Books to Boost Reading Confidence and Help Students Catch Up

A study conducted by Renaissance Learning in 2020 showed that 63% of teachers expected that lockdown — and all the limitations that come with it — would increase the existing attainment gap for disadvantaged students. Perhaps more alarmingly, over a third of teachers indicated that they did not feel their school was prepared to measure, and subsequently act on, those attainment differences upon returning to the classroom.

Filling gaps will no doubt be an ongoing priority for teachers as we navigate a post-lockdown landscape, with key areas of learning taking priority in the mission to catch up. Few areas are more key than literacy, and we know it is going to be a race against time to try and accelerate some students back up to the level of their peers, to reinforce the key skills that will enable them to access the rest of the curriculum. To that end, we wanted to highlight some of our best ‘reading for pleasure’ resources to provide as clear a path as possible — particularly at the all-important transition period of UKS2 to LKS3 when children need to build confidence in their literacy skills as they move on to more challenging work.

As an experienced educational publisher that has specialised in high interest, low reading level books for nearly 20 years, we have amassed a large and varied back catalogue of engaging fiction and non-fiction to cover a wide range of interests, which we are passionate to make sure act as an ‘open door’ into reading. Our fiction is rightly made up of strands of voices from different walks of life, diverse backgrounds and ways of seeing the world, and we can provide digital resources or printed books, depending on your needs.

Below we have provided details and recommended audiences for some of our popular series, as well as some of the key features that make our books so accessible for struggling or reluctant readers.

You can view our entire range here.

Once Upon Another Time…

Refreshing and engaging stories about familiar fairy tale characters with a modern-day twist.

View Sample Pages

WOW! Facts Non-Fiction

A collection of 60 books, each covering a different exciting topic, from sea creatures to the world’s weirdest jobs! These books aim to draw reluctant readers in with interesting facts, bite-sized chunks of text, easy-to-navigate formats and fun, colourful photography.

The example pages below are taken from our lowest level series and show the features of our specialised layout.

Dark Reads

Two series, each comprised of eight books, with bold, comic-book-style illustrations combined with a few lines of text on alternate pages. The font is dyslexia-friendly and the paragraphs are spaced out to make the words easier to absorb. Perfect intervention books for teenagers reading at a very low level.

Big Top of Horrors, Monster Island and Horror Hotel

All three of these series include exciting illustrations combined with very low text level stories. They each contain a different recurring character with a familiar introduction and plot format, designed to remove as many blockades as possible for reluctant readers to ‘get into’ a new book. The stories are gruesome and grown-up enough for teens but the spaced-out paragraphs, short sentence structure and simple font help to provide a clear path from page to page towards the satisfying achievement of having finished a book.

Teen Reads

You are spoilt for choice with Teen Reads as there are 46 books altogether and each is as visually appealing as the story is absorbing. We know that appearances are important to teenagers so we’ve worked hard to ensure that no struggling reader would be embarrassed to be seen reading them. In fact, although they are designed for those that are behind age-related expectations in reading, they have also proved popular ‘quick reads’ for more confident readers too. The mature and gripping themes span a wide variety of areas from family breakdown to poverty, from the perils of peer pressure to other-worldly dystopias. The text is generously spaced out so readers won’t lose their place, and the text is printed on off-white paper to reduce visual stress on sensitive eyes.

Papercuts

Papercuts is a set of three eerie series of books that quench the common thirst among teens for ‘unputdownable’ horror stories. The size of a small novella with a simple and clear sentence structure, they provide the perfect segue into reading for pleasure and following an absorbing plot to its conclusion.

Two Sides

Much shorter than Teen Reads but no less gripping, our Two Sides books each tell a unique and personal story from two different perspectives, subtly revealing the pitfalls of making assumptions about people based on prejudice or ignorance. Short, accessible and powerful, stories depict a diverse range of individuals all with a common experience of trying to navigate teenage life. They celebrate difference and encourage inclusivity, regardless of who the characters are, how they define themselves, where they come from or who they love.

YA Reads

Mature and accessible fiction aimed at young adults. This set of two series covers real, thought-provoking and often gritty topics, designed to inspire a love of reading whilst broadening horizons.

For more information on finding reluctant reader books to suit your students, please feel free to get in touch.