World Book Night

Marked in the UK, the USA, Germany and Ireland, World Book Night is celebrated annually on 23 April (the international day of the book) and sees thousands of volunteers share their love of reading by giving out books to people in their local communities.

The Reading Agency, who organise the event, have announced the 20 books they will be giving out across the country and it features one from our very own Kumon Recommended Reading List, Skellig by David Almond.

Here is some information about three of the books to inspire you to pick one up and join in the celebrations.

Skellig follows ten-year-old Michael as he struggles to deal with moving house, a severely unwell baby sister, and increasingly distant friends. However, when Michael finds what he assumes is a homeless man in his new garage, things take a strange turn for the better. Michael makes a new friend in a neighbouring girl Mina, and together they start to nurse the man back to health, only to discover that this 'Skellig' is far more than he first appeared.

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, takes us behind the curtains at the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth as Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a passing train and straight into the carriages of this travelling circus. Jacob finds himself suddenly orphaned and his almost completed veterinary degree seems unimportant (and unaffordable), setting his path adrift. His flight propels him into another world and soon he is fixated by Marlena, the beautiful star of an equestrian act, and Rosie, a seemingly untrainable elephant.

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece, by Annabel Pitcher, is the heartbreaking story of a family torn apart. Ten-year-old Jamie moves to the Lake District with his dad and sister Jasmine for a fresh start following the death of Jasmine's twin Rose who is killed in a bomb attack, shattering the family. Jamie refuses to acknowledge the tragedy, focussing instead on his cat Roger, his secret friend Sunya, and the hope that his mum might return to the family she has walked out on.

Reading for pleasure is widely recognised as an indicator in a huge range of social issues, yet 35% of people in the UK don't regularly read. Why not take this opportunity to pick up a book and join the thousands of people across the globe in spreading the joy of reading?