Books about books are always fun to read at my reading programmes. At an earlier edition, we read a book with a few elements that didn’t appeal to me. For instance, I don’t like the idea of reading quickly, or a competition based on how many books you can read. I also don’t like the idea of particular books being read by girls and other books being read by boys.
And The Reading Race heads in the right direction on both counts! At the Read-a-thon in Freddy’s school, the student who reads for the most minutes will win free books and an author visit! Plus, the teacher in the story actively challenges the idea of ‘boy-books’. And finally, the idea of rewarding reading with reading is a lovely message too!
There are parts of the story that are rather silly – especially the relationship between the siblings in the book – but I think the children at my book club will enjoy reading The Reading Race anyway. Here’s what we’ll do with it.
A Hidden Fin
I love it when there are surprises lurking in the illustrations! I didn’t even notice the monsters in The Monster Hunters, for instance, but we had so much fun spotting them!
Every picture in The Reading Race has the word “fin” hidden in it because Freddy loves sharks. As we read, we’ll find the word everywhere, and I’m waiting for the excitement it brings!
A Reading Nook
Under the table! Out in the garden! In a treehouse! Where would you read? I would love for the children to take a picture of an unusual place where they like to sit and read and send it to me. More, I want them to share with me their favourite reading places where they can escape to worlds of their own.
Book Lists
When we read Book Uncle and Me, I asked the children to share a list of book recommendations with me. With The Reading Race, I’m going to do something different. The winner of the Read-a-thon gets five free books. What books would you like to get if you win? I’m waiting to find out!
Join a programme
Leave a Reply