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Reading is one of the greatest pleasures in life but some children take longer than others to discover the joy of curling up with a good book. We asked teachers and librarians from schools across the country to recommend titles that will turn reluctant, hesitant or unconfident readers of all ages into book lovers
Florence Stratton
Key stage 2 English champion Knightsbridge School
TheDoomspell ByCliffMcNish(8+)
This is a fantastic fantasy adventure story centred around a brother and sister who are pulled through their cellar wall into a dark land ruled by an evil witch who has been stealing children away from their homes for years. Both Rachel and Eric appear to be normal children but find they have extraordinary gifts. This epic book, the first of a trilogy, is not only exhilarating and engaging but has extremely relatable main characters and language that allows all readers to be captivated by the beautiful descriptions of magic, morality and friendship. It builds exciting worlds and varied characters and introduces children to fantasy in an accessible but imaginative way.
Amanda Lockwood
Learning resource centre librarian, Taunton School
The Arrival
by Shaun Tan (7+)
This beautiful, hopeful and empathy-building graphic novel demands a high level of engagement and skilled decoding of images, though it contains no legible text whatsoever. Any writing that the characters come across is in an entirely fictitious alphabet, which serves to heighten the reader's awareness of what it must be like to find yourself trying to make a new start in a strange country. Readers may not even recognise that they are reading, because every piece of information is conveyed through powerful images, but this book could be the gateway they need to engagement with the printed word.
Erin Caine
Head of English The Moat School
Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett (8+)
This book opens the door to reading for pleasure by engaging the most reluctant readers in a world of imaginary settings, time travel and some rambunctious characters. The variegated text encourages intonation when reading, bringing the story to life, and the illustrations by Mark Beech help readers to imagine another world and escape from the mundane. Once readers complete this text, they'll feel excited to pursue the other 13 short...