Reading Gladiators is an award-winning book club for pupils in Years 2-6. The programme runs over a year and is designed to foster reading enjoyment and engagement, broaden children’s reading repertoires and promote in-depth discussion about quality texts.

There are two Reading Gladiator formats:

• Reading Gladiators is aimed at mid to high-attaining readers with a focus on high-level discussion and encouraging pupils’ own creative responses.
• Reading Gladiators Power-up is a themed book club focusing on high-interest genres and a more playful approach to engage young readers in Years 2-4 who have yet to find their reading spark.

How Reading Gladiators works:

• Reading Gladiators read six books over the year – one book each half term. The book collections are carefully curated with an emphasis on high quality, age-appropriate texts that cover a range of genres. Over the course of the year, Reading Gladiators will progress from accessible reads in familiar settings to text that require more reflective reading.
• Reading Gladiators Power-up members each read a different book from one of six themed collections over the course of a year. Themes include funny books, graphic novels, non-fiction and wordless picture books.
• Book club sessions for both formats are led by an adult group leader supported by a fully-resourced online guide. At the end of each half-term there is the option to take part in a collaborative creative challenge for the chance to win prizes.
• At the end of the year, there is an online Inter-School Challenge and Celebration Day with competitions, quizzes, author interviews and prizes.

Reading Gladiators is available as a yearly subscription.

Cost: £100 + VAT (Books purchased separately).

About Just Imagine: Just Imagine was established in 2010 by Nikki Gamble, a former teacher and university lecturer and author of Exploring Children’s Literature: Reading for Knowledge, Understanding and Pleasure. The literacy consultancy provides training and resources for schools in the UK and abroad to help them develop outstanding reading and writing practice, where stories and literature are placed firmly at the heart of learning.