Encourging reading for pleasure with Fiction Express @fictionexpress #books #reading #education

A love of reading is something I have always tried to foster in my children. Since they were babies there have always been lots of books around for them and we have read before bed most nights. Reading really is the key to opening up a world of opportunities and knowledge. The Department of Education, however, has some shocking statistics about the weak reading skills that our children are at risk of having – they cite figures 20% of children aged 11 who aren’t reading for pleasure in a 2015 survey.

Fiction Express is innovative online book platform that connects children with professional authors, encouraging reading for pleasure through fun co-creation of stories, improving lifelong learning outcomes. Books can be read online, printed off

Our eldest, who is 11, hasn’t really got that love of reading.. yet. He loves me reading to him, audio books and flicking through nonfiction books. Reading is almost always done under duress. Recently he was identified as having dyslexia tendencies which did not surprise us at all. His comprehension skills are really good but it is just getting him to read in the first place that is the issue!

On the other hand, the 8-year-old loves reading and it isn’t a challenge to him at all. He flies through spelling tests with just a glance at the words. In some ways, I wonder if his natural aptitude doesn’t help with his brother’s reluctance.

What is Fiction Express all about?

There are a few elements to Fiction Express but the main one is the chapters that are published each week. There are always three books “live” – different levels for different reading ages – age 6, age 8 and age 10. There are also other books from lots of different genres whatever your taste.

The books are engaging, well written and inspirational.

Noah, who is 8, really enjoyed the “live chapter” aspect of the website. You read the latest chapter of the book and then can vote, based on three options, what happens next. The following week you find out which option won the vote and can read the next chapter.

At the end of each chapter, there is a comprehension test to make sure that you have understood what you have read. This consists of 10 questions.

He was reading all three levels of books as he loved it so much!

How would it be useful in an education setting?

Children have their own login to access the whole of the site and read either the live books or any of the many other books, that are grouped by genre or ability. The teacher can track which books have been read and also the comprehension score.

Teachers or educators have their own log in where they can view the children that they have set up on their system. There are also lots more educational resources online for each of the chapters so you will not be short of activities!

There is also the opportunity for children to converse with the authors via the blog. This really brings the whole reading experience to life!

What we thought!

Our reluctant reader loved reading online! His reading was fluent and clear and he didn’t stumble over words as much as he did in a paper copy. It could have been the novelty of reading from a computer but Fiction Express also has functions to change the font and background of the text, which can help dyslexic students.

Voting for the next chapter was really well received by our younger son and he looked forward to the next chapter to see if the winning storyline was his choice.

We give Fiction Express a huge thumbs up and have recommended it to the boys school to investigate. It is an innovative and modern concept and anything that encourages and supports a love of reading can only be a good thing in my opinion.

 

What do you think? Is this something you or your school use or would be interested in?

 

 

Getting lost in a book… @PuffinBooks #Storiesforlife @BritMums

There is nothing better in my opinion than a book for Christmas. It can whisk you away on new adventures with fascinating characters and get your imagination racing all in the comfort of a cosy armchair.

We are thrilled to be taking part in the Brit Mums and Penguin Random House Children’s Books Christmas Present Challenge and were sent a mystery parcel last week with three books in it.

The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner by Terry Pratchett contains fourteen funny stories full of food fights, pirates, wizards and crooks! This is the perfect gift for our eldest son who, to put it mildly, doesn’t read for pleasure! I think he will be pulled into this book by the master storyteller. The short stories and amusing tales will keep him captive I am sure!

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher is the ex McFly frontman’s first novel and one our youngest son will love. This story sets off on a Christmas Eve adventure with a boy, an elf and Santa himself plus a baddie called Hunter and a most unusual dinosaur. Noah loves Christmas and anything to do with the magic so he will be unable to put this book down!

Our third book is Clover Moon by Jacqueline Wilson and this will be perfect for our niece, Lucy. For Clover Moon her imagination is the best escape from the hardship of poverty striken Victorian London. When all around her is crumbling she hears of a place she could run to but does she have the courage and will leaving her family give her the chance to break free? This sounds like a fantastic Christmas escape!

I love reading and think there is nothing better than being gripped by a book that you can’t put down – the best feeling is racing home from work to pick up that book again and lose yourself.

Growing up I was a huge fan of Enid Blyton – Famous Five, Secret Seven, Magic Far Away Tree and Mallory Towers to name just a few. I also loved the classics like Little Women and Jane Eyre. I still prefer reading a book to watching a film.

These days getting the chance to read does depend on what is happening in life at the time. I have been working as a teacher so this has physically, mentally and emotionally drained me each day but in holidays I have made the most of the opportunity to relax and read. I love crime thrillers and also a good dose of chick lit and anything that combines those genres with some gritty plots is just my thing. I hope my love of reading is passed on to my children.

 

What books are you and your children hoping to find under the  tree this Christmas?

Would love to hear any recommendations. x

Room on the Broom Trail #juliaDonaldson #countrykids @mywakefield

Today we visited Anglers Country Park who are currently hosting a fantastic Room on the Broom trail.  Check out the details here… http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/residents/sport-and-leisure/outdoors/parks-and-countryside/room-on-the-broom

It has been a sunny, but windy day – very appropriate for the story!

The trail is around two miles long and takes you around the lake. It is a brilliant walk and the sculptures along the way telling the story are awesome! 

There is a cafe, free parking and activity sheets to buy in the visitors centre.

A brilliant day out with family and friends and another great way of bringing books to life!

I

Books, books, books and only getting chance to read when on holiday…

I have just finished reading “Trust your eyes”by Linwood Barclay. I have read a book by the same author before called “No Time for Goodbye”. Both books essentially are suspense thrillers with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked and guessing till the last line. This doesn’t disappoint and I read it in a weekend!

I would definitely recommend this as a holiday read especially if you enjoy reading this genre.

This book has lots of sub plots going on to really keep you gripped – power, infidelity, mental health and of course plenty of murder!

I have realised that I only get chance to read when I am on holiday, basically away from everyday life and chores. I can’t blame it on simply being a mum. They played in the park and I read, they were in bed and I read, they watched a film and I read. Everyone was happy!

When I was in Italy last summer I read eight books in three weeks. Then I had the helping hands of my mum and dad and they largely shopped, cooked and washed for us!

I have nearly finished reading “The Flavour of Love” by Dorothy Koomson which is taking me much longer. It is a slower book although it has lots of surprises and suspense.

 

These books are all from the library which makes a change from the kindle and it is good to read a proper book again. I am hoping to start going to crime cafe at our local library again, I didn’t really go once I started using the kindle but they have had some interesting guests there such as detectives and crime writers. It is a group of, let’s be honest here, more mature people who seem to read a book in a day but is is good to hear what they like and don’t like.

 

What are you reading? Any summer recommendations?

 

Reading champ!

Well I have to say there were times I didn’t think I would see the day but, Ethan who is 7, has read his first book!

It was one he got with his World Book Day voucher.

Now you can’t stop him and he is reading a few pages from “The Magic Finger” by Roald Dahl every evening without fail.

It isn’t just that he is reading, it is more that he wants to read which is what makes me so proud and happy. He still struggles on words but he is enjoying and understanding it that matters.

He doesn’t even want me to read to him anymore, he wants to do the reading himself.

We went to the library last week and he asked to order more “Barry Loser” books and also “Horrid Henry” and
“The Wimpy Kid” so whatever has happened to him has to be a good thing.

Wow – here is definitely one “World Book Day” success story!

World Book Day – Dress Up Day

As tradition dictates we dressed up as a book character for the annual World Book Day (which was on 6 March but our school didn’t dress up till 12 March).

E wanted to go as Willy Wonka as this both his favourite book for us to read him at night and his fave film too (the original of course, sorry Johnny Depp).

I thought about scouring 2nd hand shops to find the perfect outfit but changed my mind and bought one from eBay (?mummy fail). I did customise it slightly though with print outs of Wonka chocolate bars and a golden ticket perched in the hat. I also made a cane from an old wrapping paper tube, painted and with stuck on chocolate wrappers topped with a ball of clear tape for the handle. He was delighted with it!

N was going to go as Charlie Bucket but changed his mind several times at the last minute settling on Captain Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean (yes it is a book, I checked!). This was quite easy as we have lots of pirate costume in the house already!

An author who has written several children’s books, Michael Cox came to their school and we bought Little Fred Riding Hood from him, which he signed.

Both boys are currently really getting into reading independently and though they still need a bit of help they are doing really well but most importantly enjoying it!

World Book Day and Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry books are pretty popular in our house at the moment. At least with the 6 year old anyway. He isn’t quite at the stage of reading them himself but they are his book of choice at bedtime. Horrid Henry is an unpleasant child who loves to play pranks on his “enemies” ie his brother Perfect Peter and other classmates. Basically he is the antithesis of a good role model! I cringe when I read the books but at the same time they are hugely entertaining. We use his misdemeanour’s as an opportunity to chat about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour and what we would do in the same situations.

We were kindly sent a Horrid Henry fancy dress outfit from Simply Fancy Dress to review. We received a Large (7-8 years) which fits him perfectly as he is tall for his age. It is a very good quality outfit, made from hard wearing Polyester with PVC trimmings. He loves it and looks great! It will be perfect for World Book Day on Thursday 7 March. Simply Fancy Dress have a fantastic selection of World Book Day fancy dress costumes including characters from the Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter and Disney to name a few. They are delivered super fast and have free delivery too which is always a bonus!

Horrid Henry’s latest book is a World Book day book and is available from 25 February for £1 or you can use the voucher that children receive through school or preschool to purchase it. We already have one of the other books, “Giraffe’s can’t Dance” which is a great read and perfect for preschoolers.

What do you think to Horrid Henry? Do your children love to get dressed up for World Book Day? Would love to hear your views!

We also wore this outfit to meet the author Francesca Simon here!

 Disclosure: We received Horrid Henry fancy dress outfit in return for writing a honest, unbiased review. All opinions expressed within are our own.

Kindle Love

 

I read lots. I love books, and book buying. An afternoon in Waterstones browsing through the shelves was perfectly normal behaviour to me (pre children!). Since having babies the library has been our favourite haunt and I have taken to borrowing books from there to save money and still get the reading fix.

I thought the Kindle was a “gadget” and although I could see the positives about one, I never thought it would replace the book in my heart. However, having married to a gadget geek, I was bought a Kindle for my birthday.

I wasn’t convinced but after using it for a couple of months, think I am just about converted!

I love the way..

• you can send books to your Kindle directly downloaded from Amazon from your laptop
• Daily Deals offers great value and you are introduced to new authors you perhaps wouldn’t normally pick up.
• you can fit 100s of books onto your Kindle meaning no matter how fast you read or whereever you are you are never short of something to read.

Books I have read in the last few weeks..

Pines – This book was a “daily deal” and cost 99p, I hadn’t read anything by the author before. I thought this book was going to be a thriller and I was gripped from the first few pages. It turned out to be more science fiction (not a genre I would normally read) but it was addictive reading. I didn’t put it down on the flight from Lapland to East Mids – is definitely helped pass the time on a 3 hours flight.

The one hundred year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared. This was another new author to me, I think I paid 20p for it but it had great reviews so I was intrigued.It tells the tale of a man’s amazing life jumping from the past to the present. Again a fabulous read that had me hooked!

A Winter Flame – I love everything Milly Johnson write and paid full price for this. It is a fabulous wintertime/Christmas read and I polished it off in a few days!

My next read is The Half Life of Hannah which was another 20p buy!