Library sessions over the last few weeks have been devoted to shining a spotlight on all that young readers are set to gain from engaging with reading. Junior students can fluently articulate reasons to read, and are reminded of these reasons every time they pass the Library’s Reasons To Read display. With their intentions clear, our students find themselves increasingly open to reading.

Good readers employ a number of strategies and techniques to keep themselves engaged. Our Library lessons model and scaffold these approaches, giving our young readers confidence to explore their own reading engagement. This week, students have employed pre-reading strategies - using visual clues from the front cover to make predictions as to the books content - as a foot-in-the-door, finding themselves hooked on the book before they’ve even moved past the front cover. 

One of my favourite parts of serving as this school’s Librarian is the opportunity to read aloud to our students. Research proves conclusively that one simple activity — reading aloud to children — is the best way to prepare them for learning to read and to keep them reading as they learn and grow. Reading aloud also benefits secondary school students and opens up the world of books to non-readers and those who are struggling. Teresa Cremin, Professor of Literacy at the Open University, insists that reading aloud and discussing texts is crucial and creates a sense of community. You can read more about the benefits of reading aloud on The National Library website. 

This week, our Y8 class found themselves captivated by a read aloud session of…

Mrs Ranby recommends…

The Daughter Of Auschwitz

Tova Friedman

The true story of one girl’s fight for survival against the unspeakable terror of Auschwitz – an important and sensitive retelling.

Tova Friedman was just five years old when she and her mother were sent to a Nazi labour camp. She turned six in Auschwitz. At twelve she was on her way to America, ready to start a new life and tell her tale of survival.

From the destruction of the Jewish ghetto in central Poland, where she lived as a young girl, to the dark days of the camps and eventual liberation by Russian forces in 1945, Tova’s story is one of incredible courage, resilience, bravery and the enduring power of hope.

Her extraordinary journey – told in the bestselling The Daughter of Auschwitz – is reimagined here for young readers with respected children’s author Hilary Freeman. It includes historical context about the Second World War and the Holocaust, an afterword that contextualises Tova’s later life and work campaigning against antisemitism, and a Q&A section featuring the questions she’s most frequently asked about her story.

An extraordinary true account that will help young readers understand the scale of what happened and why it must never happen again.

Sarah Ranby

Librarian