The Power of Peers.

Angmering School has a ‘Personal Trainers’ scheme.
Older students partner up with younger students/reluctant readers. Both the older and younger partner will meet first thing in the morning for sports activities (Parkour)! After which they’ll eat breakfast together, then they come to the library to read books together before morning registration. The older Personal Trainers act as a mentor and life coache during the younger students’ first year at school (when everything can be a bit scary and new). This approach has ensured that reading is seen by the newbies as cool and exciting and enjoyable and NORMAL.
Hilary Kemp
@2ndgenlibraria1
(Side note from Marcus Alexander – I’ve visited the students at Angmering School and joined in the Parkour sessions with the younger students. It’s worth noting that the older students ran this class. They were given training to become qualified Parkour coaches as a reward for mentoring the reluctant readers. This coaching qualification was a huge boon for those six formers who were looking ahead to a career in the fitness industry. I’m forever blown away by Hilary’s results and I love, love, love her Personal Trainer scheme!)

My top tip, based on what we do, is to pair students up and get reluctant readers working regularly with student leaders. The student leaders. who always read positively, nurture other less confident readers. I know this happens in primary schools, but we do it up to Y10 in secondary.
Colin Baxter
Thomas Deacon Academy

Get kids recommending the books that they love to their friends.
Also worth mentioning: getting kids to design their own book covers and making their own book trailers,.
Keren David
@Kerensd

My tip to #GetKidsReading: Book reviews and recommendations created by children and done in visually creative ways; through posters and videos etc is a powerful way to maintain an interest in reading.
Gareth Baker
@GarethBakerPoR

All young students idolise their six formers. They want to be like them and they want their praise, more so than any that comes from an adult or teacher. This is such a powerful instinct it would be almost criminal not to take advantage of this! Get your elder students to mentor your younger students. Two or three 15 minute shared reading sessions per week can reap real wonders. (If I’m setting up a reading buddy program at a school I’m visiting I’ll up the ante and bribe the six formers with a written reference towards their C.V as a reward for their mentoring work).
Marcus Alexander
@getyourreadon

 Psychological Ploys.

Make a list of ‘banned’ books and put big red stickers on the covers saying ‘do not read’. They will be dead keen to read em!!!
Matt Dickinson‏
@Dickinson_Matt

Keep some of the more ‘adult’ books behind the desk to stir up interest!
Nikki Sheehan
@NicoletteShhh

In terms of reaching those reluctant or dormant readers, I have found that Book Talks are the most powerful motivators. I book talk, of course, but when I match a reader to a non-reader I have to consider interests, personalities, genres, etc. So I tell the kids, ‘Stand up if you are reading a book. Stay standing if you are reading a book you are loving.’ Then I say, ‘Work the room to sell your book.’ They have been trained on the elements of a good talk, so they know what to include in their presentation.
Melinda Kramm
@MelindaKramm

Reading, by its nature, is a solitary activity and yet the majority of teens are sociable creatures. Make library lessons fun by incorporating activities that enable them to share and talk about what they’re reading. Reading in silence and then filling in a personal log book is not the way to engender a love of reading.
Barbara Band
@bcb567

For Halloween I trialled a lucky dip box that I called the ‘Little Box of Horrors’ where books were covered in black wrapping paper and placed in a spooky looking box. Even though the students couldn’t tell what book (or even what genre!) they were choosing library loans went through the roof! I simply couldn’t wrap enough books in time to keep up with demand. The kids loved it so much I’ve turned this into a seasonal thing and do similar lucky boxes at Christmas, Valentine and other holidays.
Anne Underwood
@annieofruislip

In the past we’ve done a reading paper chain. Read a book, write the title, author and brief comment on a strip of card then link it with a friend to form the start of a paper chain. At the end of the year, go outside and measure chains with other classes.
Sharlene Brown
Three Bridges Primary

I do talks on careers information; ‘what do you need to become a physiotherapist?’ etc. This always is a good one and they will then pick a book and read from a genre they would normally never choose!
Kathryn Clark
John Colet School

If a student isn’t reading, find out what their heart’s desire is; their ultimate dream. Whatever it is congratulate them (get hyped!), share their excitement and reassure them that their dream is realistic. After all, if other people can achieve their heart’s desire then this student is every bit as capable on the provision that they work hard and apply common sense (success never comes free)! Once the student acknowledges that hard work and common sense is needed, start linking their ambition to reading. For example, if a student wants to become a football player look to the knowledge that a football manager would expect potential apprentice players to have:
-team tactics and football strategy,
-football history,
-an understanding of the human body and its energy systems,
-how famous football players overcame the odds and got signed,
Ask the student to create a written (or drawn) timetable of the books and knowledge they need to digest. Get them to be super creative with their timetable, make it fresh, funky, colourful and unique. Once the student has made a list of the knowledge take them to the library or bookstore and have them find the books they need.
Check in with the student on a weekly basis to see how they’re progressing.
Test their knowledge and provide some rewards or hype for consistency.
Marcus Alexander
@getyourreadon

Match books to a child’s interests.
Andy Seed
@andyseedauthor

I talk about non fiction; ‘whatever you want to be, whatever you want to do, someone’s written a book about it – go and find that book’
Joffre White
@JoffreWhite

 Culture.

Create a whole school reading culture:
create bookswap boxes,
allocate a playground reading hut,
show films based on books,
dramatise a book,
create reading clubs,
allocate times for reading picnics and library visits.
Cathy Cassidy
@cathycassidyxx

Show the kids in your life your love of books. Read to them and with them. Talk about books and read lots of different stories to them.
Sara Grant
@AuthorSaraGrant

Model reading through:
staff seen reading in school,
DEAR time (Drop Everything and Read) at the start of lessons to settle children in class and help raise the profile of the importance of reading.
Debbie Kennedy
Wilmington Academy

You need school staff to talk about reading with students so that it becomes part of the secondary school culture, not just for ‘geeks’. Reading needs to be talked about in assemblies and in lessons. Recommendations should be displayed and reading groups put into place. Many schools have ‘I am reading’ posters for staff, but we need staff to be role models.
Nikki
@libraryninja

In addition to books on shelves I try to leave all sorts of reading material lying around (on library tables, on low tables, on shelves, everywhere not just arranged normally on the shelves). Examples are:
style magazines,
career magazines,
The Big Issue,
articles on current issues e.g. plastics,
books of records e.g. Guinness, Ripley’s etc.
Kathryn Clark
John Colet School

Have plenty of reading materials around: magazines, blogs, manuals, annuals, audio books, poetry, joke books, graphic novels (and appropriate books too of course) but make sure you model reading yourself! Reading should never be a chore so if a child does not want to read a whole book, give them extracts, articles and short pithy things to read instead or alternatively allow them to listen to audio books. They’ll soon find a genre or author they enjoy and then, ta-dah! books into hands!
Alexandra Maycock
Best Bedfordshire Schools Trust

Make it fun, make it special, make it for everyone!
Ally Sherrick ‏
@ally_sherrick 

Using your Voice & Audio.

My #getkidsreading tip would be to listen to audio books (& read along if you want to). Stories are best read out loud!
Rhian Ivory‏
@Rhian_Ivory

I think reading together is really powerful. Become the characters, do the voices and have fun together!
Caryl Hart
@carylhart1

Read aloud and allow the kids to just relax and listen!
Michaela Morgan
@MichaelamorganM

Reading books is not the only reading. Looking at comics, computer screens & listening to audible stories on CD & MP3 is also reading.
Matt Imrie
@mattlibrarian

My best tip is… READ ALOUD MORE (especially chapters ending on a cliffhanger)!  Taking the slog/compulsion out of reading and instilling the DESIRE to read on is crucial.
Forrest Alison
Orley Farm Prep School

Read to them.
Andy Seed
@andyseedauthor

Comics.

Never discount Manga, especially for boys who are reluctant readers.
Eglantine Price
@JennyLeeTong

Comics are a great way to get reluctant readers into stories – it worked for me when I was a kid.
Niel Bushnell
@NielBushnell

COMICS COMICS COMICS GRAPHIC NOVELS COMICS COMICS! These are absolutely legitimate books to read and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Zoe Toft
@playbythebook

I’ve never met a kid that couldn’t get into Jeff Smith’s legendary graphic novel series ‘Bone’. Get a copy for your students and while you’re at it get two copies for yourself (you know someone’s going to pinch your copy, having a backup will mean you don’t melt into a sobbing puddle of soppy tears at the loss…!)
Marcus Alexander
@getyourreadon

Break out the comics!
Cavan Scott
‏@cavanscott

Parents.

I’ve had an increase in demand to give talks to parents on the necessity of reading. If you or your school aren’t confident to inform parents that poor literacy is the greatest cause of inequality than give me a call and I’ll do it for you. (Parents always sit up straighter when a big bald and ugly man is looming over them and preaching about literacy)!
Marcus Alexander

The more a parent reads with their children every day and engage them with a love of books the better. And it doesn’t have to be just school books, it can be reading comics, reading TV magazines, reading around, reading in the shops, just read read read (with your child)!
Roz Adie
The Baird Primary School

My tip to #GetKidsReading: get parents reading alternate pages with them (especially books considered too old or scary.) And of course peer-nominated reads are a great way to encourage students to pick up books.
Jo Welch
@Jowelch14

Kids you need to challenge your grownups to read, with the agreement that you’ll read, if they read! After all, why should they be able to get away with saying ‘do as I ask, not as I do’? When we see people we respect doing something, we’re more likely to do it ourselves.
Zoe Toft
@playbythebook

Engaging with your Students.

Talk to students about what they’re reading. Show a genuine interest in what they’ve chosen and why (this is easy for librarians to do and we just love to see our students reading).
Talk to them about what you’re reading, why you chose it and what you think about it. Again, easy for librarians to do as we just love talking about books and reading! I always started my library lessons by sharing what I’m reading (I often mention interesting articles I’ve read in magazines or online – sending that message that the medium isn’t important, it’s the reading that matters).
Barbara Band
@bcb567

Reading is a habit, so ask kids WHEN they read. WHEN is more important than WHAT.
Joe Craig
@joecraiguk

Talk to students about reading and books – if you show a genuine interest in their reading tastes they will respond.
Also:
recommend books.
make connections between reading and other things children do in their lives – gaming and sport for example.
embrace new technologies and take advantage of the e-book revolution. (Technology makes everything seem cool and more engaging to students.  Use this to introduce them to books they may otherwise ignore.)
Debbie Kennedy
Wilmington Academy

I do talks on different genres and read extracts from them e.g Biographies of famous  people (who are still alive!), poetry (Pam Ayres) Greek myths (Echo and Narcissus) good for the selfie generation!
Kathryn Clark
John Colet School

My top tip to #GetKidsReading is to model it!  Read, let them see you read, be passionate about books and reading.  Also recommend what you’ve read and like.
Gael Williams
Guru Nanak Sikh Academy

Send them a book review and ask them to send one back to you. Also consider:
tweeting a video review,
book quiz competitions,
Sending them a list of your favourite books.
Conrad Burdekin
@conradburdekin