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SEND book club keeps kids reading in the holidays

Phil HarrisonSouth East, Higham
BBC Glynda Cullen with her pet Dachshund, Lemon, sit on a sofa in her living room. Glynda has brown hair and wears a blue blouse. BBC
Glynda Cullen with her pet Dachshund, Lemon, are running a children's reading club during the summer holidays

A special educational needs and disabilities tutor from Kent is encouraging children to keep reading during the summer holidays.

Glynda Cullen runs a free weekly online club from her home in Higham where children can discuss the book Shadow Thieves by Peter Burns.

"They're all neurodiverse and they're absolutely fantastic kids", says Cullen.

"I just wanted to give something back to them, and what better way to enjoy their company by sitting down and reading a book?"

Jo and her daughter Erin say at home taking part in the book club session via a computer videolink
Jo has been reading along with her daughter Erin during the SEND book club

The children join the book club sessions via a Zoom videolink for an hour each week to discuss their own ideas about the characters, plot and settings.

"Part of neurodiversity is quite often some difficulty with executive function skills and that can make you feel really overwhelmed", says Cullen.

"Often children will look at a book and think, 'oh gosh, that's far too long. I can't manage that.'"

She explains that they read the book in chunks and meet up to discuss it every Friday morning.

George, 12, who attends the book club, is a fan of Shadow Thieves.

"I like the storyline because it brings you into another world," he said.

Zane, who is 15, thinks the weekly meetings are "a really cool thing" and that his preferred place to read this summer is in bed drinking iced tea.

Peter Burns sits at home in his study with copies of his book Shadow Thieves on the bookshelf in the background. He is bald and wears a black shirt with white t-shirt underneath.
Children have been reading Peter Burns' book Shadow Thieves

The last session had a special guest when Peter Burns, author of the book the children are discussing, dropped in for questions and answers.

He said the book club was "the most rewarding thing imaginable, it's incredible".

First published last year, Shadow Thieves follows the adventures of 13‑year‑old orphan Tom Morgan in an alternate London.

The SEND book club session will continue throughout the summer holidays with plans already being made for a new book to be discussed over the Christmas break.

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