Our thanks to those who were able to join us for our SLAV online Book Club on Wednesday February 19th, 2025, to discuss the topic: Reads For Non-Readers

We asked our members to share their favourite reading ideas for Non-Readers, as well as general tips & tricks for encouraging Non-Readers to try a book.

This was particularly topical as the Australia Reads research report, Understanding Australian Readers : Behavioural Insights Into Recreational Reading has just been released, with lots of research backed ideas about helping different categories of readers overcome barriers to reading.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and student’s needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Strategies for Engaging Non-Readers

Have a ‘just for fun” shelf near some comfortable seating options. Suggested books for this shelf would include Guiness Book of Records, books of short facts, quick sports reads, Where’s Wally books.

Posters or bookmarks such as ‘If you liked this book…. Try this one too’

Read the first chapters of books to students to hook them into the story

Students like to read books that are recommended to them by their peers or buddy’s

Ask the students for their recommendations for books to add to the Collection

Read with a Mate (like having a gym buddy) – students choose books for each other and then read to each other before they then read independently. This way they keep each other accountable for their reading. Give students questions or interview students to help develop a book list of books they may be interested in. Then, based on the answers to the questions, give the students a limited list of books they can choose to read. Based on a program at Brisbane Grammar School,

Make reading a social experience.

Run competitions.

Have a Borrowing Loyalty Card – similar to a café coffee card. When a student borrows enough books to complete a card they get a small prize, such as a sticker. Could also link to House points if this is a thing at your school.

Give out bookmarks to use as reading trackers

Started Year 10 cohort with a focus on rediscovering the will, skill, and thrill of reading. These are particularly sporty students.

Encourage students to listen to audiobooks

Suggest the graphic novel version of a popular book or of books their friends are reading.

When speaking to students ask them what they like about their favourite characters to help with book recommendations.

Older teens often prefer adult books – Year 10 and up enjoy books by Liane Moriarty, Jane Harper etc

Encourage teachers to also read when their class has reading time to model reading behaviour.

Look at ways to encourage parents to model reading at home.

Suggest non-readers try verse novels. They are quick to read, fast-paced and include lots of white space.

Hold a parent information evening about the benefits of reading, a wide reading program, and emphasise reading for fun.

Graphic novels and Manga are a great way to encourage reluctant readers.

Try suggesting Choose your own Adventure books

Develop a ‘Grab, Sit, Read’ Collection next to comfortable seating options

Sports books – Fiction, Biographies, graphic novels, non-fiction

Try shelving Fiction and Non-Fiction books of particular interest together – for instance, I have all my Sporting books shelved together – Non-Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Biographies. I also have my Law and True Crime Non-Fiction books shelved with my Mystery & Suspense Fiction books. Has proven very popular with students and increased the borrowing of these areas.

Book Series Suggestions

The ‘My Story’ series of books

The ‘Australian Girl’ series of books

The ‘Royal Diaries’ series of books

The ‘I Survived’ series of graphic novels

The ‘Wings of Fire’ series of graphic novels

The Illuminae series by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufmann

The ‘Minutes of Danger’ series Jack Heath

The ‘Maze Runner’ series by James Dashner

The ‘Hunger Games’ series Suzanne Collins

The ‘Divergent’ series by Veronica Roth

The ’Once’ series by Morris Gleitzman

The ‘Harry Potter’ series by J.K. Rowling

The ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ series by Holly Jackson

The ‘Don’t Call Me Ishmael’ series by Gerard Bauer

James Patterson Bookshot books – short books under 150 pages

The ‘Can you survive?’ series

The ‘You Choose Monster Hunt’ series

Anthony Horowitz Legends series

The ‘Heidi’ series by Johanna Spyri

The ‘Where’s Wally?’ series

Hi Lo Graphic Novels by Judd Winick

Author Suggestions

Tristan Bancks

Jack Heath

Garth Nix

John Green

Jacqueline Wilson

Stephen King

Felice Arena

Non-Fiction Suggestions

The Guiness Books of Records books

DK non-fiction books – have great illustrations and small, digestible chunks of text

Wednesday Warriors : Doing it for the jumper (the St Pat’s Ballarat tradition) by James Gilchrist

Fatal Faults  - Challenger explosion by Erin Braun

Individual Book Suggestions

The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Mike by Andrew Norris

The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (younger readers graphic novel, with cute dragons)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

Billy Lemonade by Sarah J. Maxwell (short and emotional)

What We Are Reading!

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner

Cold Truth by Ashley Kalagain Blunt

The Safe Keep by Yael van der Wouden

James by Percival Everett

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Playground by Richard Powers

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

The Wolves of Greycoat Hall series by Lucinda Gifford

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

The 113^th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson

Books by Anne Tyler

Our thanks to those who were able to join us for our SLAV online Book Club on Thursday October 14th, 2024, to discuss the topic: Desert Island Reads.

We asked our members to share their favorite Desert Island Reads. Contributed titles are split into Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Adult Fiction.

Many thanks to Deb at The Younger Sun  who is an invaluable resource, providing many recommendations. The staff at The Younger Sun are incredibly knowledgeable, and would be happy to help you with any book-buying needs!

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and student’s needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Picture Books

• Animalia – Graeme Base

Middle Grade Books

   

• The Midwatch – Judith Rossell
• Landovel series – Emily Rodda
• The 113th Assistant Librarian – Stuart Wilson
• When we were very young –  A A Milne 

 

Young Adult Books

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy – Laini Taylor
• Any book by Terri Terry

Adult Books

      

Juice – Tim Winton The Season – Helen Garner The Burrow – Melanie Cheng Spark of the Everflame – Penn Cole The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey I Am Scrooge : A Zombie Story for Christmas – Adam Roberts Playground – Richard Powers

The Red Tent – Anita Diamant Bleak House by Charles Dickens The Dune series – Frank Herbet The Lord of the Rings Series – J R R Tolkien Remembrance of things past – Marcel Proust Les Miserables – Victor Hugo Books by Edward Rutherfurd

 

Non-Fiction Books

      

• The Australia Survival Guide – George Ivanoff
• Strife – Mia Freeman (previously published a Work Strife Balance)
• Australian Gospel – Lech Blaine
• Car Crash – Lech Blaine
• A Place For Everything : The Curious History of Alphabetic Order – Judith Flanders
• An Atlas
• The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J Jacobs
• The Dreaming Path: Indigenous Thinking to Change Your Life – Paul Callaghan

 

Our thanks to those who were able to join us for our SLAV online Book Club on Thursday October 10th, 2024, to discuss the topic: Historical Fiction.

We asked our members to share their favorite Historical Fiction books. Contributed titles are split into Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Adult Fiction.

Many thanks to Deb at The Younger Sun  who is an invaluable resource, providing many recommendations. The staff at The Younger Sun are incredibly knowledgeable, and would be happy to help you with any book-buying needs!

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and student’s needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Picture Books

          

Shearer by Neridah McMullin, Michael Tomkins. Alfred’s War by Rachel Bin Salleh Freedom Day : Vincent Lingiari and the story of he Wave Hill walk-off by Rosie Smiler, Thomas Mayor, Samantha Campbell. Eat My Dust! By Neridah McMullin, Lucia Masciullo Drover by Neriday McMullin, Sarah Anthony Tearaway Coach by Neriday McMullin, Andrew McLean

The Hidden Hat by Phil Cummings, Jennifer Goldsmith Votes for women! : The story of Nelly, Rose and Mary by Mark Wilson Home by Karen Hendriks, Alisa Knatko One Minute’s Silence by David Metzenthen, Michael Camilleri

Middle Grade

The Midwatch by Judith Rossell 11 Ruby Road : 1900 by Charlotte Barkla 11 Ruby Road : 1925 by Charlotte Barkla Wolf Road by Alice Roberts We Are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad The Houdini Inheritance by Emma Carroll Marion and the forty thieves by Sarah Luke Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger by Jackie French Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park When the war came home by Lesley Parr The key to Rome by Sophie Masson Yoko’s Diary edited by Paul Ham The boy who stepped through time by Anna Ciddor The great escape by Felice Arena Our castle by the sea by Lucy Strange Showerland series by Nat Amoore Freedom Finders series by Emily Conolan (choose your own destiny books) Runner by Robert Newton Forgotten Pearl by Belinda Murrell The I Survived graphic novel series The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan by Felice Arena (plus other Felice Arena books)

The Wearing of the Green by Claire Saxby Jackie French books The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken Our Australian Girls series Do You Dare series My Australian Stories series My Story series My Royal Story series The Royal Diaries series Princess series Outlaw Girls by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman Elsewhere Girls by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson Deadly Waters by Helen Chapman Escape from East Berlin by Andy Marino The Mud Puddlers by Pamela Rushby Pony by R.J. Palacio Until the Road Ends by Phil Earle Michael Morpurgo books Miss Penny Dreadful series by Allison Rushby Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens Father of the Lost Boys – Young Readers Edition by Yuot A. Alaak

Young Adult

            

Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad Waiting for the storks by Katrina Nannestad All the beautiful things by Katrina Nannestad I must betray you by Ruta Sepetys Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr Levithian trilogy by Scott Westerfield Westfallen by Ann Brashares The Breadwinner series by Deborah Ellis The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley The War I finally won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee Ground Zero by Allan Gratz Grenade by Allan Gratz Refugee by Allan Gratz Hero by Allan Gratz Prisoner B-3087 by Allan Gratz Allies by Allan Gratz Code of Honour by Allan Gratz Tattooist of Auschwitz (YA Edition) by Heather Morris The Pagan Chronicles series by Catherine Jinks The Once series by Morris Gleitzman Suzy Zail books Ruta Sepetys books

When we flew away by Alice Hoffman Two sparrowhawks in a lonely sky by Rebecca Lim Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls Stateless by Elizabeth Wein 1914 by Sophie Masson 52 Mondays by Anna Ciddor Briar Rose by Jane Yolen Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet The Divine Wind by Garry Disher The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander Freedom ride by Sue Lawson Freedom Swimmer by Wai Chim Haywire by Claire Saxby Interned by Pamela Rushby Those Girls by Pamela Rushby Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen Our race for Reconciliation by Anita Heiss Through My Eyes – Natural Disaster Zones series Through My Eyes – Australian Disaster Zones series One by One They Disappear by Mike Lucas A Cruel Twist of Fate by H. F. Askwith The Lady Helen series by Alison Goodman

Senior Fiction

            

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Juice by Tim Winton The island of missing trees by Elif Shafak There are rivers in the sky by Elif Shafak The Prophet song by Paul Lynch The one hundred year old man who climbed out of the window by Jonas Jonasson Our London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey There are rivers in the sky by Elif Shafak 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak At the foot of the cherry tree by Allie Parker

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley Books by Kristin Hannah Books by Fiona McIntosh James by Percival Everett Rapture by Emily Maguire Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Dirrayawadha: Rise Up by Anita Heiss Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray: River of Dreams by Anita Heiss Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms by Anita Heiss The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

Our thanks to those who were able to join us for our SLAV online Book Club on Wednesday August 7th, 2024, to discuss the topic: Bookshops and Libraries. This is a topic close to every reader’s heart, so we were eager to dive into everyone’s recommendations.

We asked our members to share their favorite Fiction and Non-Fiction titles to do with bookstores and libraries. Contributed titles are split into Adult, Books for Students (covering Middle Grade and Young Adult, with additional info provided) and Picture Books.

Many thanks to Deb at The Younger Sun  who is an invaluable resource, providing many recommendations. The staff at The Younger Sun are incredibly knowledgeable, and would be happy to help you with any book-buying needs!

Penguin Books supported this session! They sent three new books (in this meeting’s theme) to one lucky school who participated in the event. A massive thanks to everyone at Penguin Books for helping us encourage reading!

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and student’s needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

New Titles shared by Deb from the Younger Sun 

Adult

1. The Yield – Tara June Winch
2. Possession – A S Byatt.
3. The Little Paris Bookshop – Nina George
4. The Library Book – Susan Orleans
5. The Giver of Stars – Jojo Moyes
6. The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians – James Patterson
7. Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doer
8. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop – Bo-reum Hwang
9. The Secret, Book and Scone Society – Ellery Adams
10. The Diary of a Bookseller – Shaun Bythell
11. Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams
12. The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
13. The Cracked Spine – Paige Shelton
14. The Librarianist – Patrick deWitt
15. The Diary of a Bookseller – Shaun Bythell
16. The Book of Form and Emptiness – Ruth Ozeki
17. The Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde
18. Dewey – Vicki Myron
19. That Librarian – Amanda Jones
20. The Library Book – Susan Orlean
21. The Librarian: a Memoir – Allie Morgan.

Books for Students

1. What You are Looking For is in the Library – Michiko Aoyama (Year 9 up)
2. 113th Assistant Librarian – Stuart Wilson (Coming out in November!)
3. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Young Adult)
4. The Lost Book of Magic – Amelia Mellor (Coming out in October!)
5. Land of L – Emily Rodda
6. The Book that Wouldn’t Burn – Mark Lawrence  (Year 10 upwards)
7. The Book that No One Wanted to Read – Richard O (Middle Fiction)
8. The Library Fish – Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Junior)
9. The Evil Librarian – Michelle Knudsen
10. Lirael – Garth Nix (Young Adult)
11. The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster
12. The Littlest Library – Poppy Alexander
13. Hooray, Hooray it’s Library Day – Julie Grasso
14. The Little Street Library – Amy Adeny
15. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf – Grant Snider (Graphic Novel)
16. Left Handed Booksellers of London – Garth Nix (Young Adult)
17. Mr Lemoncello’s Library series – Chris Grabenstein
18. Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian – Jessica Spanyol
19. Library Mouse – Daniel Kirk
20. Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians – Brandon Sanderson
21. Rondo – Emily Rodda
22. Pages and Co – Anna James
23. The Lost Library – Rebecca Stead
24. The Secret Library of Hummingbird House – Julianne Negri
25. The Medoran Chronicles – Lynette Noni
26. Words in Deep Blue – Cath Crowley
27. A Library of Lemons – Jo Cotterill
28. The Bookshop Girl – Sylvia Bishop
29. The Moonlight Dreamers – Siobhan Curham (Young Adult)
30. Strange the dreamer by Lani Taylor (Young Adult)
31. Luna Loves Library Day – Joseph Coelho
32. Ink and Bone – Roxanne Conrad (Young Adult)
33. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Young Adult)
34. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
35. The Librarian of Auschwitz – Antoni Hurbe (Young Adult)
36. Suggested Reading – Dave Connis (Young Adult)
37. The Travelling Bookshop – Katrina Nannestad
38. Fairy Tale Fan Club – Richard Ayoade (New)
39. Whisperwicks – Jordan Lee (New)

 

Picture Books

1. The Dictionary Story – Oliver Jeffers (New!)
2. Books Make Good Friends – Jane Mount
3. Parsely Rabbit – Frances Watts and David Legge
4. The Little Street Library – Amy Adeney
5. Dewey – Vicki Myron
6. The Librarian of Basra – Antonio Iturbe
7. Librarian – Busy People series – Ando Twin and Lucy M George
8. The Librarian’s Stories – Lucy Falcone and Anna Wilson
9. It’s A Book – Lane Smith
10. Help Wanted Must Love Books – Janet Sumner Johnson and Courtney Dawson
11. The Lost Library – Jess McGeachin
12. Midnight at the Library – Ursula Dubosarsky and Ron Brooks
13. Our Library – Donna Rawlins

Thanks again to everybody who joined and gave us so many great recommendations.