Reading for pleasure and the rights of a reader

​Reading for pleasure - for those who know how to choose a book, it's easy, but ​it needs time.

A​n experienced​ reader knows what to do - are the cover, the blurb, the pictures important? It's what the author is writing that counts. Those who know how to choose will start to read the book to see if it grips them. When I'm asked for a recommendation I often offer three suggestions and tell the pupil to go and start reading all three to see which they want to read, and what's more, I tell them, they have the right to come back and say 'No,' to all of them and choose again.

Reading for pleasure needs a free choice of books, easily accessible, a​nd knowing how to select a book to enjoy is made easier if there has been a​ background of having seen people enjoying reading (parents, teachers, friends), ideally having grown up enjoying the pleasure of hearing books read aloud​. When making their selection the reader can respond, yes or no, to recommendations from family, friends, teachers, book groups and reviews, or simply opt for something totally new. Excitement, thrills, empathy, understanding and learning about the wider world can all be experienced between the pages of a book.

See the 10-point manifesto, illustrated by Quentin Blake, the Rights of the Reader. The Rights of the Reader were penned by French writer Daniel Pennac.
The Reader's Bill of Rights
1. The right to not read
2. The right to skip pages
3. The right to not finish
4. The right to reread
5. The right to read anything
6. The right to escapism
7. The right to read anywhere
8. The right to browse
9. The right to read out loud
10. The right to not defend your tastes.