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News

James Patterson is teaming up with the National Literacy Trust to launch The James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge, an initiative designed to encourage children to read with their dads / male carers. The ‘James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge’ is being run in partnership with the NLT’s Reading Champions initiative. It will be launched as a key NLT World Book Day campaign in March 09 and will work with over 3000 schools across the UK. The idea for the initiative came directly from Patterson, who is passionate about getting boys hooked on books from a young age.

James Patterson says, ‘As a writer, and also as a father, I’m delighted to be working with the National Literacy Trust in really encouraging kids to discover the love of reading. I’ve been actively involved in getting kids to enjoy books in America and it’s great to be able to help bring this message to the UK. The Reading Champions initiative is a wonderful opportunity to encourage us dads to get reading with our sons, what could be better?’

The aim of the ‘James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge’ is to encourage dads/male carers to read with their children. There is a prize for one dad/male carer and their child to hunt their own aliens on a trip to Sweden to visit the biggest space centre in Europe. All they need to do is take a photo of both of them reading together in the most unusual place they can think of. The winning photograph will be the one taken in the most extreme or unusual location. The school of the winning child will also win £2000 of random House books for their library. To enter the competition parents/ children need to ask their school to sign up to the NLT Reading Champions initiative at www.readingchampions.org.uk.

The Telegraph interviewed Malorie Blackman about her new book, Double Cross and how her childhood reading has influenced her current writing. Well worth a read! Click here for her full interview.

Sandi Toksvig was a guest on The One Show this week. Sandi chatted to lovely Adrian and Christine all about her new book Girls are Best. To check out the show click here!  

More Than a Good Read is for parents, teachers and carers, but most of all the readers - our topics list will help you in your decision, whether you’re looking to explain bereavement or the ABC.

Click here to see the full list.

Dream Master: Gladiator and the National Curriculum

Ancient Rome is a requirement in History at Key Stage 2 - Dream Master: Gladiator is an ingenious way of combining history and literacy.

Flying Foxes - where ideas take flight!

Click here to see a full list of titles and click here for links to the National Curriculum (PDF file).

Bookstart - Books for Babies!

Approved by Bookstart, our Rainbow books are vibrant, sturdy board books in all the colours of the rainbow, illustrated by Sam Childs, the talented artist who also illustrates the Little Zeb series.

Click here for the complete collection.

Great Books for the Early Years

by Marian Whitehead
worked for many years in inner London as an earlyyears teacher and then as a Senior Lecturer in Education at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. (PDF file)

Great Books for Key Stage 3

by Lindsey Fraser
Executive Director of Scottish Book Trust. (PDF file)

Great Books for PSHE and Citizenship

by Prue Goodwin
Director of INSET, Reading and Language Information Centre, the University of Reading. (PDF file).

Katie Morag : Notes for Teachers

by Lindsey Fraser, of Fraser Ross Associates.
Click here to open the PDF file. with 8 pages of resources to photocopy.

Quentin Blake : Notes for Teachers

by Prue Goodwin
Director of INSET, Reading and Language Information Centre, the University of Reading.
Click here for the complete Quentin Blake booklist.

Lady Grace

Lady Grace is a new sleuth in the court of Queen Elizabeth, and The Lady Grace Mysteries are her diaries - packed with grisly Tudor facts and intrigue, she puts the mystery into Tudor history!

Click here for the Lady Grace fact-sheet.

See Eric the Red author Caroline Glicksman's profile

Little Yoga

Little Yoga is a vibrant, bright and fun first book of yoga for toddle


View a spread here

Well Done!

Well Done! is a first book of manners for toddlers - and their frazzled parents!

Peace thrives in the rebel state, so Eragon and his dragon Saphira visit the legendary land of the elves to master the art of Dragonriding. However, a new enemy is growing in power - and waiting…Epic battles and deadly enchantment abound in the phenomenal sequel to the bestselling ERAGON

 

 

Read to Inspire with Tamarind : Notes for Teachers

Benjamin Zephaniah
Malorie Blackman
Rudolph Walker
Click here

DOG BISCUIT
Click here

Traction Man
Click here

GEORGE
Click here

Anthony Browne
Click here

Joe Delaney visits haunted castle with his no.1

For more click here

The Alchemyst Shortisted For Top Irish Literary Award!

The shortlist for the Irish Book Awards were announced this week and we’re delighted to say that The Alchemyst by Michael Scott has been shortlisted for Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children’s Book of the Year Senior category. This is the third year of the annual Irish Book Awards, which are open to all Irish authors who had a book published during the last 12 months. It is an increasingly prestigious and high-profile award with great media coverage (TV3’s Ireland AM is the media sponsor) and retail support, so this shortlisting is fantastic news!  Michael will attend the awards ceremony on April 24th in Dublin where the winner’s will be announced. Finger crossed… For more information please look at www.irishbookawards.com

Marking Shirley Hughes' 80th birthday

Click here for the interview from the Observer.

Pictures from World Book Day Globe event

World Book Day events featuring Jacky Wilson and Malorie Blackman for Kids at Random.

Click here

(c) Colman Getty Consultancy, Culture (www.colmangetty.co.uk)

While You Are Sleeping

Click below for the press release

The Book Thief

Discuss The Book Thief - a life-changing novel - in your classroom!

Remembrance Day

"This illustrated junior edition of Max Arthur's Forgotten Voices of the Great War is both a splendid tribute to the great war generation and a marvellous introduction for today's youngsters to a war that changed the world forever."
Terry Charman, Chief Historian, Imperial War Museu

Click here to view the inside of the book

Click here to open the PDF file to explore Theresa Breslin’s novel, Remembrance..

Hitler's Canary is Sandi Toksvig's first children's story in five years, based on what happened in Denmark during the Second World War and how thousands of Jews were saved from the death camps - read an extract

Anne Frank

Anne Frank is a sensitive retelling of the life of Anne Frank for younger readers. The Holocaust is a recommended key stage 2 topic. Josephine Poole's text and Angela Barrett's stunning illustrations bring Anne's joyful, playful spirit alive for young children and give us an exemplary account of an ordinary little girl caught up in extraordinary events.

Click here to view a spread from the book.

Useful links

www.holocaustmemorialday.gov.uk/

www.annefrank.org/

Eragon: The Movie is out now! Click here to view teaching resources based on the film and the bestselling novel.

Meet Little Genius - star of a brand new picture book series that helps young children gain an understanding of how their bodies work. Each title focuses on a part of the body and presents ideas in jargon-free terms, with an emphasis throughout on looking after your body and staying healthy and safe.

Download the Little Genius Bones activity sheet

Download the Little Genius Brains activity sheet

Visit the microsite

Visit the microsite

Visit the microsite

Penelope at School and First Day at School

For all slightly new parents, two books to help you and your little ones prepare for their first day at proper school!

 


 

 

 

 

 

We publish two types of interviews: video and text:

A Hat Full Of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Amethyst by Rebecca Lisle
Checkmate by Malorie Blackman
Deep Fear by Debi Gliori
Deep Water by Debi Gliori
Deep Water by Debi Gliori
Delicious! by Helen Cooper
Girls In Tears by Jacqueline Wilson
Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman
My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson
Noughts And Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Ptolemy's Gate: Book III of The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven
The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven
The Outlaw Varjak Paw by S. F. SAID
The Road Of Bones by Anne Fine
The Shape Game by Anthony Browne
The Time-Travelling Cat and the Egyptian Goddess by Julia Jarman
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Who's in the Loo? by Jeanne Willis
A Shame To Miss Poetry Collection 1 by Anne Fine
Celandine (The Various II) by Steve Augarde
Corbenic by Catherine Fisher
Double Cross by Malorie Blackman
Girls In Love by Jacqueline Wilson
Help! I'm a Classroom Gambler by Pete Johnson
Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos
My Dad by Anthony Browne
My Desperate Love Diary by Elizabeth Rettig
Rani And Sukh by Bali Rai
Rescuing Dad by Pete Johnson
Set in Stone by Linda Newbery
Sisterland by Linda Newbery
Summers Of The Sisterhood: The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Black Sphinx by Matt Hart
The Cup Of The World by John Dickinson
The Hand of the Devil by Dean Vincent Carter
The Pack by Tom Pow
The Road Of Bones by Anne Fine
The Shell House by Linda Newbery
The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
The Widow And The King by John Dickinson
The Worry Website by Jacqueline Wilson
Welkin Weasels (4): Gaslight Geezers by Garry Kilworth