Gifted
s
r
e
d
a
Re
A gifted reader is often the child who taught themselves to read
very early, and you most likely started school already able to read!
Read on to see what else it means to be gifted in reading
Reading is great fun, especially if you can choose your
own stuff to read. Try to allocate a time each day to
relax and chill out with some reading. It is great to
relieve stress! Also making time for reading means you
can limit it too, don’t get carried away and spend a
whole day reading a book from start to finish! Don’t
forget the other things in your life are just as
important- the book will still be there tomorrow!
The horrors of reading schemes! Love them or hate them,
most schools have them. You may be having to endure them
right now- Basically it’s a series of books which are designed
to become more challenging and expose the reader to more
words as you work up the levels. However for a gifted
reader they can be boring, as the stories are rather basic, as
is the language. Schools can sometimes insist on you
reading everything at one level before you can move up. If
you’re stuck in this, find out from your teacher what
happens once you reach the highest level, that
could be your incentive to get through them quickly!
Ask if you can take two books a week home instead
of one, and remember you can always read
different books once out of school!
If you love getting lost in a story, it is probably because you
enjoy getting to know the characters- gifted readers often
have good empathy skills (understanding how other people
feel). Also books which have intriguing, complex plots. It
could be you really want to “get into” a story feeling as if
you are in the book too! Or you may love a particular
author and are reading through their entire works! Have a
look at our list for some good recommendations.
One thing you will
have noticed is that
the books meant for
your age are either
boring, too short or
too easy! Ages on
books are only meant
as a guide - do not
think just because
you are 9, you can’t
read books in the 1015yr old section!
So how do you find books
that suit you? Well maybe
books aren’t your thing
anyway; it could be
comics, newspapers,
magazines, catalogues?!
Gifted readers do not have to love fiction though! Quite often it is the real
life that grabs a reader. Some children love spending hours with an Argos
catalogue, or the local paper- maybe you devour websites?! It’s all reading!
There’s a list of recommendations for you too!
www.nagcbritain.org.uk
Information and Advice Line 0845 450 0295
© National Association for Gifted Children – January 2008
Charity No: 313182
These two lists are designed to not only give you a few ideas of reading material, but
also to make you think beyond the bookshelf! Remember any text is reading - even
on a mobile phone!
Fiction
Agatha Christie Series
A wonderful author with a huge amount of very clever
books
Greek/Roman Mythology Fantastic intricate stories with super hero super stars!
Tales
And written with a vocabulary that will challenge your
skills
The Lord Of The Rings
by Tolkien
You’ve seen the film, now read the books! And check out
Tolkien’s other works, he’s written a lot more than you
realise!
www.cyoa.com
Website of the choose your own adventure books, where
you decide what happens in the story. Great fun!
www.poems.com
A different poem every day to read. If you’ve never tried
poetry, it’s very emotive and expressive! Give it a go….
Maus by Art Speigelman
This is a graphic novel about the holocaust. Very intense,
and a good introduction to graphic novels (AKA comics!)
They are so much more than just “The Beano”
Non Fiction
The Guinness Book of
Records
Excellent book for dipping into for odd bursts of reading full of amazing records, some really unusual.
Your Local Newspaper
From checking up on the house market, to the price of a
decent second hand car, or maybe the personal ads will
make you chuckle?
Shopping Catalogues e.g. Great for Christmas/birthday lists, or for comparing
Argos
prices of phones/jewellery. Glossy, colourful, and the
highest page count of all the books listed! Go check it out!
Cookery Books
Reading with a purpose- and what a tasty purpose!
The infinte internet
On here you can read everything from the antics of
aardvarks to zany zip designs. Make sure you have parent’s
permission though as some sites are scary!
www.nagcbritain.org.uk
Information and Advice Line 0845 450 0295
© National Association for Gifted Children – January 2008
Charity No: 313182