Help pupils to get the reading bug

Booking is now open for the phenomenally successful home reading scheme Buster’s Book Club, which is generating real excitement in classrooms across the county.

The initiative runs from January to December with a record attempt in the summer term. In July, 34,000 children at more than 100 participating schools collectively achieved eight and a half million minutes of reading - an all time high for the scheme.

Buster’s Book Club helps to improve child literacy by encouraging children and families to spend more time reading for pleasure at home. Each child is given a home reading target of a set number of minutes and then takes part in a series of reading competitions to encourage them to meet or exceed their target.

Pupils can choose to read to themselves, to a parent, to listen to an audiobook, or a combination of all three. A parent or guardian must sign their special bookmark to confirm the child’s reading minutes, which are then monitored and recorded by the school.

Every Wednesday, participants compete for the class of the week trophy, while monthly interschool competitions offer prizes ranging from storyteller visits and book hampers to free entry tickets to attractions such as Leeds Castle and Planet Ice skating rink. Celebrity storytellers include Phil Gallagher, presenter of CBeebies’ Mister Maker, and award-winning children’s author and illustrator Nick Butterworth, creator of the Percy the Park Keeper and Q Pootle 5 series.

Literacy co-ordinator Kathy Beel, of the KM Charity Team, said: “See for yourself how successful the scheme is at getting pupils from all walks of life, even disengaged boys, all fired up about reading. The children relish the challenge of trying to achieve the biggest or most improved number of reading minutes, and they take great delight in discussing their books with classmates and teachers.”

Schools are urged to register by 1 December to have everything in place to start the scheme in the New Year. For more information, or to join, visit the Buster's Book Club website

Contact Details

Kathy Beel
Telephone: 08442 640291
Email: kbeel@thekmgroup.co.uk