Minette Walters, Ruth Rendell and Richard Branson (pictured) are among big-name authors backing the adult literacy campaign at the centre of the next World Book Day (March 2 2006). Publishers have commissioned short, punchy paperbacks from their star writers as part of the Quick Reads series aimed at emergent readers, but also with enough quality and depth to pull in keen readers who are short of time, or older school students who can read well but need appealing short texts.
The first 12 books, to be published on World Book Day (with a second batch coming in the summer), include Mick Dennis’s The Team: Behind the scenes of Premiership football and Richard Branson’s Screw It, Let’s Do It: lessons in life. Using the successful model developed by children’s publishers on previous World Book Days, teachers of adult learners can get their students tokens worth pound;1 off the pound;2.99 cover price. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education is a key player in the scheme.
Register at www.quickreads. org.uk; email quickreads@niace.org.uk or fax 0116 233 0050. The site also has resources that could be used in schools with older students.
