Reluctant Readers

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 al

Welcome Back

It’s fantastic to see children back in school after so long a break, and we know how hard staff have had to work to implement all the new (and changing) procedures to get to this stage.

Here at Badger Learning we have been working on updating our products to make sure we have what you need to ensure children are supported in their reading journey and with their wellbeing. We know that the pandemic has put a huge strain on some children’s mental health and wellbeing and as much as we hope that will all be eased now they are back at school, some will need additional resources. Primary teachers may want to take a look at our PSHE Through Stories Collection.  For secondary schools, our Minding Your Mental Health and Supporting Your

Badger publishing fans will be aware of our best-selling Two Sides series of thought-provoking stories on hard-hitting themes that are breaking new ground in accessible literature.  Emma Norry is the author of United, one of the books in the Two Sides II series, and she kindly agreed to an interview about this book and shares some tips on becoming a writer. Danny Pearson, our publisher, also gives us some insight into the commissioning process for this series and the reaction from readers.

How did you research and prepare for writing this novel?

My husband is a massive football fan, both playing and watching it. So… I watched games with him, tried FIFA and PES on the PlayStation and asked my son about playing at school. 

United is a story about Zane, a football-mad teenager coming to terms with his sexuality.  He has to cope with homophobic comments from his dad and coach — how do you think this affects his mental state?

We’ve been working extra hard over the summer to make sure there are fantastic new books available for you at the start of the school year!

And we’ve had a lot of fun developing Horror Hotel — our brand-new series of six creepy stories written by the brilliant Tim Collins. Brace yourself for some seriously scary and mysterious adventures filled with monsters, intelligent technology and an eccentric hotel manager who may or may not be there to help guests!

Horror is perennially popular with teens, so we’ve created this series for readers aged 12+ who have a reading age of 6–7.

We were thrilled to work again with talented artists Abby Ryder and James Lawrence. Take a look below at some examples of their work. Their imaginative and highly creative illustrations bring each story to life. Every double-page spread contains a perfect balance of text and illustrations, crucial for supporting reluctant or struggling readers.

We are delighted to bring you eight brand-new titles that will capture the interest and imaginations of teenage readers.

Between The Lines II is a series of books dealing with mature and compelling themes, filling the need for age-appropriate fiction written for teenage readers with reading ages of 8–9 years.

We’ve worked closely with a team of experienced and talented authors to create a mixture of action-packed and thought-provoking stories.

We’re especially proud of the diverse range of plots, settings and characters within this new series. From sports clubs and schools, to unfamiliar and chilling visions of the future, stories cover the dangers of internet chat rooms, crime, grief, female empowerment, friendship, bullying, dystopian futures, and much more.

 Although limite

Two Sides II – Out Now!

We are thrilled to announce that we are back with a brand-new series — Two Sides II.

Given the success of the first Two Sides series — published in September last year — we expect these six new books to be a real hit with students.

As in the first series, the texts consist of two first-person narratives with differing perspectives. One ‘bystander’ narrative, usually presenting a narrow or prejudiced view, alternates with the main character’s voice who reveals the broader reality of their difficult situation.

These books really do pack a punch and consider hard-hitting topics that affect many of today’s teenagers. Gender identity, racism, sexuality, anxiety, loneliness, domestic abuse and homelessness are all covered.

They are specifically written for struggling and reluctant readers aged 13+, with reading ages of 8–9.

Each book has a dedicated section at the back with easily-digestible information about the topics

A LITTLE SECRET - The Book Awards 2019 category winner.

I am very excited to announce that the team here at Badger Learning have won the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards – Rapid Reads category. This award is for the best quick read book for young people aged 11-16.

A Little Secret, written by Ann Evans and James Lawrence took home the award. This book is part of our bestselling series, Papercuts, an eerie series of short reads for teenagers.

We are so proud to have won this along with Ann and James as we were up against some huge titles and even bigger publishers. It’s particularly gratifying as this award is a vote by young people in Coventry who are reading these books and voting for their favourites in weekly elimination rounds. See the shortlist and results below:

A Little Secret

By Ann Evans (Author), James Lawrence (Illustrator)

Badger Publishing - The Book Awards 2019 ca

Papercuts II — Out Now!

Almost exactly a year ago, we published our first Papercuts series, a brand new bone-chilling horror series for teenage reluctant readers. The eye-catching covers and gripping content were the perfect combination and the series proved very popular.

So it is with great pleasure that we are able to spice up your January for the second year running, with a brand new Papercuts series — Papercuts II. Granted, the name might not be that original but the stories are so fresh they’re practically still dripping. They are also positively brimming with twists, turns, thrills, chills and toe-curling frights; perfect for keeping a bloodthirsty teenager satisfied until the very end.

Once again our artists have surpassed themselves with some truly terrifying covers. Each book also contains four images interspersed throughout the ins

Ready to get marooned?

We are excited to announce that our new series, Monster Island, will soon be ready for release into a classroom near you!

Lord of the Flies meets Robinson Crusoe meets Jurassic Park, this series has been expressly designed with reluctant and struggling readers in mind. 

Appearances can be deceiving. In a judgemental world, can your students see Two Sides?