8B48 Uffculme School Year 7 Reading Challenge 2020 - (At least) 8 books to read before Year 8 - Uffculme ...

Uffculme School
   Year 7 Reading Challenge
                 2020

              8B48

(At least) 8 books to read before Year 8

During Year 7, we want to encourage students to read as often and as widely as
possible. Research tells us that children who are confident readers by the age of 15
are most likely to go on to achieve well at school, college and university. We also know
that students who read for just half an hour a day can be up to a year ahead of those
who don’t by the time they reach 15. Reading is a vital skill!

To encourage students to read widely, we are launching the 8B48 Reading
Challenge. We are asking students to read at least 8 books from a variety of genres
and authors and to write a short review on one of the 8B48 book review forms which
they can download from the library page on the school portal either when they
borrow or return their book.

We want to encourage every student to read regularly, to read more widely, and to
read for pleasure. We also want to encourage parents to engage with the Challenge,
both by helping their child to find and read good books, and by reading themselves.

You can support your child to take part in the Challenge in the following ways:-

   •   Ensure that your children see you reading. It doesn't matter if it's the
       newspaper, a cookery book, a romantic novel, a detective mystery, short
       stories, a computer manual... anything!
   •   Encourage children to join in - ask a child to read out a recipe for you as you
       cook, or the TV listings when you are watching TV.
   •   Give, and encourage others to give, books/book tokens as presents.
   •   Encourage children to carry a book at all times – you can do this too!
   •   Read with your children - many books are enjoyed by adults and young
       people alike and it's great to read books you can all talk about, but make the
       talk light-hearted, not testing and over-questioning.
   •   Go to libraries/bookshops when authors are visiting. Children love meeting
       their favourite writers - Jacqueline Wilson and David Walliams always have
       signing queues that are miles long.
   •   Make sure your home is a reading home - have a family bookshelf and make
       sure there are shelves in your children's bedrooms as well.
   •   Don't panic if your child reads the same book over and over again - be honest,
       we've probably all done it!
   •   Encourage your children and their friends to swap books with each other - this
       will encourage them to talk and think about the books they are reading.

The Rules

•   You need to read and write reviews on at least 8 books in total to get a bronze
    badge. You must choose at least one book from each of the focussed reading
    lists for each badge. Only books which are on the 8B48 reading list will
    count towards your badge.

•   Sign up for the Challenge with Ms Davies in the Library. Book review sheets
    can be downloaded from the Library page on the school portal and you must
    return a completed review sheet each time you finish a book so that they can
    be checked to make sure you are completing them fully and that the books
    you have read are on the Challenge lists. Do not hand in 8 review sheets all
    at once!

•   When you have read and reviewed 8 books you will receive your 8B48
    Reading Star badge in assembly. If you read and review 8 books, you will
    have a bronze badge, if you read and review 12 books you will have a silver
    badge and if you read and review 16 books throughout the year you will
    receive a gold badge.

Reading List

Fiction
Call of the Wild – Jack London
Charlotte’s Web – E.B.White
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Goodnight Mr Tom – Michelle Magorian
Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Holes – Louis Sachar
War Horse – Michael Morpurgo
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Stone Cold - Robert Swindells
Wonder – R.J.Palacio
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline l’Engle
Tom’s Midnight Garden – Philppa Pearce
The Outsiders – S.E.Hinton
The Hobbit – J.R.R.Tolkein
Coram Boy – Jamila Gavin
The Machine Gunners – Robert Westall
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
Stig of the Dump – Clive King

Focus on Classic Fiction
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Wizard of Oz – Frank Baum
The Canterville Ghost – Oscar Wilde
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
The Hound of the Baskervilles – Arthur Conan Doyle
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
The Borrowers – Mary Norton
Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Graham

Focus on Biography & Auto Biography
The Diary of Anne Frank – Anne Frank
I am Malala – Malala Yousafzai
Boy: tales of childhood – Roald Dahl
Cider with Rosie - Laurie Lee
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell
Touching the Void – Joe Simpson
Chinese Cinderella – Adeline Yen Mah
Marley and Me – John Grogan

Focus on Different Cultures
The Other Side of Truth – Beverley Naidoo
The Skin I’m In – Sharon Flake
Noughts and Crosses – Malorie Blackman
Passing for White – Tanya Landman
The Garbage King – Elizabeth Laird
Refugee Boy – Benjamin Zephaniah

Focus on Poetry
Jabberwocky – Lewis Carroll
The Night Before Christmas – Clement Clarke Moore
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats – T.S. Eliot
Revolting Rhymes – Roald Dahl
Talking Turkeys – Benjamin Zephaniah
The Ring of Words – Roger McGough
A Child’s garden of Verses – Robert Louis Stevenson

Hints and Tips

Remember not to give too much of the story away when you write your review. If
your thoughts and ideas about the book are interesting enough, I will want to read it
for myself.

   •   A review focuses on strengths and weaknesses in the text so you should think
       about how strong the plot is, whether the characters are well written and the
       writing style.
   •   You might want to use quotes from the text as evidence to support your ideas.
   •   You will need to draw a conclusion about the book, saying whether something
       will be interesting to its audience.
   •   You must give your personal opinion on the text with confidence and authority
   •   You will need to support your points with valid reasons.
   •   Where you are reviewing a collection of poetry, give an overview of the
       collection as a whole then focus on your favourite poem to review in depth.
   •   You can download copies of the book review sheet from the library page on
       the school portal.

                              Good Luck!

There will be copies of all books on the reading lists available to borrow from the
School Library, but not enough for everyone taking part in the Challenge to borrow at
the same time. You may also wish to consider joining the Public Library so that you
can borrow books from there. It is free to join and they run many reading activities
that you will be able to take part in as well as being able to order and reserve books,
audio books and films. More information can be obtained by following this link:
                  http://www.devon.gov.uk/community/libraries.htm

8B48 Book Review.
Complete a review each time you finish a book. Return it to Mrs Davies and when you have
read and reviewed 8 books you will have your bronze badge. Read and review more books
to get your silver and gold badges.

Book Title ……………………………………………………………………...

Author……………………………………………………………………………

Plot. Just a brief outline of the plot without giving too much away for other readers.

Characters. Who are the main characters and what are their roles in the story?

Style. Was it written in the first or the third person and how did this shape the story? Was it
fast or slow paced? Were the settings and the emotions and feelings of the characters well
described?

Your Opinion. Most important of all. Did you enjoy it? Why (or why not)? Did you learn
anything about other people from the book? Was there one particular scene that stands out?
Would you recommend it to anyone else?