Musings on booklists

Booklists are something that can produce a rant from me in seconds. I cannot say how many times I have come across a booklist intended for children that has not been updated for years (sometimes decades). Indeed I have seen booklists with suggestions that would not have been out of place in my own schooldays, over 40 years ago.

This is, in my opinion, really lazy and shoddy. It is vital that children are given the opportunity to discover the best new writing that is available for them. There is, of course, a place for classics but it is shameful that the same list is churned out year after year by people who claim to know about children's literature.

Every year I set up a booklist for the new Y7 students. This is annotated with a short description of the book. (I have yet another rant about booklists that are mere lists but shall not indulge myself this time.) I do not include popular authors as I believe that my job is to encourage pupils to read as widely as possible - they will find the popular writers by themselves, it is up to me to introduce them to others. My colleague and I have had many discussions about our booklists (her particular list will be available later this term and is intended for Upper School, Y10 and above.) We are of the firm opinion that our lists are suggestions for reading and should not be considered definitive or prescriptive. We are firmly for choice in reading for pleasure.

This year I have managed, with the assistance of the site's technical help, to set up a list for Y7 on Love Reading For Schools. (You will need to register to use the site - instructions are on the site and a blog page) This list has a mixture of titles as our students have different reading abilities and different interests. I hope there is something for everyone.

For the first time we are linking with the Public Libraries' Summer Reading Challenge and following their Creepy House theme. There are two books that are definitely not creepy just in case it is too much for anyone. We are in the process of developing an exciting aid support book choice from this list- I shall keep you posted!

Two books missing from the main picture, both on loan at the moment.