Dr Fenella Okoro-Bright
literacy specialist
Methodical; sees reading as a skill to be taught explicitly
The Reading Room
Sam reads easily but never thought about how. As he learns how reading is taught, he must deal with a stretched school, a possible assessment and a daughter who has decided she is “stupid” — and with his own memories of school.
Planned · not started yet
Learning & education Family duty Competing advice Living with uncertainty Family home School or campus Warm Reflective
The premise
Sam reads easily but never thought about how. As he learns how reading is taught, he must deal with a stretched school, a possible assessment and a daughter who has decided she is “stupid” — and with his own memories of school.
The protagonist
Sam Arkwright — Single father whose eight-year-old daughter Maisie cannot yet read fluently
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Hamish Lowther
school librarian
Joyful; believes children read more when they choose
Dr Ines Vallory
educational psychologist
Careful and assessment-first; never guesses at labels
Abena Quarshie
primary teacher
Realistic about classrooms and thirty other children
How the story moves
One school year from autumn to summer; Maisie’s confidence grows unevenly and the assessment result changes how Sam sees himself as a parent.
What readers take away
- Phonics and the alphabetic principle
- Blending and segmenting
- Decoding, fluency and comprehension as separate skills
- How to read with a child effectively
- Choosing books at the right level
- Building vocabulary through talk
- Signs that suggest a learning assessment
- How school reading support works
- Motivation without pressure
- Recognise common exception words and how to teach them
- Support comprehension with questioning before, during and after reading
- Use a reading record to track progress
The books
- 1Autumn Planned
- 2The assessment Planned
- 3Spring Planned
- 4The summer books Planned
- 5Year Four Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.