Experts pick the books to turn non-readers of all ages into reading ‘superpowers’
Don’t enjoy reading? Perhaps you just haven’t met the right books yet
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It’s Book Week and across the country, children are dressing up as their favourite character from literature. Sadly, that’s still usually Harry Potter — sadly not because of JK Rowling’s books or characters, which are amazing, but because of all the other amazing books out there that don’t get as big a look-in.
Every so often a book comes along that convinces everyone to read — be it Harry Potter, or Twilight, or the Da Vinci Code or even 50 Shades Of Grey. But you don’t have to wait until the next “must read” book turns up. This year’s Book Week theme is “Reading is my superpower” and it is certainly true that inside every musclebound book-hater is a bespectacled booklover waiting to leap out. But you can’t wait for them to be bitten by the radioactive reading bug to unleash this super power.
Sarah Mayor Cox is the director of the Children’s Book Council of Australia National Board and says the benefits of reading quickly add up.
“If you are read from birth one book a day, if you start school at five then that’s more than 1700 stories,” she says. “The child that turns up on day one with that much knowledge under their belt ... they are calmer emotionally, they understand how a story works and they have greater and higher levels of vocabulary. And we know that children with greater vocabulary do better at school. It’s a no-brainer really.”
Mayor Cox says too many people, especially adults, think that reading is all about “big, thick, worthy novels or Shakespeare” when it is so much more than that. “It is vitally important that children see the adults in their lives reading,” she says. “And it’s more important to see the males in their world reading than females. It’s a weird perception, a myth that reading is for girls and activity is for boys. You need to read with your children and discuss what’s going on, like going to a movie.”
Ultimately, she says it is important for adults to remember that “reading is not a daggy thing to do”. “I’ve seen children’s lives changed because of books,” she says.
Matt Stanton is the author of the hugely successful Funny Kid series, which uses lashings of humour and plenty of drawings to entice children into reading.
“Kids and also adults easily adopt the sentence: ‘I’m not a reader’ but it’s not true,” Stanton says. “Nobody says I don’t like music or I don’t like movies. We’re just not reading the right thing for us.”
Stanton says there needs to be a two-stage system to get children reading. Firstly, start with what the child is interested in and find books that match those interests. The second trick is to use hunmour.
“Every kid loves to laugh,” Stanton says. “It’s all about using humour as the gateway. Get them laughing and it’s amazing how quickly they will move through a book.”
Stanton says he loves receiving emails from children and parents who have enjoyed his books and are now moving on to other things. “All of our books are designed to work hard to draw kids into reading. We want them to go onto other things,” he says.
He also likes to see the parents either get into reading or get back into reading. “There are so many benefits to reading and lost of research to back that up. There’s stress reduction, calming — and empathy is a really big effect, the way a book transports you into someone else’s shoes” he says. “But for me, above all that, it’s the enjoyment of it.”
To start out, Stanton recommends Dr Seuss (read it out loud with the kids), then Roald Dahl and Australian author Jackie French with her “prolific” stories, many of them set in Australia and in Australian history.
Funday Telegraph book reviewer and children’s author Sandy Fussell says reading is a “life skill”. “That one perfect book can definitely unlock the joy of reading and that’s why we need librarians, parents who read to their kids and reviews to help adults be aware of what’s available so they can find the right book for a child,” she says. “Kids should also to be allowed to choose. They don’t necessarily want the book their ‘adults’ want them to read.
“I think series are good at getting kids to read, because if they like the first book, they’ll move to the second book and suddenly they’re reading regularly. For emergent readers the Billy B, Brown and Hey Jack series by Sally Rippin has been hugely popular encouraging reading. Easy readers, familiar characters and situations in each book.”
KIDS
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey Two mischievous schoolboys manage to make their mean principal think he is a superhero called Captain Underpants. Much hilarity ensues, with drawings for extra comedic effect. An animated movie version (2017) also offers plenty of giggles (Netflix).
Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths Wacky adventures inside the world’s biggest treehouse, with everything from a pool full of sharks to a high-security potato chip warehouse.
The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams Short comedy stories about bad kids, with great illustrations from one of the biggest selling children’s authors in the world.
Deadly! series by Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings Two of Australia’s finest children’s authors combine for this wacky mystery story that features plenty of poo and farts. Their Wicked! series is also brilliant but a bit darker.
Tom Gates series by Liz Pichon Mischievous schoolboy Tom likes nothing better than annoying his big sister Delia — in so many ways. Lots of fun and heaps of illustrations.
TWEENS
Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy Stephanie discovers she can do magic and joins skeletal detective Skullduggery on a series of adventures that do get darker as the series goes on.
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan Teenage boy discovers he’s the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. If that wasn’t enough, someone is trying to start a war among the gods and it’s up to Percy to save the world. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief And Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief had mixed reviews but enjoyed some success at the box office (Netflix).
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider is recruited by MI6 while he’s still in school. Now he’s got to learn to be a super spy and save the world in a series of white-knuckle adventures.
Mission: Survival series by Bear Grylls The king of survival TV turns his skills to books with the adventures of Beck, a teenager with amazing survival skills — and a bad habit for getting himself in deep trouble.
Nerds series by Michael Buckley The National Espionage, Rescue and Defence Society equips nerdy teenagers with super powers to save the world.
TEENS
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Katniss Everdeen is forced into the gladiatorial Hunger Games to save her sister. Now she has to use her wits first to survive and then to overthrow the evil president Snow. The movie trilogy starring Jennifer Lawrence does justice to the books (Apple, Google Play).
Divergent by Veronica Roth Society is divided into five factions but not only does Tris Prior choose the warrior faction, she discovers she has the power to break the system. Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley brought Tris to life on the big screen (Apple, Amazon).
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige It turns out Dorothy returned to Oz and became an evil dictator. Now it’s up to Amy, another girl from Kansas, to free Oz from Dorothy and her vicious accomplices.
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green Two young cancer patients meet at a support group, become friends and even begin to fall in love. Prepare for a weepy ending. Woodley also got the call-up for this YA drama garnering good reviews for her efforts (Google Play, You Tube).
The Maze Runner by James Dashner Teenagers wake up in a mysterious Glade, surrounded by a maze full of monsters. Each day they try to get out — and discover what is really going on. Gets darker as the series continues. This got the big-screen treatment in 2014, with good reviews in a crowded field of YA dystopian dramas (Google Play).
MEN
Ice Station by Matthew Reilly At a remote station in Antartica, something mysterious is dug up. Everyone is prepared to kill for it. It’s non-stop action to the last page, like the craziest action movie you ever watched.
Watchmen by Alan Moore This is a graphic novel, not a comic. But with its mind-bending view of an alternate Earth, its twists, turns and darkness, this is certainly not a comic about a superhero. The movie changed the plot quite a bit but is still solid (Google Play), while a TV series based in this alternate universe will be on HBO later this year.
Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy A Russian submarine goes missing in the Cold War. Everyone wants to find and destroy it, except one CIA analyst who thinks the captain wants to defect to America. Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin went head to head in the 1990 film version (Netflix, Google Play).
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King A young writer returns to his boyhood town to find a girl and fall in love — only to discover the place is infested by vampires and it’s up to him and a handful of others to stop them.
A Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams A hilarious romp as the last remaining Earthling goes on a wild ride with a two-headed egomaniac, a gloomy robot and ... look, don’t worry about the plot. Just enjoy the madness. It’s had two TV versions as well as a movie starring Martin “The Hobbit” Freeman (Google Play).
WOMEN
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn A mind-bending thriller about a missing wife and a husband behaving suspiciously. But is everything all as it seems? Also a brilliant film adaptation starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike (Google Play, Netflix).
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen A young man takes a job looking after the animals on a travelling circus. He forms a bond with an elephant and falls in love with a circus performer — who is of course married to a cruel husband. Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson made a strange pairing in the 2011 movie version (Google Play, Netflix).
The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins An alcoholic woman thinks she sees a crime from the window on her train. Doubting her own sanity, she decides to investigate the murder herself. But it will change her life. Emily Blunt was nominated for a BAFTA for her role in the 2016 movie (Netflix).
Bossypants by Tina Fey A look back at the life of this former head writer on Saturday Night Live. It’s less of an autobiography and more a series of incredibly funny sketches about her life.
Me Before You by Jojo Meyes Optimistic Lou becomes a carer for Will, a wealthy young man left paralysed by an accident. Naturally they fall in love as she tries to show him that life is worth living. Emilia Clarke, Daenerys in Game Of Thrones) showed her more emotive side in the 2016 movie version on which she teamed up with Hunger Games’ hunk Sam Claflin (Netflix).
Originally published as Experts pick the books to turn non-readers of all ages into reading ‘superpowers’