National Year of Reading should extend to a decade, inquiry says
The education committee also proposed a National Reading Guarantee, ensuring all children have frequent opportunities to enjoy reading
Carlo Ginzburg obituary
Italian academic and author who challenged traditional approaches with his pursuit of microhistory
Dave Eggers: ‘Once you have a machine think and write for you, you’re cooked as a species’
As his new novel is published, the US author talks about nurturing the next generation of creatives, debating Sam Altman – and why he writes on a boat in San Francisco Bay
Teenage boys in UK ‘stuck’ reading primary-level books while girls’ tastes expand
Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series accounts for eight of the 10 most read books by 11- to 14-year-old boys, while girls the same age enjoy a wider range of authors and genres
Piglet, it’s a purple, psychedelic shapeshifter! The wild new creature prowling Winnie-the-Pooh’s wood
Is it an alien? A dinosaur? Is it going to kill us all? Our writer hits Ashdown Forest for the Big One Hundred celebrations – and finds its magic enchanting new generations
Anna Ritchie obituary
Archaeologist whose excavations in Orkney included Knap of Howar, with domestic buildings more than 5,000 years old
Children’s reading should prioritise pleasure over learning, says laureate
Frank Cottrell-Boyce tells MPs to focus on early-years reading, with more support for parents and nursery workers
Michael Thompson obituary
Anthropologist who studied the values that society applies in making decisions and climber in the first party to ascend the south-west face of Everest
Malcolm Budd obituary
Philosopher of aesthetics who had exceptionally high standards and was kind to students and colleagues
Dame Averil Cameron obituary
Historian whose sparky, innovative Byzantines challenged the stereotype of a stagnant society with nothing new to offer
Clare Gittings obituary
Other lives: Learning manager who made visiting schoolchildren feel welcome at the National Portrait Gallery
Peter Messent obituary
Other lives: Professor of American studies at Nottingham University and an authority on the writer Mark Twain
‘It’s like a giant book club’: how schools are getting children excited about reading again
In the National Year of Reading, teachers say a culture of enthusiasm, from dress-up days, story time and book clubs, can reverse a national decline
Extra stress or a bit of fun? Teachers and parents discuss World Book Day
As children dress up in UK and Ireland on Thursday, not everyone is on the same page over event’s pros and cons
Schools in England sidelining dressing-up for World Book Day, MPs hear
Literacy experts say move comes over cost concerns and fears costumes can detract from reading for pleasure