In this National Year of Reading there has been, at times, a focus on negative aspects, with the decline in reading for pleasure cited in the media. The recent report published by Book Trust, following their National Family Survey, confirmed that 90% of families report high levels of enjoyment from reading with their young children. This is positive news. However analysis of the survey also shows that children’s reading enjoyment starts to decline from Key Stage 1 (ages 5–7) and continues to decline as children progress through primary school. Of course there are many factors involved in this decline and discussion of this is already taking place. As a retired school librarian I have seen over many years how important it is to ensure that reading is seen as fun rather than a chore. The ‘right sort’ of books make all the difference. We know and understand that the ‘right’ book varies from person to person but for many children humour and illustration can make a big difference.

The helpful people at Puffin Books have handpicked some new titles which they think really address the issue of children from about the age of 7+ who are having difficulty in finding ‘a way in’ to reading. They have highlighted some highly illustrated, fast-moving and funny stories that may just do the trick.

Puffin publisher Jane Griffiths said:

“The fall in reading for pleasure, combined with reduced literacy rates means that it’s never been more important for us to publish books that can both spark a love of stories and help children grow and develop as readers. Children can discover a love of books at every age, so at Puffin we know it’s about not only publishing books that capture those who might be taking their first steps into independent reading at 6 or 7, but also ensuring older children who may find reading more challenging for a number of reasons, can also discover fun, accessible, stand-out stories that reflect the world around them and instil a love of books.

At Puffin we’ve always been market leaders in this area with authors like Jeff Kinney, Tom Fletcher and Katie Kirby being examples of authors who we know create life-long readers – whether that’s through their highly illustrated approach, accessible language, relatable appeal, laugh-out-loud humour and child-focused approach.”

This month sees the publication of one of the selected titles. Robots Stole My Mum is a debut by Alex Kirk who has written comedy shows for both radio and television, as well as being part of the writing team behind Paddington 2 and Wonka. Illustrated throughout by Tim Wesson this delightfully eccentric story is great fun and features two likeable main characters in best friends Sandy and Arjan.

Within the first paragraph young readers’ attention is grabbed when young Sandy is in the corner shop paying for his comic when Mr Norman’s head exploded! Mr Norman is the shop owner and had previously appeared to be a perfectly normal person. Yes, this is a wacky opening but it works. Especially if you are 7 years old. As the adventure develops it becomes clear that something very strange is happening in Sandy and Arjan’s home town. Could it be that the grown ups are being replaced by robots? The two friends are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. At times laugh out loud funny this also has a loyalty to family and friends running through it. The humour is kind and Sandy and Arjan have to learn to find a little bit of courage to help them sort things out. Featuring a friendly cyborg, a robot whale, jet boots and a dastardly villain this could be the ‘right book’ to encourage many children to believe reading can be fun. I enjoyed this and think its target readership will do too. Perhaps we will be able to follow the further adventures of Sandy and Arjan. I rather hope so! Published on 11th June.

Some other titles that this publisher believe will engage young readers were published earlier this year and you may like to have a look at these too. The Day My Brother Got Famous is the third book in Jen Carney’s series which is recommended for fans of Danny Wallace and Liz Pichon. First Ferris Foster’s dog got famous, and then his school did. He’s ready for normal life again, that is until his new foster brother Arthur arrives. Jen Carney’s writing combines humour and thoughtful understanding and this story also includes her comic style illustrations. There is a helpful review on the Book Trust website if you would like to find out more. Celeste Express: The Purrfect Crime is the newest in the highly illustrated Celeste Express series by Alexander Slater. Princess Celeste Starwing believes she has just about got the hang of running the intergalactic post office. So it’s a bit of a surprise to have a new spanner thrown in the works, in the form of a daring cosmic cat burglar, who not only pinches a whole load of post, but frames Celeste and her team for the crime in the process. Now they’ll have to work out who the thief is – and quick, before they’re thrown into intergalactic prison. There is a helpful review on the Love Reading 4Kids website here.

I should like to thank Katy Adams at Puffin for her help in compiling this post.