A new virtual book club for young people launches at Cardiff Central Library this week.
Cardiff Council’s Reading Power and TheSprout website are joining forces to create an online book club, aimed at young people, which will feature a monthly book recommendation and will invite readers to post their reviews and comments about the books online at TheSprout website.
Local children’s author of ‘Moonchase’, Cathy Farr, will officially launch the club at 10am on Thursday 23 February along with her Irish Wolfhound Finn. She will be joined by a group of Year 9 students from Michaelston and Glyn Derw secondary schools who will receive copies of her book to read.
TheSprout website, which is an interactive website offering information, news and advice to all young people aged 11 to 25 in Cardiff, will host the virtual book club. The website is fully interactive and allows young people and organisations that work with them to upload articles, events, pictures and videos.
Members of the new virtual book club will receive a new book recommendation every month from TheSprout which will be specifically chosen appeal to young people and encourage them to enjoy reading. Readers will then be invited to post their reviews and comments online at TheSprout website.
Virtual book club members can either set up a book club at school to read and discuss the books, or they can simply read them at home and post their comments on the website.
Cardiff Council’s Reading Power campaign launched in autumn 2010 as the Council recognises that literacy plays a fundamental role in people’s lives and the importance of raising standards so that everyone can fulfil their potential. Poor literacy has a dramatic effect on both an individual’s life and wider society and has been linked with an increased tendency for crime, poor educational attainment, health issues and also causes problems for business and the wider economy from skills shortages.
Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway said: “Improving the literacy levels of children and young people across the city is a high priority for Cardiff Council, and since the launch of our literacy strategy, there has been a marked increase in the number of functionally literate children leaving primary education and going on to high school. We are making progress, and want to keep up the good work.
“The literacy team works hard to engage children and young people, and to communicate the message that reading is fun. This new book club is yet another great idea to get young people to make reading a part of their leisure time, and to encourage them to contribute and share their views with their peers.”
For more information on the Reading Power campaign, visit www.cardiff.gov.uk/readingpower which provides information on how parents can help their children, containing tips and advice as well as recommending books and links to other websites that promote reading as an enjoyable pastime, as well as an essential skill.
