And I’m not talking water slides! The “summer slide” is a well documented decline in reading achievement that children can experience while they are away from school over the long summer break.

Continuing to read through the holidays will help set your child up for a great start to the new school year by maintaining or developing their reading skills. It doesn't matter whether they are reading books, magazines or graphic novels; online or print.

Year 7 students who are returning to Heaton next year are encouraged to borrow as many books from the Heaton school library as they think they can read over the summer holidays. In past years we have had students taking home 20+ books! Year 7 students can borrow from Te Kāmata right up until the last day of the term, 15th December.

For ideas of what to read, check out our "Top Picks". These list 20 of the best books from our 8 most popular genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Funny, Futuristic, Horror, Mystery & Action, Realistic, and War stories.

Audio books via the Heaton Wheelers ePlatform will continue to be available to students over the holidays. Perfect to listen to on a long car trip! Students will need to login to the ePlatform using their Heaton username and the password Heaton1.

While Year 8 students can no longer borrow from Te Kāmata, they can of course use their public library. Check out the Christchurch City Libraries Reading Recommendations for Teens. If your child is a fan of graphic novels they really should visit Tūranga - it has an amazing collection.

I wish everybody very happy holidays and I hope you all find at least one great book to read over the summer!