What To Read Now

02 Oct What To Read Now

This year’s Dyslexia Awareness Week falls from 3 to 9 October. So, for our What To Read Now we’re revisiting some brilliant Barrington Stoke books. We’re huge fans of Barrington Stoke, who for 20 years have been publishing super-readable, accessible books that are ideal for those with dyslexia. We’ve chosen three superb books by award-winning authors. Proof that great stories can be accessible too. 

Thank you to Carole Estall (The Reading Jackdaw) for sharing a review with us. Visit The Reading Jackdaw for ingenious resources to promote reading for pleasure.

After the War – Tom Palmer, suitable for ages 9+

Reviewed by Ali Palmer, BCiS Co-Director 

The story follows three boys Yossi, Mordecai and Leo as they travel from Auschwitz to Ambleside. They are uncertain whether they will really be safe as they have been lied to so many times, but Talia who travels with them provides reassurance. The book moves between their stories – before the war with their families, to life in the ghetto and the concentration camps, detailing the barbarity and the struggle to survive.

How do you recover from all that the children witnessed and the loss that they endured? Tom’s research is impeccable, and the characters he writes are real. You will really want to read the story and find out what happens to them.

Lark by Anthony McGowan, suitable for ages 13+

Review by Carole Estall

 It’s astounding how a short story can pack such a punch, absorb you and transport you. Heart-wrenching and heart-warming inseparable brothers Nicky and Kenny go for a walk which results in a perilous journey that had me genuinely distressed but a smiling mess for so many reasons at the end.

Kerb Stain Boys by Alex Wheatle, suitable for ages 14+

Watch Alex’s introduction to his novella, which like many of his books is set on the fictional Crongton estate.