How to Teach: Reading for Pleasure by Kenny Pieper

Crown House Publishing

According to The Reading Agency, most children in England do not read for pleasure. 41% of 11–15 year olds in England do not participate in reading and writing activities that are not required for school in their spare time.

Kenny Pieper takes the act of reading for granted, as many – but sadly not all – adults do.

You’re reading this right now. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. Kenny teaches kids whose lives are terrifying obstacle courses of reading-related problems. They know they struggle with reading so they try to avoid reading at all costs. They leave school, not merely unaffected by this strange reading thing, but saddled with a great deal of emotional baggage about being an outsider, even more entrenched in a belief that reading is for others more intelligent than them. Then there are the children who can read perfectly well, but choose not to, unconvinced of the importance of reading in their lives. What difference does it make to them? We have to answer that question in school. It is our duty to put an end to illiteracy and aliteracy.

The benefits we can all reap when kids become confident readers who read for pleasure are obvious. Kenny shares his strategies for getting kids talking about books, getting them thinking about books, getting them reading books, encouraging independent reading, developing literacy skills and establishing a classroom culture where reading is expected and celebrated.

Articles and interviews available

Kenny is available for interview, expert comment or by-lined articles on a range of topics, such as:

• How reading enabled Kenny to become the first person in his family to go to university
• Fostering a love of reading is our moral duty as educators
• Accelerated reader programmes
• How to help reluctant readers
• The rights of a young reader
• It’s OK to read aloud!
• Literacy skills and gender