According to best-selling writer J.K Rowling if you don’t like reading, then you just haven’t found the right book.
For the majority of pupils it seems the author’s series on boy wizard Harry Potter is still proving the best choice to get them reading.
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An annual study across the UK and Ireland found J.K Rowling still dominates the favourite books list within primary schools with her Harry Potter titles taking the top seven spots.
Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone comes out on top, with Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets second and Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban third.
In secondary schools, J.K Rowling again comes out on top with Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell takes second spot, with Ready Player One by Ernest Cline taking third.
In addition to measuring the books that young people most enjoyed, the study also examines their most read books over the last academic year.
It found that Jeff Kinney remains the most widely-chosen and read author overall for the sixth year running, followed by David Walliams and then Roald Dahl.
Kinney has replaced Roald Dahl as the favourite among primary school pupils by taking five of the top ten most chosen and read books, with Roald Dahl taking just two. However, the most widely read book for that age group was Bad Dad by David Walliams.
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For secondary school pupils, David Walliams’ book Gangsta Granny has remained at the top as the most widely-chosen and read book with Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid coming second.
The survey for the 2019 What Kids Are Reading Report is the largest literacy study ever conducted in the UK and Ireland by literacy and assessment provider Renaissance UK.
In addition to exploring the favourite reading material it showed Scottish pupils had the joint greatest level of reading comprehension amongst the home nations, alongside Northern Ireland.
However, despite Scotland having the best comprehension, on average Scottish pupils are reading the least difficult books – although there is little to separate the home nations.
Renaissance UK used the report to call on teachers and librarians to ensure pupils were reading appropriately challenging books, so they could progress their literacy skills.
Dundee University academic Professor Keith Topping, who analysed the results, said: “It’s great to see Scottish pupils are at the top of the table in reading comprehension.
“We can now see that balancing the three factors of appropriate reading challenge, reading practice and reading motivation is fundamental for children’s reading progress.
“Although important, instilling reading culture in schools isn’t just about dedicated reading time. Teachers and librarians should also encourage lively classroom discussion about fiction, with children sharing favourite authors and titles.
“It is also important to encourage children to read outside of school, so letting them take books home is crucial.”
The study analysed the reading habits of 29,524 Scottish pupils and more than one million pupils across the UK and Ireland.
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