‘It’s like a giant book club’: how schools are getting children excited about reading again

2026-03-13 - 10:13

In the National Year of Reading, teachers say a culture of enthusiasm, from dress-up days, story time and book clubs, can reverse a national decline Ajmal, 7, is an avid fan of the InvestiGators comic books. They feature two crime-busting alligator secret agents called Mango and Brash. “It’s really funny,” he says, then outlines the plot of his current favourite in exhaustive detail. Wren, 8, is making her way through Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. “I didn’t read lots when I was in year 1,” she says, but now she’s loving chapter books. A beaming boy called Siva, 8, who’s enjoying one of Neill Cameron’s Donut Squad series, adds: “I like chapter books and I like comic books.” Continue reading...