Reading

I've recently started reading 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl to my six-year-old son. He's really enjoying it and it's wonderful that there are so many other Dahl books that we will be able to read together when we finish. In the book, Mrs Phelps the librarian watches in awe as Matilda makes her way through an impressive list of books:

Nicholas Nickelby by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Gone to Earth by Mary Webb

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Good Companions by J. B. Priestly

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Now, I'm an avid reader but, to my shame, I've not read one of these classics. Inspired by Matilda, I decided to begin 'The Old Man and the Sea' a few days ago. To be honest, I'm not in love with it but it's ok, I'm pleased that I am broadening my reading repertoire and I will persevere.

As we all know, reading is so important for children and I encourage my students to read independently and with a parent as often as possible - particularly if they will be sitting the 11+ test. Having a broad vocabulary is crucial to the English and Verbal Reasoning sections of the exam and reading is a simple way to give them the best chance possible.

Have you read the books on the list? Are you tempted to try?