We decided to capture some of our memories from the previous years. We hope you enjoy!
Read DL 2021
We are delighted to announce that we have chosen our book for Read DL 2021: Brilliant by Roddy Doyle. This year is going to be a Read DL celebration like no other (more details on that to come!). To register your school or community group, click on the link here. Remember, the clock is ticking! Books will be given to those on a first come, first served basis.
Read DL 2020
This was a special year for us, that like for so many changed dramatically! First of all, we were delighted to be celebrating our tenth year spreading the love of reading across Donegal. Secondly, we also teamed up with The Laureate Na Nóg Sarah Crossan on her poetry project called #WeAreThePoets. This meant we were not only be focusing on poetry that year, but also teamed up with Sarah to organise a series of workshops across the county. In addition, Read DL had planned to host a range of other celebratory events for our very special birthday!
Our chosen book for 2020 year was Hopscotch in the Sky by Lucinda Jacob. Lucinda is a poet, illustrator and author of fiction for young people. She has written and illustrated a number of picture books and storybooks for new readers, scripts for the national broadcaster RTÉ and poetry for older children, published in numerous collections.
From ice creams to Christmas trees, flying grannies to reading mermaids, haiku to rhyming verse, Hopscotch in the Sky takes children on a magical poetic journey through the seasons of the year. Funny and touching, sweet and sharp, these poems are full of life and verve.
This beautiful book also includes a rainbow of enchanting illustration by award-winning artist Lauren O’Neill, winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Award for Illustration in 2016.
‘This is a charming, accessible collection from one of Ireland’s best poets for children, Lucinda Jacob. She covers all kinds of topics from friendship to school and her work cries out to be read aloud. The classy, expressive illustrations by Lauren O’Neill make this a pocket treasure.’ – The Irish Independent from their list of best children’s books of 2017
Then the plot thickened: on the very day we were organising our closing ceremony, all schools and collages closed as a result of Covid-19. Regardless, our young readers still continued to read (and write!), and the response to our competition was fantastic. We’re very lucky to have such eager readers in Donegal!
Read DL 2019
he chosen book for Read DL 2019 was Mr Stink by David Walliams.We were delighted that all our participants received a very special message from the author. You can watch it online here!
Chloe, the loneliest girl in the world, makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp. One day, she decides to help him out when she realises he might be driven out of town. How does she do that? Well, she hides him in her shed.
She has to make sure that no one finds out her secret. And speaking of secrets, there just might be more to Mr Stink than what meets the eyes (or the nose). This hilarious and charming story is filled with love, life and surprising secrets!
Read DL 2018
A Monster Calls by 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 is 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.
We were very lucky to have a special message sent to us by Patrick Ness; it was shown to our delighted readers for the closing ceremony in 2018. You can watch it online here!
Advice and Support: A Monster Calls tells the story of a young boy coming to terms with his mother’s terminal illness. Click on the link above for resources, advice and support for anyone who may have been affected by the themes presented in this book.