A huge thank you to Mr Alan Dingley who joined us at assembly to present this week's book review. Mr Dingley is the Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador and in this role advocates for and champions the importance of reading in the lives of young New Zealanders, their whānau, and communities. As a national reading role model, he builds visibility and awareness of reading across all sectors in Aotearoa New Zealand, helping to create a nation of readers.
Mr Dingley spoke about the importance of reading role models and encouraged our young men to become role models for each other and their whānau. He explained that a good book can be either a doorway - helping us escape to another place - or a mirror, when we empathise with a character and can see ourselves in the book.
Mr Dingley used the example of graphic novels as a great way to build a reading habit. Because of the compressed nature of the text in a graphic novel, they have, on average, 57 complex words per 100 words compared to novels with 38 complex words per 100. He spoke about two graphic novels - This Land: The Search for Maui and Macbeth, before sharing a reading from A Monster Calls written by Patrick Ness. All of these books are available in the PNBHS Library.
Click here to read 'Books for Boys Unleashed: Some Tailored Recommendations' - a blog post from Mr Dingley.
