Encouraging teenagers to read
Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2019
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Scottish Book Trust has launched a new app to encourage young people in early secondary years to read for pleasure - both regular readers and more reluctant readers.
Bookzilla is free to download from GooglePlay (see link, below) and use and Scottish Book Trust hopes it will benefit young people and schools across Scotland to build reading cultures within their schools and communities. The app was co-designed with young people, and throughout the development process Scottish Book Trust worked with over 750 pupils from 16 secondary schools across Scotland. The name, Bookzilla, was also chosen by students, conducted through a survey. Using the app, pupils will be able to receive tailored book recommendations and discover books that have been enjoyed by their peers. They will also learn about new releases and books across a range of genres, take on 'reading dares' and set challenges for themselves to motivate them on their reading journey. Teachers and librarians can also use Bookzilla as a guide to find out what titles are popular amongst their students, and inform them on what books students would like available in their library. Scottish Book Trust has partnered with Browns Books for Students, who have recommended age-appropriate titles for S1-S3 pupils. 1,200 books will initially be listed on Bookzilla, with more regular updates to be added. The app will also have different featured collections every month, and as well as English titles, Gaelic and Scots books will also be available to browse. Bookzilla Functions include: Personalised book recommendations so pupils can track what fiction, non-fiction or graphic novels they want to read next, as well as recording what book they are currently reading Reading Dares, to challenge young people to read out of their comfort zone or to try something new Book collections, which showcase books from certain genres and encourage pupils to explore different titles. Visit GooglePlay or your App Store to download Bookzilla.
