Leave them hanging on the telephone
Regarding dealing with cold callers (Adrian Chiles, 7 May), it's irritating I know, but if you don't mind your phone being inaccessible for a few minutes, why not say: 'Hang on, I'll go and get him/her', and then leave your phone until the caller rings off? At least you will have wasted some of their day.Robert WalkerPerrancoombe, Cornwall
Re fostering a love of reading in children (Letters, 6 May), one of my fondest memories of my teaching career was story time in the infant class in a local village school. Most of the children came quite a distance on buses. They adored Michael Rosen's poetry. There were many afternoons when it was home time and they would shout: 'Please read another Michael Rosen one, Mrs Mansfield, the driver won't mind waiting.' What a privilege to teach them. Janet Mansfield Aspatria, Cumbria
Your article (How to create a more eco-friendly lawn, 6 May) advises us to reduce our environmental impact by swapping a petrol mower for an electric one. Better advice would be to choose a push mower – beneficial to the environment and the owner's physical health.Mike DavisWeymouth, Dorset
It didn't take long for the 'quick' beginners cryptic crossword to become fiendish. Please have mercy on us older learners who take longer to get up to speed.Robert KelsoFrome, Somerset
Re digestives (Letters, 6 May), other biscuits are available.Colin Prower Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
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Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Eight books to get your eight-year-old excited about reading
The National Literacy Trust (NLT) has published the results of its largest survey of young people's book habits — and it does not make for happy reading. A mere 32 per cent of young people (aged 8-18) admitted to enjoying reading in 2025 (the figure in 2005 was 68 per cent). And only 18 per cent of them are reading daily in their free time, half the amount that were doing so 20 years ago. There are gender disparities too, with the sharpest drop-off recorded in boys aged 11-18. And children eligible for free school meals report lower levels of enjoyment than their peers. The NLT described the findings, based on a poll of 114,970 children, as 'deeply concerning'. I would add more adjectives to that. Utterly depressing — and completely unsurprising. It would be simplistic to blame all of this on tech but just as rates of childhood depression, anxiety and self-harm have dramatically worsened since the wide adoption of digital technology, so too has children's ability to concentrate. 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There's a formulaic quality to the children's books I see arrayed in Waterstones, which seem to fall into the eat-your-greens category — lots of virtue signalling and moral didacticism — or rely on overfamiliar tropes of dragons and spells, which I'm sure only appeal to a minority of children. I'd love to see some books that meet children where they are now. As the parent of a reluctant 11-year-old reader who only wants to read manga, I believe the drop-off in engagement happens at about eight years old so that's where I've aimed my recommendations. Here are eight thoroughly enjoyable novels that prioritise fun. I've chosen books where the language is playful enough to entertain adult reading companions too, because no child wants a grown-up putting a dampener on their pleasure. • Children's books are getting shorter — here is the proof A laugh-out-loud story about a family secret, a Welsh adventure and an onion-eating competition with three boy protagonists and a guy called Big Trev. 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It worked a treat and he has since reread it many, many times. Bored Milo finds everything a waste of time: 'I can't see the point in learning to solve useless problems, or subtracting turnips from turnips, or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February.' But then he receives a mysterious package containing 'one genuine turnpike tollbooth'. Next thing he knows, he's 'speeding along an unfamiliar country road' in a colourful new world. This daft masterpiece, adored by Maurice Sendak, has been described as a children's Ulysses. It seized my son's imagination so dramatically that I dream of discovering that Norton Juster turned it into an epic series (come on, Juster estate!). A gripping, inventive series of speculative fiction novels and novellas set in a dystopian Britain where society is segregated by race. In this imagined world, the dark-skinned Crosses are the ruling class while the light-skinned Noughts are like slaves. 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It's also written with a real ear for how children talk and think. Gene Kemp was a schoolteacher and clearly an amazing listener. It's about a daring and energetic 12-year-old, Tyke, who fights in class, steals watches, cheats and turns up sheep skeletons. Tyke subverts gender expectations. It was published in 1977 so is nostalgic for parents — but to our son the sheer freedom the children enjoyed back then was amazing. It also has an incredibly perspective-spinning twist at the end. A good one for boys to get their heads round. This dark allegory about Stalinist Russia is still shocking, funny and heart-rending 80 years after its publication. Set in a society where animals are much cleverer than in real life, the pigs start a revolution against their human farmer, Mr Jones. All the animals are supposed to be equal in this new system but the power-hungry pigs, particularly Napoleon and Snowball, quickly gain power and exploit it. 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BBC News
7 hours ago
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Man died trying to save his pet dog from the sea at Polly Joke
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BBC News
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