Reading suggestions: Alternatives to print books

Audiobooks are a great alternative to print books, providing many of the same benefits if you listen thoughtfully. Although you miss out on some of the visual cues that might help to improve spelling, word recognition and reading fluency, you can find it easier to pick up new vocabulary (with correct pronunciation) if you hear it spoken in context. You also get all of the social and emotional benefits related to exploring the world through reading, alongside the sustained attention required to keep following the storyline (or argument for a non-fiction book) over a number of 'reading' sessions. They can also be very social - something you can listen to with friends and family - or why not come to the Library at 1.25 on Wednesday lunchtimes to join us for Listen at Lunchtime?

For most students who like audiobooks we would recommend mixing them in with print books for a balanced reading diet, but for some SEN students print reading can be really hard work, and you might want to restrict that to your study time and use audiobooks to relax during recreational reading time.

You are very welcome to 'count' audiobooks in your Y7&8 reading challenges. Currently we do not allow you to listen to them during reading lessons but may be prepared to make exceptions on the basis of individual need.

Accessing free audiobooks over the internet

There are a lot of free audiobooks available on YouTube (but don't get distracted and sucked into watching silly cat videos instead...). It seems to be a particularly good place to look for classics. Try searching for "full audiobook", which will bring up lists such as this one of 22 classics from Audio.com (including The Call of the Wild by Jack London and The Jungle Book by Rudyad Kipling, for example). You might also come across this super reading of The Time and Space of Uncle Albert by Russell Stannard, or perhaps this superb reading by Benedict Cumberbatch of Four New Sherlock Holmes Stories by John Taylor.

Accessing audiobooks through the Guile-Allès Library

Although the Senior Library does not stock audiobooks, these are freely available online through BorrowBox from the Guille-Allès Library.

Audiobook podcasts

BBC Sounds has classics like Animal Farm, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and The War of the Worlds, but most of it's audiobooks are aimed at adults.

A general search on your usual podcast provider for "audiobooks", "children's audiobooks" or "Young Adult audiobooks" will often bring up an interesting list. That there are lots of audiobook podcasts aimed at adults so be careful what you choose.

Note that while there are a wide range of fascinating podcasts out there, any Library reading challenges will focus on audiobooks not just general podcasts.

Other audiobook providers

There are other well-known audiobook providers such as Audible and Spotify but these are subscription services - if your parents already have a subscription to either they both have a wide range of audiobooks, and there are other similar services available.

E-books can also be a great alternative to print books - although many still prefer the feel (and smell!) of paper. As well as giving you access to a vast library of books on one small device, they allow you to change the font size, look up words and make notes as you read. If you are going to read on screen an e-reader can be a good choice - they are smaller, lighter and cheaper than tablets, may have a longer battery life and are more comfortable for your eyes for extended reading. However they are less versatile, so if you are only just getting started with e-books you might want to experiment on a tablet. We don't generally recommend a phone as the screen is too small.

Accessing e-books through the Guille-Allès Library

Although the Senior Library does not stock e-books, these are freely available online through BorrowBox from the Guille-Allès Library. If you have your own e-reader you may bring it in (at your own risk) to reading lessons. At home you may wish to read on a tablet or computer if you do not have an e-reader.

Subscription databases and free online e-books

Note that for older students seeking resources for inquiry, our EBSCO subscription databases offer some academic e-books, as does the JSTOR (which is a database that we do not currently subscribe to but does offer a range of material for free). You can also access a variety of books through Google Books (select 'Full view' from the views menu to only show resluts that you can access for free) and Project Gutenberg.

Newspapers and magazines contain a wealth of interesting stories, and you can learn a lot from them. They are particularly good for really up-to-date information because they are published frequently (usually daily or monthly). Because they are collections of short articles, they don't develop the same kind of sustained reading ability, where you can concentrate on one storyline or idea for an extended period, as books do though.

So while we would absolutely recommend them as part of a balanced reading diet, it is a good idea to also have a book on the go. This is why newspapers and magazines are not normally included in our Reading Challenges - however for the Year 7 Jólabókaflóð you are welcome to give them a try.

Print newspapers and magazines

The Library takes The Times and The Guernsey Press daily, as well as a range of magazines and jounals, including:

• The Week Science and Nature
• BBC History Revealed
• BBC History Magazine
• Philiosophy Now
• The Spectator
• Private Eye

You are welcome to read any of these in the Library during breaks, lunchtimes or during homework club. We keep back copies of the two newspapers for a week, but you please do ask us if you want to take any older copies, on a first-come-first-served basis.

During the Y7 Jólabókaflóð you may also:

• borrow a back copy of The Week Science and Nature for up to a week
• read newspapers and magazines during your weekly reading lesson

Accessing newspapers and magazines online through the Guille-Allès Library

Have a look at the guides to the right for tips on using Press Reader. Libby has a very wide range of resources, including E-books, audiobooks and magazines, while Press Reader has a large selection of newspapers and a different selection of magazines.

While we have many excellent Subscription Databases for inquiry, browsing around on them (or on the general internet) can be really distracting and disjointed so I would not recommend them for a reading challenge. Two that might work, however, are:

• The Day, which is essentially a newspaper written for schools that can be filtered by subject and the reading level can be adjusted (see guide). Note that this also publishes articles translated into French, German, Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish (with an English version too) so it can be a good way to test your language skills.
• Britannica, which provides full length encyclopaedia articles (see guide)