Building passionate readers

All Year 7 and our Guys Read book club students were treated to a visit by Paul McDonald, an award winning expert on children’s literature with a passion for engaging teenage boys in reading. Paul spent 20 years as a teacher, accruing numerous awards along the way, including a Quality Teacher Award, the Premier’s English Scholarship, the Maurice Saxby Award in 2012 for raising the profile of teen fiction and the 2016 Lady Cutler award for services to children’s literature and literacy in Australia.

 

To hear Paul speak, you realise the depth of his passion for engaging teens with literature – particularly boys. Some key points shared by Paul include;

• Read for pleasure – To improve as a reader, you have to read for pleasure. Find a book you enjoy.
• Reading sets you up for success – Research tells us that leaders are readers. When successful people are interviewed, the vast majority read regularly and most were regular readers as kids.
• Reading helps make you a better writer – To be a great writer, become a reader. You have to read to write well.
• Talk about books and reading – recommend books you love to your mates

Paul asked students to share books they are reading and enjoying. The titles nominated by Year 7 boys include; The Recruit by Robert Muchamore, The Gone series by Michael Grant, Open Side by David Pocock, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus, Paper Planes by John Green, Breath by Tim Winton and The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

 What’s HOT? Paul’s top reads for 10 – 13 year olds

• Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee– this book is BIG and will win many international awards. Beautifully written and similar to Wonder
• The Fall by Tristan Banks – Crime novel, quick paced and engaging
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman– the biggest selling teen title last year and the third most popular title at Joeys. A dystopian future where all the major world problems have been addressed. The problem is overpopulation as no-one grows old or gets sick and dies.
• AWOL – Agent without Licence by Andrew Lane – A fresh and exciting adaptation of a teenage spy book and an excellent gateway into the world of spy thrillers. Similar to Joeys most popular book series, the Cherub
• The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble– a new book which will win lots of awards – futuristic dystopian, set in the futuristic dry, barren and dangerous Australian outback
• Nevermore by Jessica Townsend– the fastest selling debut novel