Raising Readers - Megan Daley

The Sydney Weekend magazine in The Daily Telegraph (July 26-27, 2025) recently published an extract by Megan Daley, author of Raising Readers: How to Nurture a Child's Love of Books. A new edition of her 2019 book has just been published. 

She believes in the Science of Reading, which draws from neuroscience, linguistics, and cognitive psychology, asserting that reading and writing are not natural skills like speaking but need deliberate teaching.

Daley also suggests parents:

• Advocate for evidence-based literacy instruction
• Understand how reading works
• Support children at home with rich oral and print language environments
• Collaborate with educators and specialists (e.g., speech pathologists, psychologists)

For me, this reinforces what I see in the library each day. Children need more than access to books. They need explicit support and encouragement to become confident readers. The research is important, but so too is the human side of teaching — the conversations, the joy of sharing stories, and the chance to guide a student towards a book that sparks their interest.

As teacher librarians, we can bridge research and practice. We create spaces where reading feels valued, support colleagues in evidence-based literacy, and help families see the vital role they play. Each child who moves from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” is a reminder that raising readers is both science and art.

Improving Graphic Novel Collections in schools

In the latest issue of INCITE magazine by ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association), I read a case study on Barker College Library’s efforts to expand and update its graphic novel and manga collections. In 2024, the library undertook a review to ensure those collections align with student interests and to encourage diverse reading experiences. The process involved forming a committee, gathering data and consulting students. 

As a result, they made informed decisions to refresh displays, shorten loan periods (two weeks to one week) and introduce new, age-appropriate titles.  

One of the changes implemented by Barker College has been reducing the loan period from two weeks to one week. At my school, graphic novels are loaned for two weeks, and to encourage greater engagement with graphic novels, I should consider whether a shorter loan period would work for them.

Selecting age-appropriate manga is a challenge that confronts school libraries. While manga titles have a rating system, some of the themes may not be consistent with the rating, so it does need to be scrutinised. It also needs to align with the values and ethos of the school, whether it is a public or private school. 

The demise of Booktopia

Yesterday (Wednesday), it was announced that Booktopia would enter voluntary administration. The company cited unprofitability in recent years and an inability to obtain funding to keep the business afloat.

The demise of Booktopia will have its consequences if it does go into liquidation (stops trading). School libraries such as mine do order through Booktopia because of the competitive prices relative to other booksellers, either bricks or mortar or online. This means that the cost of purchasing books will increase. It will limit the ability of school libraries to stretch their funds further, given the budgetary pressures that school libraries are accustomed to. 

While Booktopia is still trading, I would recommend that school libraries not purchase from Booktopia until its future is known because if an order is placed, there is no guarantee it will be fulfilled, especially if it's a pre-order or there is a long time frame for delivery. If Booktopia enters liquidation, you may not receive your items and/or be entitled to a refund. 

Even before entering voluntary administration, there were already concerns about the fulfilment of orders, with some yet to receive orders.