National Year of Reading
Scholastic will be supporting the National Year of Reading throughout 2008, and this is the place to find out the latest news about all our dedicated events and projects. There are plenty of things coming up, from special National Year of Reading books to literary events, competitions and giveaways – all of them in celebration of READING!
Scholastic is the perfect place for you to find all the support you need to make the most of your school’s National Year of Reading throughout 2008.
How are we celebrating at Scholastic?
As part of our commitment to the 2008 National Year of Reading, we are closely involved with several major projects including:
The Kids’ Lit Quiz, a book-based quiz in which teams of children from New Zealand, South Africa, China and the UK Home Nations compete in their own countries, and then come together for an international final. This year, thanks to funding from DCSF and Scholastic UK, the international final will be held at the Oxford Playhouse on 10th July where hundreds of children and many well-known authors will gather to celebrate reading for pleasure.
The School Librarian of the Year Award, which Scholastic has committed to sponsoring for three years starting from 2008. The shortlist this year includes both Primary and Secondary school librarians, and the award will be presented by Philip Reeve (author of Mortal Engines) in May.
We’ll be releasing details of further projects very soon, so watch this space!
Hot off the press…
In celebration of the 2008 National Year of Reading, Scholastic have launched a brand new book for teachers, by literacy expert Kate Ruttle.You can make the most of THE NATIONAL YEAR OF READING contains activities and lesson ideas for each of the monthly reading themes to keep 4- to 11-year-olds reading all through 2008. Copies of this great new book are available to buy now!
...and coming soon
Wow! 366
Inspired by the leap year, we challenged a host of ‘big name’ writers to each produce a story for children in just 366 words. Contributors include Roddy Doyle, Terry Jones and Gordon Brown. That’s right – the PM himself has joined the Scholastic team!
Storyteller
Compiled by Pie Corbett, these three traditional story anthologies support the National Year of Reading theme for October – Word of Mouth. The books are ideal for reading aloud together at home, or you can take advantage of the accompanying teacher’s resources to deliver some fabulous literacy lessons.
More details about these eagerly anticipated titles will be released as they near publication!
Great savings…
Scholastic Book Fairs are showing their support for The National Year of Reading by offering eight of your favourite books for only £2 each – less than half price – available to buy at every fair!
The National Year of Reading £2 books are:
- Kipper by Mick Inkpen
- Alone In the Woods by Ian Beck
- The Dancing Bear by Michael Morpurgo
- Sleep-overs by Jacqueline Wilson
- The 100-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong
- Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
- The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle
- Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden
Watch the National Year of Reading film
Spot your favourite celebrities and find out what they like to read in the fun short film Consequences brought to you by the team behind the 2008 National Year of Reading.
Want to find out what went on behind the scenes? You can watch ‘the making of’ Consequences right here too!
What have you been reading lately?
Have you seen our online book club for children? At scholasticbookclubs.co.uk you can create a personalised profile, rate and review your favourite reads and list the books you want to read next – all in a secure online environment. It’s about having fun with books, so there are games, puzzles and competitions too.
If you know a reluctant reader, get them to visit our online club and they’ll soon get the book bug!
This month's National Year of Reading theme
May 1st heralds a brand new reading theme: Mind and Body.
If you want to learn more about how your body works, pick up a copy of The Body Owner’s Handbook from the gruesome Horrible Science series. Beware though, it’s not a book for the faint-hearted…
Maybe you'd rather explore the link between mind and body by testing whether laughter really is the best medicine? Then Jeremy Strong’s ridiculously silly books are the best tonic you're likely to find anywhere!
