Don’t like reading? Here are some tips to get you started

Step One: what to read -   choosing a good book.

Do visit bookshops and libraries.

Take the books down off the shelves (it’s allowed!).  Have a good look at them.

Take a photo on your phone of anything you think you might enjoy to remind you or make a note of the titles.

Read book reviews on the websites below to see what other people think of them.

1. http://www.lovereading.co.uk/

On this website you can read short extracts of the books. If you like what you read you can buy the book at a discounted price. You do need to register first but it is free to join. Books are organised by genre.

2. http://www.lovereading4schools.co.uk/ - This is a ‘sister’ site to the first one but here you will find The Warriner School book lists.

3. http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site   - Lots of info about new books and authors.

4. http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/teenagers/ -    Book recommendations and book lists.

5. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/childrens-books/ - Info about books and authors

Step Two: When to read - developing the reading habit.

Think of this reading time as you would view training for your favourite sport or practice time for a musical instrument. The more you do it the more you improve your skills.

So when is the best time for you to get some reading done? Make it a time which you can do easily, two or three times a week.

How about before you go to bed? It’s a great wind down at the end of a day and a break from the busy, blue screens of technology.

Step Three: How long to read.

Set yourself a 20 minute alarm on a phone, clock, or kitchen timer.

While the minutes are ticking down you have to read but when the alarm sounds you may stop.

If you do this 3 times a week you will read an extra hour more than you have been doing.

If you read for 20 mins every day you would clock up an extra 2 hours 27mins of reading skills practice time.

Step Four: Paper book or E-Book?

If you are put off reading by the length of a book or the size of the words, consider reading an e-book on an e-reader such as a Kindle or Nook. You can also download reading apps for PCs, smartphones and tablet computers.

The advantages of reading this way are:

• You get drawn into the story so you are not so aware of how many pages you have to read.
• You can make the text bigger.
• If you don’t understand a word you can click on it and the dictionary pops up with a definition.
• It keeps your place so you can just carry on reading where you left off.
• You see what percentage of the book you have read which motivates you to finish it.