One Book. One Community.
As part of Read DL 2018, our friends at Century Cinemas Letterkenny have arranged a family screening A Monster Calls, on Saturday 3 March at 12 noon. The screenplay is also written by the book’s author, Patrick Ness. This is a one-off to celebrate our project this year, so make sure to book your tickets early to avoid disappointment. ?️
(Please note: the film is rated 12A due to its emotional content, so please be aware of this on the day!)
It was a packed house at the Central Library in Letterkenny, as soccer hero and well known Donegal man Shay Given launched this year’s Read DL initiative.
Speaking at the launch Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr Gerry McMonagle said “Read DL is a fine example of how a number of public and private organisations and businesses can join forces and work together for the good of the community. There are numerous benefits to reading and being literate. It can have far-reaching consequences in a person’s life. Literacy empowers and enriches lives. It allows individuals gain confidence and have more control over their lives. It also helps fuel the imagination.
This initiative is about fostering a love of reading and encouraging people, young and old to not only read more but to read the same book and to share ideas and perspectives”.
Highland Radio Presenter John Breslin hosted Friday night’s launch and described this year’s response to Read DL as overwhelming. This initiative which was first introduced in 2012 has become a huge success in Donegal with hundreds of children and young people from 77 schools across Donegal including 6 youth reach centres and 10 ETB Learning for Living Centres taking part.
Shay Given who recently published his own autobiography ‘Any Given Saturday’ officially launched this year’s Read DL initiative.
“Having Shay Given launch this year’s initiative is a huge endorsement for us. He is an important role model for many children and young people here in Donegal and he will undoubtedly raise the profile of the initiative among our target group including senior classes in primary schools, first year students in post primary schools, Youthreach learners and adults re-discovering the love of reading,” says Paddy Hannigan Secretary of the Organising Committee.
The audience also heard from pupils from Drumman National School in Ramelton on their experience of participating in last year’s Read DL initiative and of winning a trip to the “War Torn Children” exhibition at the Linen Hall library in Belfast. Anne McHugh, Chief Executive of ETB and John Andy Bonner from LYIT also spoke at the event.
This year’s chosen book is ‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness. It is a gripping story, centred on a theme that unfortunately has touched many households in Donegal. The book challenges us to look at terminal illness from a child’s perspective, and the difficult social and emotional conflicts they face.
Getting involved
Registration for group participation in this year’s programme is now closed, but individual copies of the book are available at your local library. Visit www.donegallibrary.ie to reserve your copy. You can also visit www.readdonegal.com for further information and learning activities to accompany ‘A Monster Calls’ and previous READ DL titles. Stay up to date by following Read DL on Facebook @readdlsocial and Twitter @ReadDonegal.
Kindle Unlimited: If you are still eager to get your hands on a copy of the book (and you don’t want to wait!), Kindle Unlimited are offering A Monster Calls free of charge. This service requires a monthly payment of £7.99 per month, however Amazon are currently offering to provide this service for free for the first 30 days.
Audio Book: Perhaps your class or community group might like to listen to the book being read aloud? If so, click here for more information.
Borrow: There are lots of schools and community groups participating in Read DL this year, so why not consider borrowing from those who may be close by? Click here for a list off participating schools for 2018.
We have launched our annual writing competition! See here for more details on how to get involved: 2018 Creative Writing Competition
This year’s book, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, will be introduced at the launch of Read DL 2018 on Friday 02 February at the Central Library, Letterkenny. We are also delighted to welcome our special guest, soccer hero and Donegal person of the year, Shay Given.
For more information, click here.
We are delighted to announce that our chosen book for READ DL 2018 is A Monster Calls by twice Carnegie-winning author Patrick Ness.
Based on an original concept by author Siobhan Dowd, the story is about a boy who is struggling to come to terms with his mother’s terminal illness. Unexpectedly, he visited one night by a monster, asking if he can tell him three stories. In return, he wants the most dangerous thing of all from Connor: the truth.
Patrick Ness and the book’s illustrator Jim Kay won the Carnegie and Greenaway Medals for writing and illustration, making history with this unprecedented win.
A Monster Calls also won the British Children’s Book of the Year, the Red House Children’s Book Award, a national award voted by British children; and the Kitschies Red Tentacle award. In the U.S., the American Library Association magazine Booklist named it the “Top of the List” for 2011 youth fiction.
Earlier last week, we asked the public to work out the name and author of our book. Our lucky winner is Siobhan McNamara, who will be collecting a free copy of her book soon.
To celebrate the upcoming announcement of our new book, we will be giving away one FREE copy of our mystery novel. All you have to do is figure out the title and author of our new book, by solving the puzzles below!
To enter, DM us on Facebook or Twitter with the name of our chosen book and its author. The first entrant with the correct answer is our winner!
Puzzle One
Puzzle Two
