What is The Joy of Reading?
The Joy of Reading is an event to encourage young peoples’ passion for reading and inspire them with a visit from an author. Each child is bought a copy of the chosen book and the author of the book twill then visit your school several months later to give a talk and answer questions.
This is a fun and inspiring event that helps promote a love of reading and evidence suggests there is a positive relationship between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and attainment.
This Years Book
Todd and Laurie’s dad is either on top of the world, taking them on fun adventures, or down in the depths and sleeping all the time.
In the middle of the night, he bundles them into the car and drives them to the Paradise Hotel. He paints a picture of a luxurious mansion by the sea but the reality is a rundown dump and the disappointment means Dad takes to his hotel bed.
Todd and Laurie have the run of the place, and meet Scout, the daughter of the owner, who tells them about the night many years ago when a famous woman vanished from her room on the top floor, which was locked from the inside… with clues to crack, a mystery to solve, and Dad to worry about, this holiday is full of twists and turns.
This Year's Author: Lisa Thompson
Lisa Thompson is a children’s novelist born in Essex, UK. Her debut novel, The Goldfish Boy, was published in the UK and North America in 2017 and went on to become a bestseller. The Goldfish Boy has been nominated for numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal, The Branford Boase Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and was given a starred review by Kirkus Reviews. A stage production of The Goldfish Boy was commissioned for a short run by the Oldham Theatre Workshop.
You can find out more about Helen on her website.
Additional Resources
A guide and links to useful resources to help support young people with a parent/carer with mental illness.
Upper KS2 lesson plans and resource sheets to accompany the book ‘Rollercoaster Boy’ from Scholastic.
Parental mental health problems - supporting children and families.