Easter is around the corner, followed swiftly by GCSEs, ASs and A Levels. Where does the school year go? Hopefully, however fast time flies by, some time will be found for reading.

Help GCSE English students prepare for their exam

Thinking about GCSE's - a large part of the English Language GCSE is the exam paper on Non Fiction texts. Students need to analyse non-fiction texts and also to write their own articles/letters/speeches. One of the best ways to prepare for this is to read non-fiction texts - which means reading a variety of articles, opinion pieces, blogs and letters. Children who read newspapers, particularly broadsheets, have an advantage here. If newspapers don't grab their attention then look at magazines. If you do not want to subscribe to a magazine you will find that most of the magazines listed on the Books Teens and Magazines website can be bought at local newsagents. In the next few weeks a couple of new titles will be added to the website, namely

The Football League Paper

The Rugby Paper

The Cricket Paper

These titles are in newspaper format and are purely about the sport in the title. There are plenty of articles and comments and they might tempt a reluctant teen to read. There is also a football magazine called Late Tackle which some readers might find more user friendly. 

Carnegie Shortlist 2015

The six titles in the Carnegie shortlist have been announced. BT&M has written a post with initial thoughts on the selection - check it out as there are some great tites both from the short list and from the long list.

Other Blog Posts that might interest you

BT&M also wrote about Mothers in YA books. Mothers are often absent or are catalysts for the action in YA stories and, for Mothering Sunday, BT&M put together a list of books that demonstrate just how important mothers are.

As teenagers mature, so do their reading tastes. Therefore, whilst plenty of adults read YA literature, there are also plenty of teens reading books aimed at the adult market. BT&M put together some suggestions for Teen Readers Moving Beyond YA books.

Talking to children about events in the news is a good thing to do and it does help if you can use a newspaper article or report to initiate a conversation. However, there are also many YA books that are either a good starting point for a discussion or might help to explain a situation. Often they are not about the event that is taking place at the moment, but they are about past events that are similar to current situations. In this vein, BT&M put together a list of Books That Help Explain Today's News Stories.

Books set in a country other than your own are interesting - through them you can learn about different cultures. BT&M put together a (not-exhaustive but quite long!) list of Books Set in Europe and Books Set in the Rest of the World.

Some Suggestions

So far this looks like a rather lazy newsletter as I am referring you to blogs I have already written! However, I have read some new books which I am happy to recommend:

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - I really enjoyed this book about a young girl, Lennie, who lives with her grandparents because her mother left home when she was young. Just before the books starts, Lennie's older sister died suddenly and unexpectedly and Lennie is trying to come to terms with her sister's death and also her own feelings for two boys, one of whom is her dead sister's boyfriend. It's not a classic but it is a lovely, gentle read and it does make you think about loss and grieving.

Game Changer by Tim Bowler - Mikey finds life difficult as he struggles with phobias. The book is written from his point of view so that readers are able to see life from his point of view and therefore understand his battles. This is a thought provoking book. It covers a difficult topic in a sensitive and interesting manner.

Love Hurts by Malorie Blackman et al - It is hard to find short story books for teenagers which is a huge shame. What better way to get a reluctant reader, or a reader with no staying power, into books? This collection of extracts from a range of books and authors was put together for Valentine's Day and the theme is love. Ideal for readers who don't stick with 'thick' books and also a fantastic introduction to new authors and titles.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by S J Maas - for lovers of fantasy and romance, this is a new series by SJ Maas. Her last series, Throne of Glass has proved to be very popular. It is enjoyable and fun and lovely. The book is not out for a little while but you can get a free e-sample form Amazon so why not try it out?

The Duff by Kody Keplinger - I am including this book because it is being heavily promoted and there is a film due out soon. It is a teen romance book set in a US high school. It is fun but before you buy it, or recommend it, be aware tha there is a fair bit of casual sex in it, although relationships do triumph in the end.

Competitions

There are a number of poetry competitions around that might appeal. Try this one by the Young Poets Network or the Betjeman Poetry Prize.

Wishing you a happy and warm Easter. 

Regards

Chiara