Read Aquila for my School

Read for my School  is a  national schools reading competition is brought about  by The Pearson Foundation and Booktrust, with support from the Department for Education. In 2012 and 2013 Aquila by Andrew Norriss was one of the books available to read for free as an eBook during that time – I don’t know if it is on this year’s list.

Aquila won the Whitbread Children’s Award in 1997 and is a Puffin Modern Classic both of which reflect how good the book is – a well told story with a message delivered with a light humorous touch. Its timeless quality means it’s still being discovered anew after so many years as shown by this review from an American blogger on Nov 19th.

Interesting science fiction book… interesting how the inquiry process really is blatantly presented in this book. Boys skip out on a field trip and discover a skeleton and a spaceship in a cave. Boys learn how to fly around and work the spaceship. Then boys find one thing they’re interested in researching after another. Teachers become concerned and curious about the boyschange in attitude towards reading and learning… I enjoyed the book overall. Wouldn’t mind finding a spaceship to fly around in! Goodreads Summary: Two schoolboys out on a school trip discover a space ship, Aquila. They learn to fly the ship, and to talk Latin – the only language Aquila understands. After many adventures, they realise Aquila is making a real difference to their lives…
The Styling Librarian

So to read one of the best loved children’s books around for free, schools can sign up to Read for my School giving even more children the chance to discover that reading can be fun,  flying your own spaceship is a real possibility  and that school work and learning might not be  such a bad idea after all!

There are brilliant Teaching Ideas and Resources on the Teaching Ideas Website here.