Reading,
Reading for Pleasure
and Comprehensions
Why Schools Choose Certain Books — and Why They Matter
Schools and exam boards choose certain books because they help children learn important reading and thinking skills. The books are usually interesting stories with clear characters and themes, which makes them good for learning how to understand plots, language, and ideas. They are also chosen because they are easy to find, suitable for the age group, and fair for everyone to study. Many of these books explore big ideas like friendship, right and wrong, or growing up, which helps children think about the world as well as enjoy reading.
The books you find in a school library are very important for learning. Many of the books you will read later, including books for English exams, expect that you already know these stories. Writers often refer back to books they have read, and if you know them too, it is easier to understand their ideas. These books help us learn about what it means to be human and how people lived and thought in different cultures. Each book helps you understand the next one, and if you miss them, you can miss important clues, references, and meanings in other stories. if you don't know the clues in the story, the book, the film - then you are not part of the whole community and culture conversation and you are missing out on more than you know.
If, like me, you are dyslexic, a lot of these books are going to be a tough read. Best way forward is to listen to these on audio book in the unabridged format. Let somebody else do the decoding for you, whilst you listen carefully to the story line and the complex themes.