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Romance is set to enter the world of Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley in the latest instalment of Jeff Kinney’s smash hit series, which is due out in November. The illustrated Wimpy Kid books, peppered with handwritten notes and cartoon illustrations, trace the daily trials and tribulations of computer game nerd Greg. The first novel, Diary [...]

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…  She writes: “The first time I saw my husband after our separation I realised, to my surprise, that he hated me. I had never seen him hate anyone: it was as though he was filled up with something that was not of himself, contaminated by it. “For months black poisonous hatred has flowed from [...]

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“Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother’s love is not,” wrote James Joyce. If only that were so – but then what would get psychotherapists, and many novelists, out of bed in the morning? Type “mothers in literature” into Google and it helpfully gives you suggestions ranging from “bad’” [...]

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Schools are failing to instil their pupils with a lifelong love of reading, Ofsted will say today. Part of the problem stems from teachers losing the art of reading stories aloud to children, a report from the watchdog found. It also said that tens of thousands of children who pass English tests for 11-year-olds cannot [...]

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Amanda Hayward found the book, Fifty Shades of Grey, by former British television executive EL James, after it was posted for free online on a site that she and her partner set up for amateur romance writers. Ms Hayward noticed that the online erotic novel had attracted numerous readers and decided to market it as [...]

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Roald Dahl has been voted primary school teachers’ favourite author. A survey found five of his works are among their top 10 books for children under the age of 11. The man behind The Twits and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory was named by almost twice as many teachers as Julia Donaldson and JK Rowling [...]

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I have a very small family. Perhaps that’s part of why I am a writer. From when I was very young, I made up my own big families and wrote endless stories about them. I was an only child, and I particularly longed for jolly older brothers and special, understanding sisters. I adored my mother [...]

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It is a Monday morning in the heart of Dublin. In a light, airy room situated in the shadow of the city’s looming Croke Park stadium, two dozen schoolgirls in matching navy blue jumpers sit attentively on coloured beanbags. The room is lined with bookshelves. High up on one wall there are a series of [...]

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Q A friend died recently, leaving behind two young children, the older of whom is four. I can’t find many books that deal with death for this age group, and those that do focus on the death of a grandparent. Do you have any recommendations? Tina, via email A If you read just one book [...]

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I picked up When I Was a Child… with a curiosity about Marilynne Robinson equal only to her disinclination to give anything away – in a homespun, ordinary, autobiographical sense – about herself. This book is not, as its title might suggest, a memoir. Nor is it about childhood. She says there is a difference [...]

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Itch is the story oft a 14-year-old schoolboy from Cornwall who is on the run with a rucksack full of chemical elements when he is taken hostage by his crazy science teacher… via Guardian Children’s Books podcast: Simon Mayo on his first book Itch | Children’s books | guardian.co.uk. » Inline Ad Purchase:  Intext Link

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This book is about a boy called Jamie, whose sister was killed in a terrorist attack in London, trying to make sense of why his family cried after her death – he was only small when it happened. I think this book is sad but at the same time very reassuring and riveting. The bit [...]

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The wife of the deputy prime minister has already revealed how her husband “kills himself” to fit the morning school run around his Cabinet duties. But now Miriam Gonzalez Durantez has offered another glimpse into Nick Clegg’s home life – but this time into his evening routine – where reading with his three sons is [...]

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When Diary of a Wimpy Kid beat Harry Potter to be named the best children’s book of the past decade, author Jeff Kinney was delighted. His nine-year-old son was less impressed. I think my son really put things in perspective for me,” said Kinney. “My nine-year-old has read all the Harry Potter books and I [...]

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Although this book was originally written by Sue Townsend in 1982, it remains a staple of every teenager’s bookshelf to this day. The Adrian Mole Diaries: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 / The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (P.S.) The book is written in a diary style by Adrian Mole, a [...]

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While boys generally do better than girls in science and maths, some studies have found that girls do better in arithmetic – and this is down to girls’ superior verbal skills, according to new research. Scientists at Beijing Normal University did a series of tests on young children that showed that girls did indeed outperform [...]

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Harry Potter, with his wand, spells and broomstick, would undoubtedly beat Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley if the pair were ever to face off, but American author Jeff Kinney’s creation has nonetheless bested JK Rowling’s boy wizard be named the surprise winner of the best children’s book of the decade. The 10 bestselling fiction books of [...]

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The Duchess of Cornwall today “begged” children to find the time to read a book. Speaking to mark World Book Day today, Camilla said reading was “cool” and urged every child to develop a love of the written word. It comes after the Duchess backed the Evening Standard’s Get London Reading campaign. She spoke today [...]

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The Problem  With Synthetic Phonics systems in place in most classrooms, many more children are picking up basic skills like reading and spelling with relative ease. However, 20% of children reach age 11 and are still not able to pass a reading test. Why? Children, like everyone, have different learning styles. We all naturally use [...]

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Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, and popular authors and illustrators including Jacqueline Wilson, Eoin Colfer, Cressida Cowell, Derek Landy will take to the stage tomorrow for a free new festival which will be streamed live online. The festival, called The Biggest Show on Earth, is organised by World Book Day, which aims to get people reading [...]

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I’ve been so excited by the quality and the range of questions I’ve received since this column kicked off at the beginning of the year: questions concerning every age of reader, and every kind of reading problem; from parents and grandparents, librarians and teachers, and more recently, I’m pleased to say, from children themselves. Recently [...]

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This book is good because it shows you how to draw lots of horrible things, like mad scientists, creepy crawlies and scary explosions. First it shows you shapes to draw with a pencil and then you add details with a pen. Normally I am quite good at drawing but this book makes it even easier [...]

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When it did come, I was immediately disappointed. Nowhere did it say on the description that the writing was huge, so aimed at a younger audience. Nowhere did it say that a quarter of the book was snippets from Jacqueline’s other books, and a quiz that had been repeated hundreds of times in all Jacky’s [...]

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Michael Brittin, 75, a retired engineer, said Roald Dahl and his uncle had struck up a friendship after meeting in the Royal British Legion. The hut, in which he wrote many of his best-loved books, was built from scratch by “uncle Wal” who inspired the great author to write Big Friendly Giant. The physical traits [...]

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Her rabbits are famous – Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy and company – but the world at large knows less about Beatrix Potter’s toadstools. That’s now to be put right by an analysis of this expert side of the writer and farmer’s life at the prestgious Linnaean Society – the one which has an enticing nameplate in [...]

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Children are being urged to read for pleasure as part of a festival at the Southbank Centre – with the help of Dennis the Menace. The Imagine children’s festival aims to inspire youngsters to pick up a book and lose themselves in literature. About 30 pupils from St Mary’s in Battersea, the primary school at [...]

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Millions of children have been bewitched by her literary magic – now JK Rowling is to write her first book for grown-ups. However the Harry Potter author, who is worth more than £530million, is keeping her fans guessing about the characters and plot of her new book. She said: ‘Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every [...]

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More than 23,000 children from all over Scotland have voted for their favourite books of 2011, from a picture book about a family of vampires to a gritty teen read about choices and risk. The awards, which have been running since 1999, are open to authors and illustrators resident in Scotland and are split into [...]

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An award-winning children’s author revealed he had the idea for one of his much loved characters in a dream. Andy Stanton, who wrote the acclaimed Mr Gum series and has been likened to Roald Dahl, said he woke in the middle of the night with the idea of a gingerbread man with electric muscles. He [...]

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There was one voice missing in the debate earlier this month over when children should start reading Dickens – that of the children themselves. Now that gap has been filled by a class of year seven pupils (first year secondary school) after reading Dickens’ biographer Claire Tomalin’s claim that “children have very short attention spans”. [...]

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Her distinctive silhouette is recognised around the world. The classic children’s books about her have sold tens of millions of copies and in the Netherlands she has her own museum. But as Miffy the rabbit joins the digital age with the launch of her first app on Wednesday, her 84-year old Dutch creator Dick Bruna [...]

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Malaysian officials have ordered book shops to stop selling a sex education book by British author Peter Mayle. Where did I come from? is banned from sale pending a review, a Home Ministry statement seen by the BBC said. It will be banned completely if it is “if it is proven to contain elements harmful [...]

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are all smiles as they are captured in their underwear. A muscular Prince William is pictured in a pair of Britannia boxer shorts, V-neck tee and thick black socks while his wife Catherine models a white plunging camisole, briefs and heeled shoes. But the duo haven’t been caught off [...]

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Crook, 40, who shot to fame as nerdy manager Gareth in The Office, will perform with the Aurora Orchestra from the stage of the Royal Festival Hall in April. The British actor follows in the footsteps of David Bowie, Sir Sean Connery, and Dame Edna Everage, who have all performed or recorded the narrator role. [...]

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A book about a boy and his terminally ill mother, conceived by a writer who herself died from cancer, has won a prize decided solely by young readers. American author Patrick Ness said he was “chuffed” to receive the Red House children’s book award for A Monster Calls at London’s Southbank Centre. The book was [...]

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When he was at school, Joseph Reynolds immersed himself in literary classics such as Great Expectations, Julius Caesar and Beowulf. Now, as the father of a teenage daughter, the 45-year-old expected her to study and enjoy similarly stimulating works. Instead, however, she has the chance to examine Britain’s Got Talent, the X Factor and Heat [...]

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What cheering news, to discover this morning that EB White’s heart-wrenching, wonderful story of a spider and a pig, Charlotte’s Web, has topped a US list of the best 100 children’s books, edging out more modern fare from JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins. The list, compiled by Parent & Child Magazine editors after 500 titles [...]

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A teacher who was controversially sacked after she wrote a racy novel inspired by her students has won a three-year battle to clear her name. Mum-of-one Leonora Rustamova, 41, known to pupils as Miss Rusty, was sacked after her book – which made sexual references and drew comparisons between teenagers and ‘gorgeous Mr Gay UK [...]

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Fairy tales have fallen out fashion, according to a study, because parents think stories such as Little Red Riding Hood are too scary, or too morally suspect, for children. Can these classic tales be rewritten? Goldilocks Three bears return home to find their house occupied by a squatter called Goldilocks. A full and frank discussion [...]

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A teacher who was controversially sacked after she wrote a racy novel inspired by her students has won a three-year battle to clear her name. Mum-of-one Leonora Rustamova, 41, known to pupils as Miss Rusty, was sacked after her book – which made sexual references and drew comparisons between teenagers and ‘gorgeous Mr Gay UK [...]

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For generations, children have been captivated by Rapunzel and enchanted by Jack and the Beanstalk. But it seems these traditional fairytales are on their way to an unhappy ending – as parents decide they are too scary. One in five have ditched the likes of Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm in favour of [...]

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Lucy Prebble, who is best known for her financial satire Enron, attacked the popular stereotype of teenage gamers as “chubby automatons” who spend their days shooting virtual enemies and eating crisps. The award-winning writer said playing video games requires more involvement and creative input than reading a book or watching a film – and also [...]

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It is about a boy called Harvey who can’t fart. He feels sorry for himself because all his friends and family can fart really well, even his cat. They make silly sounds like pffft, quack, poot, blaat and faaaawaaa!! Harvey’s grandpa invents a farting machine and in the end Harvey wins a trophy for Outstanding [...]

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A children’s story by James Joyce has been published for the first time by a small press in Dublin. However the Zurich James Joyce Foundation has called its publication an “outrage”, saying it had not granted permission for the book’s release. The Cats of Copenhagen was written in a letter to Joyce’s grandson in 1936 [...]

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A children’s story by James Joyce has been published for the first time ever by a small press in Ireland. Joyce’s The Cats of Copenhagen is a “younger twin sister” to his published children’s story The Cat and the Devil, which told of how the devil built a bridge over a French river in one [...]

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Children must be pushed beyond “modest” reading targets to take on more challenging books, the schools minister said today. Nick Gibb said the “expected” level of reading, which primary schools are judged on, should become the minimum requirement. Speaking at Stockwell Park high school in Lambeth today he added: “We need to raise our sights [...]

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On Tuesday, the government announced its plan to get more children reading. It takes the form of a competition, aimed at seven- to 12-year-olds and slated to kick off in September, that will reward the young readers who devour the most books: the clear intention, as schools minister Nick Gibb put it, is “to give [...]

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This wonderful book touches the heart of the reader, no matter how many times it is read. It is the sequel to the now major motion film War Horse, and I think it is just as good. Grandpa or Albert’s son, still lives on his Devon farm. Every holiday, his grandson visits him and they [...]

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Charles Dickens has more lost boys than Peter Pan. Just count them: Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, sad, battered Smike in Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectations’ Pip Pirrip. All those innocent boys doomed to wander the city, acting out the myth of “the poor little drudge” in Warren’s Blacking Warehouse who somehow escaped and became one [...]

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Dickensian levels of  illiteracy still plague parts of England despite decades of increases in state spending on education, a minister declared yesterday. Schools Minister Nick Gibb said ‘shadows of Charles Dickens’s world’ persisted in the country’s poorest areas despite major social advances. Expectations of children moving through the school system were too ‘modest’, with teachers [...]

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