All week we’ve run a series of articles on kids' and young adult books to coincide with the inaugural Children’s Book Festival this Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Today we finish the series by following up on a story we ran last week, when the UK’s education secretary Michael Gove suggested school kids should be reading 50 books a year. The Guardian reports that some kids' book authors have reacted to the comments with scepticism. Anthony Browne has suggested that the government’s library closures give the lie to Gove’s comments, and Phillip Pullman, author of the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy, agrees, adding, “Where are they going to get these 50 books a year from?” In a related article, the newspaper asked its readers to suggest reading lists for kids aspiring to meet Gove’s challenge - here are the responses.
We also liked this blog on dreams and writing by young adult author (and young adult) Steph Bowe, we were moved by these American inner city kids' stories.
Feel free to share your links to kids' book-related blogs and websites you like.
See you Sunday!