We know teachers have little time in a school day to do even more than you are doing already. However, if you feel a burst of energy coming on and a spare few minutes, why not try one of these ideas:

• take time out to download and freely photocopy bookplates from this website for children without access to a computer at home – let them choose their favourites;
  
  
• establish an occasional "book-plating" session during school lunch times - children may want to colour in and decorate some of the black and white plates, a perfect wet break activity;
  
  
• inaugurate a Home Library notice board: young readers post information about their latest good buy, recommend places to find good second-hand books, pin up reviews, list their top ten favourite books and so on;
  
  
• set up a "book swap" scheme so that well-loved favourites can change hands;
  
  
• encourage children to write wonderful reviews and submit them to us at the Home Library website;
  
  
• encourage the children to enter the Home Library competitions as soon as they are posted;
  
  
• and, for a bit of fun, run a competition to see who finds the best book for the lowest price.

Remember that the website will be the focus and platform for the activities you set up, so do stay in touch and share your good ideas. That way, your pupils may find their tips and recommendations on the website and not just on the class notice board!

Children's Book Reviews - a note to parents and teachers

Some young readers have written in to recommend Dave Pelzer's book A Child Called It and its sequel The Lost Boy. However, these books, which recount quite appalling physical mistreatment of a young child by his mother, were never written for young readers so we felt we should post a warning to teachers and parents that these books were written for adults and would not necessarily be books that they would recommend. At the same time you should be aware that the books are clearly enjoying playground popularity and perhaps you should read them and find out what the appeal is!

Greg Flucker, 13, says, “This book is great and makes you appreciate how lucky we all really are and all the little luxuries we have.” About The Lost Boy, Tom Higginbottom writes: “ This is the sequel to the best selling A Child Called It. This is an autobiography by Dave Pelzer about how he escapes from his evil mother. He gets into all sorts of trouble, running away from home and school. He spends time in lots of foster homes. In the first foster home he gets too attached. He is very sad to leave these people who have been his parents for one and a half years but he doesn't have a choice. The first thing he knows about moving is when there is a car outside ready to pick him up. In other homes he learns not to get too attached, just hoping he could go back to his first foster home. This is a good book for older children, teenagers and adults. This book was hard to put down and makes you want to find out what happens to David next.”