BooksForTopics: the benefits of Recommended Read packs

October 11th 2022

Guest blogger: Alison Leach Alison Leach is the founder of BooksForTopics, a website that helps schools find great books to enrich their curriculums and promote reading for pleasure. As an experienced primary teacher, Alison knows that it is not always easy to source the right books and she is passionate about helping the best books reach the spotlight. You can follow @booksfortopics on Twitter.  visit Booksfortopics website

The Books For Topics Year Group Recommended Reads booklists contain 50 books specially picked out for reading for pleasure in each primary year group from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 reading. The books are selected by a panel for the purpose of developing reading for pleasure at each age group from Preschool to Year 6. The lists are designed to provide recommendations of age-appropriate and accessible books across a range of genres and styles.

The Recommended Read lists are available for schools to purchase as book packs for schools containing 50 books for each year group. We love hearing from schools that have received the packs, and we especially enjoy seeing the photos of happy pupils unboxing their packs or displaying their collections in creative ways! We also love hearing how the packs have made an impact on reading for pleasure in and among the whole school community. Here are five benefits of providing the 50 Recommended Read book packs for school's community:

1. Get everyone excited about reading for pleasure

Research has shown that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income (Source: OECD). When we put together each Recommended Reads list, the important task of boosting reading for pleasure is at the front of our minds.

There’s nothing that gets a school community excited about reading for pleasure quite like a fresh new book delivery. When you receive the Recommended Read packs, sharing the new books with your pupils can spark a wave of excitement about which books they hope to read next. Some schools unbox the packs in staff meetings to give teachers a chance to get to know the books, while others let pupils take on the exciting job of unpacking the books. Others still load the books straight into libraries and classrooms and invite pupils to come and browse the new selections. You can also print and share the posters and checklists to help members of your school community see an overview of the books in each year group list.

There’s something for everyone to get excited about reading in the packs. We know that some children love illustrated diary-style books, others get hooked on animal rescue stories while others still can’t get enough ­­of graphic novels. Each Recommended Reads pack contains a variety of age-appropriate fiction, picture books, non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels, with a handful of novelty or tactile books added in too, making sure that there is a style that appeals to different types of readers. This way, schools using our book packs can offer children access to a wealth of quality reading choices to enjoy and give the whole school community a rocket-powered boost in their reading-for-pleasure experiences.

2. Freshen up classrooms and libraries

A bookcase of tired-looking or outdated books does very little to attract readers. Many of the books on our Recommended Reads list are newly or recently published, with modern design styles, themes and interests that resonate with today’s readers and texts that utilise the latest research to make sure readers can fully enjoy the stories and information. Some of the books are large format, full-colour non-fiction titles that are perfect for browsing or book-sharing. For example, we love Space Maps and Oceanarium from the Year 6 list, which draw readers into their vast compendiums of knowledge through eye-catching design and up-to-date scientific information. We’ve also included books specially formatted to draw in reluctant readers and a handful of Barrington Stoke’s unmissable dyslexia-friendly shorter texts for easier Key Stage 2 reading. 

Through the work we do with schools and librarians, we’ve paid attention to which books are most popular with children this year, and so we’ve been able to include books that your pupils will love to love, like the popular graphic novels Bunny Vs Monkey and Looshkin, feel-good favourites like Marcus Rashford’s You Are a Champion and un-put-downable favourite series like Murder Most Unladylike and Anisha, Accidental Detective. If schools are to make reading truly irresistible to pupils, stocking up with up-to-date books that children really want to pick up and read is a vital first step.

3. Diversify children’s reading choices

Among the book packs for schools, the popular books that hook in readers are also balanced with a diverse range of different types of stories that may be less familiar to many pupils. Children who’ve previously loved the Wimpy Kid books or David Walliams stories will find new choices to pick up among the packs, like Paul Coomey’s Stick Boy, Burhana Islam’s Mayhem Mission or Jerry Craft’s thought-provoking graphic novel New Kid. With 50 books to choose from for each year group, the packs offer pupils a tasting menu of different genres and styles, including beginner reading, poetry, picture books for all year groups, verse novels, non-fiction and graphic novels. In each pack, we’ve endeavoured to cover a range of interests and social issues, as well as ensure that different cultures, types of families and disabilities are thoughtfully represented. It’s the perfect way to discover and explore different types of books that are all carefully matched to the age and stage of each year group.

4. Improve your own knowledge of children's books

Research has shown that teachers’ own knowledge of children’s books is highly significant in developing children as readers. A project run by the Open University recently demonstrated that developing up-to-date knowledge of relevant children’s texts enabled teachers to better foster reading for pleasure successfully in the classroom. When teachers improved their knowledge of relevant children’s books, they became able to engage reciprocally as readers in the school community, to make tailored book recommendations, to articulate an informed and strategic rationale for selecting texts in the classrooms and to identify multi-layered texts that inspire and enrich literary experiences. (Source: Open University).

It can be difficult for teachers to know where to find recommended children’s books most appropriate for their year group. By providing the Year Group Recommended Reads packs in your school, it’s not only the pupils who benefit from our hand-picked and age-appropriate book selections. The packs provide teachers with a high-quality selection of books for their year group and this can aid staff to improve their own knowledge of relevant texts. Each pack comes with a printable poster and checklist to give an overview of the 50 books. It’s not just teachers who enjoy the benefits, too – we often hear how parents love it when schools share the posters and checklists with them so that they can see the range of quality Key Stage 2 reading materials available at school and easily find reading ideas for home.

5. Receive expert service

The partnership between Books For Topics and Peters offers schools expert service at every stage of ordering and receiving the book packs for schools. The BooksForTopics Recommended Reads lists are specially selected for each year group by primary education experts looking at quality and classroom suitability. Our experienced panel recognises that reading for pleasure looks different to different children and careful deliberation goes into getting the balance in the packs right for your schools. In addition to our Review Panel feedback, the team at Books For Topics works with the booksellers at Peters to make sure that the books on the lists are up to date and readily available to be supplied to schools and classrooms.

When we hand the lists over to the wonderful team at Peters, we know they work tirelessly in stocking and packing up the books ready to be shipped to schools. The Peters team handle all school book pack orders on our behalf, including managing school accounts, stocking, packing, shipping and creating posters and checklists. When you order from Peters, you can expect speedy delivery of your Key Stage 2 reading book packs, an amazing 20% school discount on the books and top-quality customer service from their experienced schools' team. Your book order really is in excellent hands.

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