Historical Fiction on the up for youngsters?

The Australian recently published an article (below) on the increasing appeal of historical fiction among youngsters, especially those with plots focusing on spies, bombings, and young resistance fighters. As a history teacher, it's also a fun and entertaining way to learn about the history of our world. 

Source: Tranchtenberg, J.A. (2025) ‘World War II turns another page’, The Australian, 12 May, p. 14.

Reading on Public Transport & Resisting Technology - Jacqueline Maley says "yes"

Source: Maley, J. 2025. "Here's a novel idea: Break the grip of the algorithm and read a book". The Sun Herald, May 4: 24. 

Jacqueline Maley wrote in The Sun Herald on Sunday about her observations of commuters engrossed in activity on smartphones. I look back at my school days. People had mobile phones, but they were primarily used for making phone calls, and they were not commonly used on trains.

Some would read a newspaper or a book, or otherwise simply look out the window.

Maley made an interesting point that book sales have declined post-pandemic, while book costs have risen. Although not mentioned, it is likely that some schools have had their book budgets reduced due to either reduced school funding or changes in broader school priorities.

She is right about one element of smartphones: We don't engage with the content as deeply as if we were, say, reading a book. Algorithms often dictate what we read in a digital world, whereas with printed books, we can engage more deeply but also show more curiosity. 

Digital technology can also stifle creative thought, whereas a printed book can stimulate that, as well as writing and reflection. Reading and writing can also take us to unexpected places. 

What does it mean for me? What does it mean for Teacher Librarians?

We can do something to encourage reading in the commute to school, but also shift students away from devices, even for a short period of time each day. The solutions are simple, and you may already be applying them in some form.

To begin with, consider the students who travel a long distance to school. My school does have a large number of students who reside out of the area (Inner West, Hills Shire and Sydney CBD). I have worked in schools where students were travelling much further, which I have seen and still see for myself as I commute on either the T4 (particularly), T9, or Sydney Metro lines. Encourage them to make use of the time to read. Emphasise the benefits, e.g. can calm and relax a person. It can slow a brain down, and I see this for myself and others; it calms one down. It amazes me in my School READ sessions how the noisiest and "loudest" students can be easily calmed by reading.

Quick reads, e.g. graphic novels and verse novels, should be encouraged. They could even be used as a "hook" to encourage students to read longer-form books.

If you have a wide reading program. Well done. That encourages one to read for a longer period of time, while also providing opportunities to be introduced to texts that they may not be familiar with.

Does this mean that she would be discouraging eBooks? Not at all, but it allows us to be more wise with our use of screens. For some, there are benefits, e.g. audiobooks or being able to read a book in a larger font. 

In the library, encourage books using the motto "Reading is Power" to resist algorithms. Books let you decide what you think while algorithms decide what you see. Book Reviews by students should be encouraged, whether they are posted on the shelves, through the library catalogue or a mixture of both. 

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. 

Devices eroding teens' reading attention (Newspaper feature)

Recently, The Sydney Morning Herald published a feature on the 2024 What Kids Are Reading Report by Renaissance Education, based on data from the Accelerated Reader Program, used by 440 schools across Australia.

Source: Harris, C. 2024. "Devices eroding teens' reading attention. The Sydney Morning Herald, October 26: 9. 

A table towards the top right of the article lists the top 20 books read by students in Years 9 to 12. While the number of books read by students has increased, concerns were raised about the difficulty of reading texts—students opting for easier rather than more challenging reads.

Diana Wing (Renaissance Education Australia) attributes this to a preference for social media and, hence, a preference for literature that does not require sustained focus. 

The challenge for me, as a Teacher Librarian, and for every Teacher Librarian, is to encourage and provide access to more challenging texts that require a more sustained focus. This adds to the challenge of just getting a person to read.

The second half of the article focuses on the role of school libraries in advocating for reading. Author Andy Griffiths stated that "libraries were essential to building a school's reading culture and ensuring that students, teachers and parents had access to and knowledge of a panoply of books". 

SLANSW Summit - March 2024

On 16 March, I attended the biannual School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) Summit at Trinity Grammar School in Summer Hill. The theme was: Piecing it together: Voice, choice and connection and focused on literacy.

I have prepared an article for SLANSW that will appear in its blog. In it, I provide a detailed account of the summit from a member's perspective. This entry in my blog will focus on three strategies or approaches that I can apply what I learnt on the day to my day-to-day professional practice and my school library.

1. In encouraging students to read, I should consider the types of readers that exist such as Avid, Proficient, Struggling and Reluctant readers within the school community and propose how I can accommodate them, especially struggling and reluctant readers. Also, I should consider the types of reading, such as Aesthetic and efferent. What type of reading should I be promoting in the classroom? What type of reading supports reading for pleasure.
2. My school has a READ program where students read for twenty minutes a day, four times a week. I believe that student input in how the program is run will be key to its future success and effectiveness in improving student reading (and ultimately) academic results. Given the successful approach of including students in the success of the Just Read Program at Queenwood, I'll need to advocate for student input.
3. I concede that my school library has other pressing challenges that need to be prioritised at present, but I would like to eventually move towards greater curation of resources within the library collections and working with teachers across the faculties to make this happen. In past years at previous schools, I have attempted a library newsletter as a means of communicating with staff, which has its merits, especially with limited time to undertake such a venture, but it becomes a diary of record relating to the library in itself. I would like to challenge myself to also provide library presentations in the event of any professional learning days that comprise concurrent workshops that are delivered by staff.

Book Week Parades - For and Against

I am doing a blog entry for the School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) on Book Week Parades following an article published by Antoniette Latouff in The Sydney Morning Herald on 25 August 2022 in which she was critical of decisions by schools to hold them because of the frustrations raised by parents, and questions how it relates to improving literacy.

Click here to read that article.

I would also recommend an article written the following day by Caitlin Fitzsimmons in the same publication putting in a case for book week parades. She highlights that it has become an annual tradition in our schools but also promotes literature. In addition, she rebuts arguments about some of the "hassles" in organising costumes and highlights that not much effort is needed for a good costume

I will update you when the article appears on their blog, but note that it will not be available publically as it will be for SLANSW members only. 

What is meant by Wide Reading?

"You need to broaden your wide reading."

Two months ago, a colleague at school made this remark to me. I was asked if I had read certain novels. I had not heard about many of them. However, some were classic novels that I may look at reading in the future and was "instructed" to re-read certain titles because of student interest or because of their place in the curriculum.

To me "wide reading" has been about spending a period of time e.g. thirty minutes or one hour reading, focusing on literature of interest but also challenging myself to read a variety of literature.

On a typical day, I will spend on average between one hour and one and a half hours a day reading books. I also read the newspaper for about an hour a day on top of my book reading. 

My reading preferences are geared towards non-fiction, since I enjoy reading about the world that we live in and boosting my general knowledge including:

• Geopolitics (It has helped me understand some of the challenges facing the world right now e.g. Ukraine and China)
• History
• Poiltics
• Economics
• Business
• Social Trends/Current Affairs
• Biographies 

When I choose to read fiction I prefer:

• Young Adult Literature (helps me with book recommendations)
• Storylines reflecting issues facing society (including diversity)
• Science Fiction 
• Historical Fiction
• "Political Fiction" - Storylines focusing on politics

At times I have challenged myself to read items that may come from other genres such as Fantasy or Classics to help me recommend suitable literature to read to my students.

I feel thats wide enough for my reading

But some definitions of  "wide reading" focus on reading a wide range of literature relating to a specific topic e.g. Australian History or genre and being able to understand and comprehend its content. Did my colleague see it this way? 

What does "wide reading" mean to you?

Recommending Books to Students

Last Tuesday, I attended a webinar faciliated by SLANSW focusing on recommending books to students and it was encouraging to listen to see how other teacher-librarians support students in recommending books.

One teacher librarian who works in a secondary Catholic College near Newcastle shared how she is using reading ambassadors to encourage students to read. She has asked 10 students who are passionate readers to be part of her initative. The students have an opportunity to read new books before they are available for students to borrow along with them being allocated to a specific Year 7 English class. 

They also share with other students their favourite books, genres and what they currently read along with their personal recommendations.

I thought the approach was excellent because I have believed strongly that students are more effective at recommending books to their peers than teachers. While as teachers, we may know our students well and their preferences, students like to do other students do. With reading, students are more likely to read if other students read.

It could be something that I would like to do down the track with a group of students because I think it could yield rewards long term.

I was also introduced to the 'book bots' which have been introduced in a number of primary schools. I am hoping they will become available in secondary schools because I think it will simplify the process of choosing a book from the library collection and has proven to engage even the most reluctant readers in reading. I do have a link which explains how a 'book bot' works.

10 Must Reads - Posters

Last Term, while relieving for two teacher libarians at a Sutherland Shire High school (they share one full time position and took separate periods of leave ), I decided to create posters to promote literatuer featured in the different genres that comprise of the fiction collection, excluding the general fiction collection.

Normally, I would have created a "Recommended Reads" brochure to promote literature but decided to attempt a visual approach through the posters and identify ten items that would be suitable and enjoyable for the students. If there the item was part of a series, I would promote the first book and then list the series underneath to open up further reading options, should the student enjoy reading the first book.

Click here to access the Google Drive folder.  

The library assistant did a great job in creating a book display to promote the items featured. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney, remote learning, but also the conclusion of my work at the school, I cannot provide any feedback on the success of it, but it is a step forward.

"Just Read" at Queenwood

I thought I'd share two articles relating to a wide reading program - "Just Read" by Sydney independent school - Queenwood. It is an initaitve that is working effectively in developing a whole school wide reading culture. Every staff member is also required to participate.

• Queenwood News Weekly - Article from 21 February 2020
• 'Sense of urgency': One school's bold plan to get teenagers reading - The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 January 2020

At the end of April, I attended a presentation by Gabrielle Mace (author of the article from Queenwood News Weekly) and was very encouraged by the results of "Just Read" to date particularly embedding the wide reading time in the school timetable but also the motivation it gave the students to read for enjoyment. I was also impressed by allocating the time on Friday to sharing book reviews within their groups as well. I think student recommendations go a long way to encouraging one to read. 

Concerns over Reading for Pleasure

Yesterday, The Australian published an overview of the findings from OECD, 21st‑Century Readers: Developing Literacy Skills in a Digital World.

It was concerning for Australia. The research established that increased internet usage was leading to a decrease in students reading for pleasure. 32% of Australian teenagers felt that reading was a "waste of time" and 58% read because "I have to". 

Reading for pleasure has been linked to performance in reading scores. Those who read for pleasure received scores up to 86 points higher than those who dont read. 

With Australia slipping against other OECD countries in reading scores and rankings, this is suggesting that engagement with reading amongst children is on the decline.

The research also identified that teachers contribute towards higher reading scores if students were required to read texts e.g. set text or read one book per fortnight and if the texts contained more than 101 pages. It also encouraged reading for pleasure.

Click here to view the article (You will need to be a subscriber to The Australian) to access the content.

Vicki Courtenay Presentation - SLANSW Presentation

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend an online presentation by the School Library Assocation of NSW (SLANSW) Teacher Librarian of the year - Vicki Courtenay. Vicki is a Teaching and Learning Librarian at Trinity Grammar at Summer Hill (Sydney). 

I enjoyed listening to some of the work that she has engaged in but also provided insights into the work of the team at the Arthur Holt Library at their main campus in Summer Hill.

I was impressed with the idea of a booking sheet that teachers can use to book for Teacher Librarians to undertake research skills workshops with their classes. I was left wondering why I never had the idea in my head in previous years. I could have even created a flyer that could have provided an overview of ideas for possible research skills lessons. I believe that it could even be used for wide reading lessons etc if the English teacher wanted to focus on a specific aspect of wide reading.

It left me with better ideas as well on how to collaborate with teachers in the preparation of assessment tasks and also educating students in skills associated with academic integrity. Reflecting on it, I think I may have missed opportunities for collaboration even though I did collaborate actively with colleagues focusing on their students specific needs.

Finally I was interested by her insights into wide reading and promoting a positive reading culture. There are many ways that one can promote a positive reading culture, but did enjoy hearing insights into how Trinity Grammar has promoted reading and literature e.g. the book that changed my life. I actually liked the idea that they applied because it makes one reflect on the impact that reading a particular book has changed their lives and how it has changed for the better. Books can inspire us to make the decisions that ultimately shape our lives, whether it may be to change our behaviour, our lifestyles, our perspectivcs, develop our interests or even shape the career path that we choose to take. It may have even had an emotional impact in our lives or help us to discover something.

I could relate to one aspect of the wide reading program that they implement there - sharing reviews of books that have been read as part of wide reading sessions. I have encouraged this. I believe that students are more likely to read a certain title if a friend recommends it than that of a teacher. I think it also helps others to be aware of the books that are popular or are available. I know personally that hearing reviews by other people has even helped me decide what to read next, especially if I am uncertain about it.

The Laureate & The Literacy Leader - SLANSW Summit

Last Saturday (March 13), the School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) presented its first blended summit where attendees could either attend in person or online. Instead of the State Library of NSW, it was hosted by The Kings School. 

For those who enjoy attending face to face, it was the first time in one year that we could gather in person for a summit or conference. Last year, SLANSW were fortuante to have one face to face summit prior to COVID-19 Restrictions and presented an online speaker series instead of a second face to face summit.

Providing it online enabled those in regional areas to participate or for those in the city, participate from the comfort of their own home. 

Karen Yager was fantastic in explaining how we can use Australian literature to encourage students to improve their writing by focusing on landscapes then collaborating actively on creating lists of resources to share with English Teachers.

Ursula Dubosarsky (Author & Australian Children's Laureate 2020-2021) shared her insights in the role of libraries in engaging children with reading and how we can support them. I asked her a question based on experiences where schools do not have a wide reading program and students have presented statements such as "I don't like reading" and "I don't read" and what we could do. She admitted that she could not answer the question, but she had her concerns about schools that have not encouraged a positive reading culture. I for one have concerns for schools that do not have a wide reading program or encourage reading for pleasure. Ursula and I have common ground on this.

Also we had an opportunity to discuss different wide reading intiatives and programs applied by different schools and I was encouraged by the opportunity to share within a small group some of my successes to date with wide reading programs and the interest attendees within that group had.

I hope to comment further once resources are finalised but found the day to be well engaging. 

I am a currently a Metropolitan Representative on the Management Committee of SLANSW. If you wish to join, please feel free to contact me at fabian.amuso@syd.catholic.edu.au

My Reading Goal (Resource)

I created a resource last year that I did not end up using, but based it on my work at the MLC School back in 2014 where I challenged students to set a reading goal for the term ahead as part of wide reading lessons. 

With the school I worked for last year, I had intended to undertake the activity during the first wide reading lesson of each term, collect them and return to them at the end of the term to determine whether or not they had met their set challenge.

The objective of the activity was to encourage students to determine how they could challenge themselves with their reading and work towards attaining that goal. I believe that it would foster better reading habits. 

I have decided to share this resource. Please feel free to download and use or modify as needed. 

If you would like a word.doc of this resource, please email me at either fabian.amuso@syd.catholic.edu.au or famuso.teachlib@gmail.com. 

What I Like Reading (Handout)

Last year, I created a resource for Teacher Librarians that could have two uses:

What I Like Reading

It can be used for either (or both):

1. Finding out reading preferences of students.
2. Genrefication of library fiction collections

I ended up using the handout for both reasons. 

Firstly, I needed to know what they enjoyed reading so I could help each student select suitable books to read given that the students I worked with had experienced difficulty locating books that they enjoyed reading. It helped me make more informed recommendations to students during their wide reading sessions. This provides a diagnostic assessment of student reading preferences. I scanned student responses and emailed each English Teacher a copy for their records. As we start the year, this will be a good resource to use in wide reading sessions. 

Secondly it helped me to plan and advise the school on how the fiction collection could be genreified. I tallied the results for each wide reading/English class and provided me with a broader indication of what the student body at the school enjoyed reading. You may notice that I mostly used genre labels from RAECO in the handout as I was proposing to utilise their labels when genreifying the collection. However, labels (custom made or accquired from any supplier) can be used. 

There was an additional benefit in that it better informed me on resources to be accquired for the library. For instance a number of students indicated that they enjoyed reading sports fiction and the library had very few books catering for their interest in this genre. In response, I had to order additional books encompassing sport. I also needed to expand our collection of humour novels/stories as it was identified as one of the most popular genres by the student body and some series e.g. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was in very high demand. 

If you would like a word.doc of this resource, please email me at either fabian.amuso@syd.catholic.edu.au or famuso.teachlib@gmail.com. 

Wide Reading - Reading boxes

This week, I made a decision to apply a strategy that worked effectively several years ago when running secondary school wid reading sessions.

While it is great to see libraries with shelves full of books, some students might find their choices to be overwhelming. This is normal behaviour for humans as sometimes making a choice between many options can be difficult.

Sometimes it needs to be narrowed down, especially if kids are reluctant readers or require direction.

Yesterday, I had a small group of students from a Year 9 English class drop in for a wide reading session. Their teacher indicated that they can only read at a stage 2 level. I am already aware that options are limited for recommending books at that level and currently ordering more items suited to those students.

But I managed to load up a small cubed trolley with a selection of books - many with illustrations, humour or short stories. I even threw in graphic novels.

I placed the books on the table and students were allowed to choose books from the table to read. A few elected to browse the shelves to broaden their choices.

I was impressed with the response to graphic novels with three students (out of nine) electing to give a graphic novel a try. Their teacher was impressed with the choice of manga that requires them to read from back to front.

Futurology Books -

I recently completed reading Never in a million years by Ivor Baddiel & Jonny Zucker. It explored failed or impossible predictions made in the past by people from various sources including newspaper and magazine reports and books.

It bought back memories of one book that I borrowed from the school library on several occasions in primary school - Future Cities: Homes & Living into the 21st Century. The book was published in 1979, but the book was still available in the 1990's. I loved it because of its predictions and even then believed that it was going to happen in time.

You can view some pages from that book by clicking here.
They predicted that the Olympic Games would be held this year on the moon. Wont be happening. Its just a battle for the United States to get man back to the moon by 2024.

It made me think - even though books like this are dated, it would be great if they could be republished. If a library still has copies of futurology titles I would try to avoid throwing them out if possible especially if they contain illustrations. There is a history behind futurology as well. Never in a million years while not a history about futurology, does dwelve into the past. People would love to know what past generations thought about how we may be living today.

I think in a school library, they would be good for two reasons:

• Recreational reading - People are curious about the future and would cater to fans of Science Fiction or may trigger an interest in Science Fiction.
• Allows students to engage with Science and Technology, especially if they are not interested in
  Science. One aspect of Science that I liked was astronomy and futurology books were connected with space.

On the Hatred of Literature

On a Teacher Librarian forum, I recently read an article entitled On the Hatred of Literature. I was more curious and found an article from The New Yorker, focusing on why people don't read.

While the article focuses on American reading habits, there is some information relevant to those here in Australia.

When I was at school during the 1990's, there was no social media, the internet took the entire decade to penetrate into Australian homes and then it was slow because a telephone line was required as part of a connection.

Not to mention, Pay-TV was in its infancy, computer gaming was nowhere as advanced as it is now and no streaming media.

If you wanted to read a newspaper or magazine, you had to go to the newsagency and purchase it in person. No electronic editions were available.

Technology has eaten away at time that could be used for reading and that even includes the rise of social media.

One argument I may question is read by socioeconomic status where it is claimed that those that are more financially well off are more likely to read than those in lower socioeconomic classes. It does interest me from experience how those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds tend to be sometimes the most committed readers in our schools or those who speak English as an additional dialect.

But what about the busy nature of lives? Does that have a part in it? I think so.  There is so much competing for ones time, work and leisure related

The article doesn't mention about reading and performance at school even though the two are linked to each other.

It does remind me that I have to promote reading as a fun activity which can be just as entertaining as what is screened through our television sets and screens.  I make sure that books that I recommend reflect student needs and interests. Forcing students to read a particular type of book will not help them.

People will read if we talk about reading. I feel more keen to read if I am talking to people about what they read. It's usually the best source of finding out what is worth reading or not.

I think time management comes into play as well. I always have told students that there are ample opportunities to read in their daily routine. Many students in Sydney commute on public transport. The door is open up to read a book instead of texting their friend/s on the phone or to pass the time while they wait for a late train or bus to turn up.

Cover 2 Cover is over

Cover 2 Cover is now over. After the last logs were validated on Wednesday and scores tallied up, the winners were revealed today at a school assembly.

I was proud of our winners with juniors winning most of the prizes on offer. Our winners managed to read around 60 books in a seven week period. Time is limited, but reading is an activity that means something to them.

One of them is from a Non English speaking background and her love of reading stemmed from having to read at home develop her English language skills. She can read well above her age now.

Compared to where it began seven weeks ago, Cover 2 Cover came a long way. I noticed in the last fortnight, homeroom teachers were encouraging their kids to read to land the homeroom prize of a special lunch. The homeroom winner was well deserving with most students reading at least one book in that time.

Some students had also spread gossip about progress, especially after I stopped reporting points early in the week.

I had heard from one student that their friend normally doesn't read, but participating it made them rethink about the importance of reading.

We also had noticed more books being borrowed with some untouched books actually finding themselves in the hands of a student.

And the students today enjoyed and cheered on our winners. They were thrilled.

Cover 2 Cover Challenge

The Cover 2 Cover wide reading challenge at my school is underway.

The mood in the library is becoming electric, especially with the guessing competition where students can win prizes if they can correctly guess the favourite books of selected staff. It's a great way for my colleagues to share their reading preferences and experiences with the students. I have learnt what my colleagues enjoy reading too.

I have prepared recommended reads brochures that will award two points if a book on that list is read and reviewed (via a reading log) or 4 points if they select a book recommended by the teaching staff. It gives a bit of a challenge. If they want to read an item that is not listed, they can earn one point per book read, but can only read five books not listed.

It is a pilot project for my colleagues and I, but I will say how much fun its proving to be so far. Getting the students to read is the big challenge, but there are going to be some prizes on offer for those who either read the most books and/or earn the most points.