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Check out this awesome article on the amazing work being done by the Booked Up team and Booktime. The article includes some interesting stats, such as:

• From 2008 to 2009 there was a 40% increase in the numer of dads reading with their children…YAY!
• 60% of children like to share a book with their parents/carers as it shows that the parent/carer likes to spend time with them. (Awww. What cuteys :-))
• the vast majority of parents and carers say that they often read for pleasure with their children (72% say weekly and 54% say the last time they read together was only yesterday). YAY!

And when children were asked why they liked to read with parents or carers, they said:

Why children love reading with parents/carers	%	Comments
They like spending time with me	60%	This becomes the best thing about reading for older children (8-12), for whom time spent with adults has clear emotional benefits
We talk about the story / pictures together	55%	Younger children (5-7) rated this as their favourite thing about reading together
They put on funny voices and make me laugh	50%	This rises to 64% amongst 5 year olds and resonates more strongly amongst boys (52%)
I like the sound of their voice, it helps me relax/sleep	28%	Younger children are more likely to cite this as reason for enjoying reading (34% of 5 year olds)
They / we make up new characters and stories	17%	More than a quarter of 5 year olds said this is what they enjoyed about reading

Interesting, hey! But not every house comes complete with bookshelves of reading material, which is why Booked Up is giving kids the chance to choose a book they like and recieve a copy for free. HOW COOL!

Now in its fourth year, Booked Up will have given away over 2 and half million books to Year 7 pupils across England (by Christmas).

Booked Up allows each Year 7 pupil in England to make their own choice of free book from a selection of titles that include fiction, non fiction and poetry. This year children can choose their free book from a list of 19 titles, including six accessible books, to ensure that there is a book that will appeal to every child, whatever their ability or needs. The programme encourages independent reading and supports reading for pleasure as children make the sometimes difficult transition from primary to secondary education.

Secondary schools can register for Booked Up by visiting the Booked Up website. Public libraries and school library services are also being offered the opportunity to receive free sets of the books and supporting resources to enhance the Booked Up programme.

The new Booked Up book list:

Takeshita Demons by Cristy Burne (Frances Lincoln) [Also available as an audio book :-)]

Warning! Aliens Are Invading the School! By Dinah Capparucci (Scholastic)

Z-Rex by Steve Cole (Random House)

The Dying Photo by Alan Gibbons (Barrington Stoke) [Also available as an audio book]

The Joshua Files: Invisible City by M.G. Harris (Scholastic)

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper (Bloomsbury)

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (Puffin)

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley (Bloomsbury)

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve (Scholastic)

Michael Rosen’s A-Z: The Best Children’s Poetry from Agard to Zephaniah (Puffin)

How to Avoid a Wombat’s Bum by Mitchell Symons (Random House)

The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh (Chicken House)

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan (Hachette)

Boffin Boy and the Forest of the Ninja by David Orme (Ransom)

The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (Macmillan)

Me and My Cat? By Satoshi Kitamura (Andersen Press)

Stone Soup by Jess Stockham (Child’s Play)

Calm Down, Boris! by Sam Lloyd (Templar)

 

 

 

Clackety-Clacks: Elephant by Luana Rinaldo (Macmillan)

Calling talented young writers!!

And if you’re a keen writer and would like the chance to meet some AMAZING people in the writing industry, as well as be a judge of the 2010 Booktrust Teenage Prize, then this is the opportunity for you:

SHORT STORY COMPETITION FOR YOUNG WRITERS!

The launch of the Booked Up programme also sees the launch of a short story competition for young adults, to win a place on the judging panel of the 2010 Booktrust Teenage Prize. The theme of this year’s short story is Invisibility and was inspired by the 2009 Booktrust Teenage Prize winning title, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

A panel of judges will select the best four short stories and the prize for each winner will be:

• a place on the Booktrust Teenage Prize judging panel to help choose the 2010 teenage book of the year
• a ticket to the award ceremony in London in November
• the chance to meet and interview all the shortlisted authors, using a flipcam – yours to keep
• a complete set of the shortlisted titles
• your winning story published on the Booktrust website.

WHEEEEE!!!!!!