Learning to read can be a tricky (and sometimes tedious) business.  Although it can be beneficial to read a series of books based on familiar characters, the stories can end up being a little formulaic and uninspiring.

My years of teaching (and parenting) experience have shown me nothing if not that variety is the spice of life, which is why I personally believe that having a varied range of carefully levelled and produced reading scheme books is the way forward to inspire pupils to keep on reading. That’s why I’m so thrilled that companies like Maverick Books have produced their own reading scheme using great authors and illustrators, and in careful consultation with educational experts. Take a peek at their full scheme HERE.

I have previously reviewed some of their titles for little ones just starting their reading journey (see HERE) but am very excited to have just been sent some titles from the upper end of the scheme too.

This glorious selection includes titles from the purple, gold and white bands.  The purple titles are longer stories, with the golds and white being structured in chapters.  They are all packed with lots of colourful and engaging illustrations to match the stories by a range of authors which means no predictable plot lines or characters.

‘The Coach, the Shoes and the Football’ by Katie’s Dale, illustrated by Ellie Oshea (Gold band)

‘The Great Pants Robbery’ by Heather Pindar, illustrated by Serena Lombardo (White band)

I’ve also had a sneaky look at a hi-lo graphic novel series they’ve produced for older readers after a more grown up text. Definitely worth investigating!

If you’re looking to update your reading scheme, make sure you consider the excellent selection from Maverick Books.

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Maverick for sending me these titles to review*