The Book That No One Wanted to Read

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Unusual pink cover I thought, excellent title, loved the figures and footnotes and grown up touches. I love the opening lines where it states how so many say we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, to which he rightly says, "but how else can you decide whether you might like it?" Alone, fearful, settled in the dark corner untouched, and hence left to not feel the disappointment of others if we are NOT enough.

He asks us what's underneath our covers? What are we actually like? ( I love how he's making us go deeper, into ourselves to dig more into who we are, inside.) I found this to be an ambitious and enjoyable read. The premise was clever and made me laugh a few times. This is a work of fiction that is aware of its own fictionality. The book is about a book that no one wants to read, and it explores the concept of how a book can be interesting even if no one wants to read it. Interactive and funny, The Book No One Wants to Read talks to the young readers and brings itself to life as it occupies their “reading time”. They’ll be able to relate to it and feel as if they’re playing with a friend when it tells them that they should “pretend to read” while they are actually completing some of the challenges and games that are included in the book (but seriously, they really ARE READING!) The illustrations are simple and easy to connect with what the book is saying and it’s also easy to read for beginning and intermediate readers. It’s a book written by a book which ‘manipulatively’ makes us part of its “social experiment” (in a good way). The book would ask its reader to be in an imaginative situation where the reader would find a talking book, which thought that nobody wanted to read it. The book and the bookfinder would then engage in funny and silly conversations. I am not going to spoil anything else because it wouldn’t be fun then. Thank you #pansing for this review copy in exchange of an honest review. This book will be available at all good bookstores.

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We have a book telling us about books, teaching the reader new words they might not have known, and helping us get "inside" the mind of a book. We become a character in this books own story! I do judge my books by cover before opening to see what lay inside. A cover can say a lot about the story inside. Overall, this has been an entertaining read and I am sure it scores with the children with its fantasy and imaginative storytelling also the funny drawings. A great way to inform our young readers to explore more of their reading choices, and probably to start writing stories (you would understand once you know the ending).

The book goes on to play some goofy games with the reader, very clearly citing fooling around as their course of action. The book suggests that the best way to deal with the boredom they both have is to play some games. And the games are engaging. But, what I loved most about this book is that it doesn't just begin and end with the conspiratorial nature and games. Now I want to say here that Ayoade is in fact incorrect, this is NOT the first book to use this technique. John Agard also wrote a book narrated by a book, My Name is Book, also aimed at children, so this claim is not actually true. Throughout the book, Ayoade includes elements such as characters who are aware they are in a book, and they also comment on the plot and the other characters, making the book more of an exploration of storytelling itself. I found it quite clever and original, it makes you think about the creative process of writing and the purpose of stories. As a teacher, I think that this meta aspect would be something that children in KS2 will enjoy and can spark conversation about the nature of books. This book is indeed narrated by… a book. In fact, it’s narrated by the very book which you hold in your hands. Ayoade dives head first into this very tangible character, and the result is not only hilarious and a bit bonkers, but actually rather meaningful. There’s a lot to be learnt from the act of reading! From judging a book by its cover, to the organisation of libraries, to the way people treat books as physical objects (go easy on the dog-ears), this book has a lot of feelings about being a book. It really just wants to fit in and find its perfect reader – which could be you.My favorite part of the story is when the book and the reader begin to really connect through sharing their worst fears and anxieties. They have to be vulnerable with each other and trust that the other one will accept them and encourage them. To read or write is to open your heart and share a story with someone else, and that takes courage. Simply beautiful! I was glad it wasn't much longer, the length seemed just about right, and actually, despite Ayoade being quite clear that there isn't a point in these literary shenanigans, well actually there might be just one or two, hidden in there (don't tell the kids, folks, works better when they think it's pure popcorn). He says " How would you describe YOU? Not the you in the reflection of your mirror, as that's just your cover, and by now we know about the trouble with covers - they don't tell the whole story. Books can contain stories or facts about, and therefore be, virtually anything you can think of, but have you ever considered what a book might think about and feel? One neglected book in The Book That No One Wanted to Read, by Richard Ayoade and illustrated by Tor Freeman, has a chance to change its destiny when a reader encounters it and pulls it from a hiding spot on a high shelf, offering it a new future. This book is so hilarious and weird. It goes off on these crazy tangents with silly jokes before finally getting to the actual story, and then it veers off into another wild tangent. I love it! The story was not at all what I expected.