Fantasy helps turn reading into reality

THE internet, Facebook and computer games. Young people have a wealth of leisure activities that were not around when their parents were growing up.

But one activity still has the ability to transport them into another world — reading.

KAREN DOHERTY found out more about the work to get more boys into books.
STEP into Oldham Library this weekend and you will be transported to a sci-fi world where Eldars and Orks battle for supremacy and the fate of races in a vast fantasy universe will be played out in minute detail on a table-top tableau.

Anyone who thinks libraries are boring places for boys have probably not heard of the strategy war game Warhammer 40K.

Boys can take along their model armies on Sunday as part of an initiative to get them into books. And children’s services librarian Beverley Fitzsimons believes that getting them through the door in the first place is the main battle.

“Once they are through you have got them because of the enthusiastic staff and all the materials we have got like DVDs, magazines, study support and a lot of activities for families,” she said.

“Libraries have become more exciting and there’s more for them to do. We have always had really good activities here and we are trying to do different things.

“Girls have always read, but now there is more out there for boys and a lot of things on TV to promote boys reading. Boys look up to what their idols are reading and there have been a lot of footballers saying how exciting books are.”

Research by the Museums and Libraries Association (MLA) shows that two national schemes have boosted the number of primary school boys who are reading for enjoyment — improving their literacy skills at the same time.

Around 330,000 boys aged from five to 11 got involved in the Government’s £5 million Boys into Books campaign during last year’s National Year of Reading.

And the Book Ahead programme saw children aged three to five take part in more than 4,500 storytelling sessions, 5,400 nursery rhyme sessions and 1,600 book talks.

Libraries also forged links with schools and nurseries — and the figures show how crucial this is: a child from a deprived home has heard on average only 13 million words by the age of four, compared with 45 million in a more well-off home.

Experts say that what starts as a problem with vocabulary rapidly turns into a problem with reading, writing and comprehension, leading to poor exam results.

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker explained: “We know that boys lag behind girls all over the English speaking world, especially in reading and writing, more so for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. While a huge amount has been done to close the gap, there is always more we can do to get every child up to speed.

“That’s why we are working to narrow the reading gaps from a younger age. The million new books distributed through these programmes have made a real difference.”

Chris Brown, editor of the review section of The School Librarian, has written the Riveting Reads guide to accompany Boys into Books. It recommends an array of lads’ page turners — from classics such as “The Iron Man” to Anthony Horowitz’s adventures.

He says that boys tend to enjoy action-packed fiction with lots of humour and slightly larger than life characters. Favourites are usually linked with high-profile TV series or films, and they can also get hooked on subjects, from BMX-ing to dinosaurs.

But boys also read many other things such as comics, Yu-Gi-Oh Manga trading cards or the detailed rules that govern the Warhammer world, often not realising what they are doing.

The library is also holding a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament on Sunday and Beverley added: “As long as they are reading and they are interested in it, it might encourage them to do something else.”

That’s why Oldham’s £5,200 Boys into Books project delivered boxes of lad lit to schools while Daleks and Cybermen invaded Oldham Library during a Dr Who day.

An animation workshop brought characters to life and staff attended a Warhammer workshop, even producing a stunning model backdrop for the game.

The Young Voices project, which recruits young library volunteers, has set up a Yu-Gi-Oh club in the teenage library and Scouts took part in a zombie hunt during a spooky Hallowe’en sleepover.

“We switched the lights off and they went round the library looking for clues. They then slept between the shelves,” said Beverley.

“There were some young boys there who had never been in a library before.”

As MLA chief executive Roy Clarke said: “Boys into Books has shown what can be achieved when libraries work in partnership with schools. Library staff have willingly shared their enthusiasm and skill in promoting reading for enjoyment to boys and the results are very positive.”

l The Yu-Gi-Oh tournament and Warhammer 40K day runs from 10.30am to 3pm on Sunday in Oldham Library’s performance space.

Forthcoming events planned for the library include a Star Wars day in April and a “Twilight” prom.