Malorie Blackman believes that if children would rather read Twilight over Middlemarch, then they should be encouraged . Children are falling out of love with reading because schools are forcing them to read the classics, the new Children’s Laureate has said. Malorie Blackman, who was appointed to the role last month, said it was ‘dangerous’ for schools to draw up reading lists and that children should be encouraged to seek out books they like. Her remarks set her on a collision course with Education Secretary Michael Gove, who last month lamented that teenagers were more likely to read the Twilight vampire books by Stephenie Meyer than George Eliot’s Middlemarch. He said: ‘There is a great tradition of English literature, a canon of transcendent works, and [Twilight novel] Breaking Dawn is not part of it.’ But Mrs Blackman, 51, author of the Noughts & Crosses novels, said: ‘Children find prescriptive reading lists daunting and they are a dangerous thing to have in schools. 'If a child wants to read Twilight over Middlemarch they should be encouraged – the important thing is to get them reading in the first place.’ Speaking from the London Evening Standard’s Get Reading festival in Central London – whose star guests Hugh Grant, Rupert Everett, and Lily Cole all read from their favourite books –she added that she would like teachers to read to pupils for at least ten minutes a day. ‘When I was a child, we used to look forward to the end of the day when we would hear another ten minutes of a story.’ Blackman made her statement at the London . Evening Standard's Get Reading festival in Central London, which . featured stars such as Hugh Grant reading from their favourite books .
Malorie Blackman said prescriptive reading lists in schools are 'dangerous'
If a child would rather read Twilight then they should be encouraged .
The important thing is to get children reading in the first place .
Malorie Blackman believes that if children would rather read Twilight over Middlemarch, then they should be encouraged . Children are falling out of love with reading because schools are forcing them to read the classics, the new Children’s Laureate has said. Malorie Blackman, who was appointed to the role last month, said it was ‘dangerous’ for schools to draw up reading lists and that children should be encouraged to seek out books they like. Her remarks set her on a collision course with Education Secretary Michael Gove, who last month lamented that teenagers were more likely to read the Twilight vampire books by Stephenie Meyer than George Eliot’s Middlemarch. He said: ‘There is a great tradition of English literature, a canon of transcendent works, and [Twilight novel] Breaking Dawn is not part of it.’ But Mrs Blackman, 51, author of the Noughts & Crosses novels, said: ‘Children find prescriptive reading lists daunting and they are a dangerous thing to have in schools. 'If a child wants to read Twilight over Middlemarch they should be encouraged – the important thing is to get them reading in the first place.’ Speaking from the London Evening Standard’s Get Reading festival in Central London – whose star guests Hugh Grant, Rupert Everett, and Lily Cole all read from their favourite books –she added that she would like teachers to read to pupils for at least ten minutes a day. ‘When I was a child, we used to look forward to the end of the day when we would hear another ten minutes of a story.’ Blackman made her statement at the London . Evening Standard's Get Reading festival in Central London, which . featured stars such as Hugh Grant reading from their favourite books .
Malorie Blackman believes that if children would rather read Twilight over Middlemarch, then they prescriptive reading lists daunting and they are a dangerous thing to have in schools. 'If a child should be encouraged – the important thing is to get them reading in the first place.’ Speaking