20 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE 20

Mary Bennett from Rednock School writes: “I was concerned that our Sixth Form students did not seem to read much, so in conjunction with 2 teachers, I devised a scheme called “20 books to read before you’re 20”. After much debating we came up with an ecclectic mix of adult and teenage fiction, some new and some classics,some funny and some shocking, an inspirational biography,(Lance Armstrong) and a graphic book (Persepolis). We launched it at assemblies, on our VLE and with a mobile display board around all the tutor groups. We asked the students to read the first 20 pages of one of the books and then to do an honest short review to pass on to their friends, and then hopefully to go on and finish the book! The main idea is to generate a discussion about books and reading in general and to back it up with research, which shows that people who read for pleasure are much more successful at getting jobs and into university and are generally happier, more rounded individuals. It has certainly started up a huge dialogue about books, with everyone, including staff, arguing about which books they would have chosen! “