Get London Reading: Kathy Lette and a tale of 1,000 free Nook eReaders

 
Book a Nook: Kathy Lette and Sacred Heart Primary pupils with eReaders in Battersea Pic:Alex Lentati
Alex Lentati
28 May 2013

Primary school pupils and best-selling author Kathy Lette helped spearhead an exciting new era for the Evening Standard’s literacy campaign today, reading Roald Dahl’s Matilda on Nook eReaders rather than from books.

A partnership between America’s biggest bookshop chain Barnes & Noble and the Standard will see thousands of struggling readers in almost 300 London schools given free access to eReaders, after the US chain agreed to donate 1,000 Nook eReaders to our Get London Reading campaign.

The Nooks, loaded with free content including favourite children’s titles, will be given to reading helpers trained by our campaign partner Beanstalk, each of whom works with three children.

Visiting Sacred Heart Primary School in Battersea to announce the donation, Jim Hilt, managing director of Barnes & Noble International, which has 677 branches, said: “We believe literacy is not just about education but also access. That’s why we have partnered with the Standard’s pioneering campaign. The paper has demonstrated a peerless commitment to tackling literacy and we want to help you achieve that mission.”

Shipbroker Richard Noble, 72, a Get London Reading volunteer since November, joked: “I have never used an eReader before, so the kids will probably be teaching me. But this is where reading is going and anything that gets children into reading has to be a wonderful thing.”

Fellow reading helper Robert Dye, 59, a freelance lawyer, added: “Anything that makes reading fun for the children is great.”

Sacred Heart, which has two Beanstalk-trained helpers, faces challenges typical of the 290 schools our campaign supports. Three quarters of its 457 pupils speak English as an additional language and almost 40 per cent are on free school meals. Sixteen Nooks have been donated to the school.

Assistant headteacher Andrea Rowlandson said: “Children find eReaders motivating, especially reluctant readers, and they also like the way you can enlarge the print and look up the meaning of words. They love that you can get books instantly.”

Pupil Rory Coyne, 11, who was at Ms Lette’s reading today, said: “These are really easy to use. I like the way you can store loads of books on them. I don’t own an eReader but now I can look forward to using them in school.”

Ms Lette, whose book The Boy Who Fell To Earth has just been published in paperback, said: “As surely as bricks build buildings, books build intelligence. If kids stop reading, the city which gave the world Dickens will become known not for its literati, but its illiterati. Thanks to Get London Reading, the writing is no longer on the wall for books.”

Our literacy initiative, founded in June 2011, has raised £1 million so far and helped more than 2,000 children.

To become a Get London Reading helper with Beanstalk, call 020 7729 4087 or go to standard.co.uk/getlondonreading

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