Children’s reading should prioritise pleasure over learning, says laureate
Frank Cottrell-Boyce tells MPs to focus on early-years reading, with more support for parents and nursery workers
Malcolm Budd obituary
Philosopher of aesthetics who had exceptionally high standards and was kind to students and colleagues
Dame Averil Cameron obituary
Historian whose sparky, innovative Byzantines challenged the stereotype of a stagnant society with nothing new to offer
Clare Gittings obituary
Other lives: Learning manager who made visiting schoolchildren feel welcome at the National Portrait Gallery
Peter Messent obituary
Other lives: Professor of American studies at Nottingham University and an authority on the writer Mark Twain
‘It’s like a giant book club’: how schools are getting children excited about reading again
In the National Year of Reading, teachers say a culture of enthusiasm, from dress-up days, story time and book clubs, can reverse a national decline
Extra stress or a bit of fun? Teachers and parents discuss World Book Day
As children dress up in UK and Ireland on Thursday, not everyone is on the same page over event’s pros and cons
Schools in England sidelining dressing-up for World Book Day, MPs hear
Literacy experts say move comes over cost concerns and fears costumes can detract from reading for pleasure
The National Year of Reading celebrates the ‘joy’ of books. But let’s not forget they can also be deeply troubling, too
Encounters with great art can be absorbing, unsettling and even painful. How has this been tamed into ‘reading for pleasure’, asks Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian’s chief culture writer
Homeschooled by Stefan Merrill Block review – a true ‘Misery’ memoir
A compelling and fitfully harrowing child’s-eye account of a mother’s unravelling
Only 10% of boys aged 14-16 read daily for pleasure, National Literacy Trust finds
Exclusive: Report says British teenagers’ time for books is being crowded out by schoolwork, screens and sports
Deborah Cameron obituary
Linguist, feminist activist and author of influential books on how language can shape gendered experiences
Bernardine Evaristo renews call to diversify school curriculum in England
Author says pace of change in GCSE English literature texts is too slow and tide is turning against inclusion
‘It’s about making reading as natural as breathing’: Malorie Blackman backs the National Year of Reading
The Noughts & Crosses author is among the starry ambassadors for the campaign – one of the initiatives aimed at addressing the reading crisis
‘For a moment, only that story matters’: my plan to reignite the all-consuming love of books
Reading for pleasure rates are shockingly low in young people. So we should all get behind a new drive to turn them into avid readers. Why not start with books about art?