Welcome to the first Reading Matters newsletter of 2024 and I hope that everyone had a happy and healthy Christmas holiday. This round up includes both a look back at the best of 2023 and a preview of some books we can look forward to at the start of this new year. There are events and resources too so why not settle down and explore.

What I’m reading…

Since my last round up my reading has been affected by both Christmas preparations and Covid which arrived in our house on Christmas Eve and is still with us as we start 2024. However books have been a welcome escape and I have several gems (that autocorrected to germs which is appropriate!) that I would like to share with you. My December reading round up included a couple of titles that had languished on my shelves for far too long and two new books published by Everything With Words. All of them were enjoyable reads. Moving on to 2024 one of my favourite publishers, Barrington Stoke, have several new books coming out at the moment and I reviewed three this week that have got the year off to a happy start. All three are books I would recommend.

My Christmas presents included the latest Richard Osman, The Last Devil to Die, and despite the body count this has been just what I needed. It may have been induced by my overuse of Lemsip and the resulting brain fog but I even found myself trying out the online quiz shared by Richard Osman to see which character I’m most like. It turns out I am 53% Joyce with “a little bit of Elizabeth” and “hardly any Ron at all”. Perhaps I need a dash more Elizabeth. Sorry, this will only make sense if you’ve read the books! Returning to children’s books I have just started reading Susan Cooper’s Over Sea, Under Stone prompted by Ben Harris’s online read along. It is lovely to discover a classic that I had missed.

News, articles and resources….

‘A hero to millions’: Benjamin Zephaniah remembered by Michael Rosen, Kae Tempest and more – just days after my last newsletter the awful news of Benjamin Zephaniah’s death was announced and it prompted a wave of tributes to this much loved poet. This article by just some of his fellow writers shows why he was so respected and admired.

The best children’s and YA books of 2023 – From a bear who stockpiles dreams to a sisterhood of knights via a tiger sea captain, the Guardian’s children’s book critics pick their favourite titles for children and young adults. There are some gorgeous picture books included and I was delighted to see some of my personal favourites included in the chapter book selection and one of my many resolutions is to try to broaden my reading in the teen and YA category so this is helpful.

Books For Topics Best Children’s Books of the Year 2023 – the community of primary teachers, TAs, librarians, authors and children’s book lovers were asked to vote for their favourite children’s books published in 2023 and the winners were announced last week. There categories include, Best Classroom Read Aloud, Children’s Favourite and Best Curriculum Support in four different age groups.

Just Imagine Favourite Reads of 2023 - Nikki Gamble and Jo Bowers of Just Imagine asked their review panel to pick their most enjoyable read of the year. And you can find out which books they selected in the video linked above. It is a good idea to visit https://justimagine.co.uk/childrens-books-reviews/ for trusted reviews throughout the year.

CLPE Staff Picks for 2023 – CLPE staff and their children recommend their best children’s books in 2023. A really lovely selection including poetry, picture books and first chapter books.

The Reader Teacher January 2023 Books I’m Most Excited About – now looking ahead, Scott Evans previews some of the books for children due to be published this month in his Coming Soon video and the year is getting off to a cracking start!

The Literacy Year– this online calendar of events created by Sian of The Literacy Hive is invaluable. I’ve linked to the calendar home page above where you can search by month, event type or age. It is definitely worth bookmarking the site and signing up for the newsletter to keep up to date.

6 brilliant bookish New Year’s Resolutions to try in 2024 – If you’re looking for ways to start a fresh chapter in 2024, check out Book Trust’s great suggestions of book-themed New Year’s resolutions to try. There are some ideas here that families may enjoy together.

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels – A determined rodent’s search for nuts, a guide to Terry Pratchett’s witches and moving stories by adoptee authors are among Imogen Russell Williams’ latest selection for The Guardian.

Tom Palmer’s Holocaust Day Memorial Day Resources – Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on Saturday 27th January and award winning author Tom Palmer has once again collaborated with the Literacy Trust and created a new story based on the lives of Holocaust survivor sister and brother, Mala Tribich MBE & the Late Sir Ben Helfgott. The development of the accompanying resources are in the final stage and will be a available soon. Mala Tribich will be joining Tom in an online Q&A event for schools in the run up to Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday 26 January 2024 09:30 to 10:15 to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. You can find out more about the event, how schools can get involved in the Q&A and sign up for reminders for the event on Tom’s excellent and helpful website linked above.

How a Bay Area librarian became an Instagram star – if you are not already following wonderful Solano County librarian Mychal Threets on Instagram or Twitter please do have a look now. His videos of interactions with some of his library users are a total joy. He believes that libraries are for everyone and his delight in sharing everyday happenings of the book related variety is infectious. Guaranteed to make book lovers smile.

The National Literacy Trust: National Reading Champions Quiz – Do you have students aged 10 to 14 who love reading and enjoy sharing their knowledge with friends? Or, perhaps you have students who like being part of a team and having fun? The National Reading Champions Quiz provides a fantastic opportunity for students to enjoy a book quiz with their peers and compete with other schools in their region. The heats will run from 22 February to 25 March. 25 teams are able to sign up and compete in each regional heat. Winning teams from each of the 22 regions will go forward to a star-studded, national final on Wednesday 5 June 2024 held in central London, where one team will be crowned National Reading Champions 2024. Find out how your school can get involved on the Literacy Trust website above.

We Wonder: Journey into Space Reading Challenge – another great National Literacy Trust initiative. They will launch their STEM reading challenge, We Wonder: Journey into Space on 16th January 2024. This is aimed at children aged 7 to 14 who will be encouraged to design their own rocket and journey into space. The challenge aims to promote reading for pleasure, reading diversely and engaging with non-fiction. There will be teacher resources available and a competition for the children. Find out all about it and register your interest to take part.

Register for the 2024 Yoto Carnegies Shadowing Scheme – a reminder that you have until 8th February to register for the shadowing scheme linked to these prestigious awards. You need to register for your group to submit their reviews and artwork inspired by the shortlisted books and to vote for their favourite books to win the Shadowers’ Choice Awards. Shadowing can take place in any location in the world through access to our online resources and there is also a publicity pack available.

Free virtual author events with ReadingZone Live – ReadingZone Live events are aimed at Primary and Secondary groups. You can find the full programme for 2024’s online Author Events via the link above. Each Zoom event includes a half hour author event, followed by an author Q&A via Chat, giving students the opportunity to put their questions to the author. Discounted copies of each author’s books are made available. Highlights this term include Liz Flanagan and Sarah Crossan.

Julia Donaldson and Bookspace join the Great School Libraries Campaign – Former Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson has thrown her support behind Great School Libraries campaign, by recording a film explaining why parents should support the this important initiative. BookSpace, the library furniture and design company, have joined as the headline sponsor. Do please support this campaign and share the video, if families join with school librarians and their supporters it could make a big difference

KM Peyton obituary – Kathleen Peyton, who has died aged 94, was a prolific writer for children under the pseudonym KM Peyton. She was best known for the highly regarded and popular Flambards series, which was adapted for television in 1978.

National Storytelling Week 2024: ideas and classroom activities for storytelling – National Storytelling Week takes place at the end of January every year and is a celebration of the power of sharing stories. Join the National Literacy Trust between 27 January and 4 February 2024 to dream up brilliant new worlds. From picture books to video games, there’s something to spark every child’s interest. There are flexible storytelling activities – designed for learners across a wide age range covering Early years, KS1, KS2 and KS3.

Finally, some book reviews that caught my eye recently…

Great Graphic Novels! – Erin Hamilton has reviewed a selection of new graphic novels on her blog and there is something here for a wide range of tastes. Thank you, Erin.

You Are 25% Banana by Susie Brooks Illustrated by Josy Bloggs – The title alone is one that encourages me to read this but if you are looking for non-fiction for the Early Years and Infant age group this definitely sounds like a book that you should explore. Roy James in his review for Just Imagine explains how the author and illustrator make a complicated subject interesting to the youngest readers.

City of Spies By Iszi Lawrence – historical fiction always tempts me and this review by Andrea Reece for Love Reading 4 Kids has highlighted an author who is new to me. The story is set in the American Revolution and Andrea says that “Readers will finish the book knowing much more about this fascinating and important period of our history than they did before and eager for more adventures starring Aiden.”

That’s all for this month’s round up and I do realise that there will be things I have missed but I hope this selection will provide a taste and be helpful to you too. Happy reading and see you next month.