger boys.

9. The Cherub series Bestselling author Robert Muchamore became the subject of controversy last October, when a north London junior school cancelled his scheduled visit, citing a number of complaints from parents about the challenging subject matter of his books about a group of orphaned teenage spies (anyone sensing a pattern here?). "I always call it the EastEnders test - that broadly speaking nothing happens in my books that doesn't happen in an episode of EastEnders," Muchamore said in response.

10. Holes Louis Sachar's award-winning 1998 novel about a 13-year-old boy named Stanley Yelnats, sent to the juvenile detention centre Camp Green Lake after being wrongly accused of stealing a pair of shoes, will appeal to boys of 10 and over.

Can you do better? What's your essential read to win over reluctant boys?

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10 books to help boost young boys' reading

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On Tuesday, the government announced its plan to get more children reading. It takes the form of a competition, aimed at seven- to 12-year-olds and slated to kick off in September, that will reward the young readers who devour the most books: the clear intention, as schools minister Nick Gibb put it, is "to give a competitive spur to reluctant readers".

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Then you might like these.

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There are a lot of book lists out there for kids who like Diary of of a Wimpy Kid so I wasn't actually planning on making this list, but then my son started reading the series. He came to it late in the game. Many kids read the series when they are 8 or 9, even though it is a book aimed at middle school kids so I started thinking about what kids could read instead, or after they finish Wimpy Kid.

I decided to make a list of books for kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid that is not just full of read-alikes. There are a few of those kind of books in this post, but as I've mentioned with my other "books for kids who like..." posts, my style is to help kids expand their horizons! There is nothing wrong with read-alike books, of course. I am in no way suggesting that is the case.

What I tried to do with this list is take elements of the Wimpy Kid series and find books that branch out with one of two of those elements, whether it be the diary format, the theme of feeling awkward at school or the emphasis on illustrations to tell the story. I also included a number of book suitable for 8 and up, instead of the 11 and up range that Wimpy Kid is appropriate for. I hope you find something your child will love! (Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links.)

MORE: If your kids like funny books, be sure to check out my list of 100 funny chapter books for kids

Zita the Spacegirl (Zita the Spacegirl Series) by Ben Hatke. My son and his friends love the Zita books. Zita rushes off to space in order to save her friend who has been abducted by aliens. Space turns out to be inhabited by some seriously bizarre, but entertaining creatures. There is a bit of a Wizard of Oz like feel to Zita's quest and the series is tons of fun.

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. (series) Timmy Failure's format is easier to read than many other middle grade books ( e.g. more accessible for kids who may still resist small type) and includes plentiful illustrations ( Pastis is a cartoonist). Timmy aspires to be a great detective, but that's a bit tricky when his partner is an imaginary polar bear. Timmy is also a bit clueless and naively confident of his skills. This all sounds depressing as I write it, but the book is actually a great mix of offbeat silliness and more serious issues

The Origami Yoda Files. This series by Tom Angleberger followers a misfit middle schooler who has a penchant for paper folding and is trying to learn the social ropes of middle school ( as we all know, this is a Sisyphean task). Better for middle school kids than grade school kids ( in my opinion).

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid can enjoy the classics, too! When her journal is stolen and her peers learn the unflattering things she wrote about them she finds herself an outcast. What makes Harriet so wonderful is that she is a real person. She is not always ( maybe not even often) pleasant to everyone, she makes mistakes, but she is smart and resourceful. Awesome.

Alvin Ho (series) by Leonore Look. I love Alvin Ho and cannot resist encouraging you ( yet again) to pick up one of these books for your child. Alvin suffers from anxiety over many things and this leads him to become mute at school. Nevertheless, his family life, antics and tales of how he navigates "scary things" never fail to charm. Great for ages 7 and up.

Justin Case (series) Introverted and sensitive Justin Case is very, very, very nervous about starting third grade. I love how authentic Justin is; he analyzes everything from soccer, to his friends and "enemies", to advanced math problems. Vail wrote Justin's story in diary format, with some short sentences mirroring Justin's thoughts. Great for ages 7 and up.

Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce (series). You've probably already heard of this series if you have kids who also read Wimpy Kid, but it's worth mentioning again. There are a zillion Big Nate books so the advantage is that kid will do a lot of reading if this series hits the right note with them. Nate is in sixth grade and his misadventures get him into all sorts of humorous situations. Parents who don't like the humor in Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants may not like these books. I've never been concerned that my kids will start misbehaving at school because of a book, but use your own judgement.

More book lists inspired by popular titles:

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23 Hilarious Books For Kids Who Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid

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There are a lot of book lists out there for kids who like Diary of of a Wimpy Kid so I wasn't actually planning on making this list, but then my son started reading the series. He came to it late in the game.

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Fancy doing some baking with your family? We've got lots of fun, easy-to-follow recipes for you to try out.

Whether you're a big fan of The Bumblebear by Nadia Shireen or The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, you're sure to find some tasty treats to enjoy!

BookTrust HomeTime

Looking for something fun as a family? Enjoy storytime with our free online books and videos, play games, win prizes, test your knowledge in our book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters.
Go to the HomeTime hub

Storybooks and games

Listen or read along with loads of stories, or play one of our interactive games.

Quizzes

Test your knowledge of children's books with our fun quizzes - from Harry Potter to Roald Dahl.

Activities

Word searches, puzzles, colouring sheets and lots of creative inspiration. Print out our activity sheets to keep boredom at bay and have fun together.

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Recipes: Book-themed recipes for you to try

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Fancy doing some baking with your family? We've got lots of fun, easy-to-follow recipes for you to try out. Whether you're a big fan of The Bumblebear by Nadia Shireen or The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, you're sure to find some tasty treats to enjoy!

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You may also like these.

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As fans of The Hunger Games know, your enemies always seem to reemerge right when you least expect them. That's right, this month, Suzanne Collins takes readers back to Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a highly anticipated Hunger Games prequel featuring none other than Coriolanus Snow himself.

To mark the occasion, we're looking back at the most popular YA dystopias of the last decade. While stories of shady totalitarian societies have always been part of young adult literature (think ), it's undeniable that these tales have completely dominated the field ever since the publication of Mockingjay. Call it the Collins Effect, maybe?

To define popularity, we reaped titles with over 100,000 shelvings and an average rating of 3.5 or above. And for series with multiple chart-topping books, we listed the first novel so you can revisit those adventures from the very beginning. Take a look at our list, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

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The Most Popular YA Dystopias Since 'The Hunger Games'

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As fans of The Hunger Games know, your enemies always seem to reemerge right when you least expect them. That's right, this month, Suzanne Collins takes readers back to Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , a highly anticipated Hunger Games prequel featuring none other than Coriolanus Snow himself.

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Here are some of the most popular Young Adult Books for this year.

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Are you searching for a great young adult novel to dive into? In that case, you've come to the right place. Goodreads members are pros at scouting out immersive YA reads, and since we're now halfway through 2020 (what?!), it's time to round up the most popular YA titles of the year so far.

These books have the distinction of being both highly anticipated and highly reviewed (we winnowed out the books with less than a 3.5-star rating from your fellow readers). They run the gamut of subgenres, from contemporary mysteries to high fantasy and everything in between.

Don't forget to add any titles that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf! Now, without further ado, here are the books in order of popularity:

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The 36 Most Popular YA Books of the Year (So Far)

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Are you searching for a great young adult novel to dive into? In that case, you've come to the right place. Goodreads members are pros at scouting out immersive YA reads, and since we're now halfway through 2020 (what?!), it's time to round up the most popular YA titles of the year so far.

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A favourite of the library. Enjoy some Where's Wally activities.

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Here's a list of books that may help.

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What to Read

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Virtually attend Shakespeare productions on-line.

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Director Lucy Bailey's iconic 2014 production of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedy sees the Globe transformed for this immersive staging, with a cast including Indira Varma ( Game of Thrones, HBO; Luther, BBC).

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Globe Player | Shakespeare's Globe | Watch On-demand

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Subscribe to Globe Player to stream incredible filmed productions from Shakespeare's Globe, ad-free and available on-demand from anywhere across the globe.