Supporting Dyslexic Children to Read for Pleasure

Eve Wersocki-Morris is an award-nominated and bestselling children’s author and has been making up stories her whole life. Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia aged 12, nothing could stop her literary ambitions and she wrote her first full novel aged 13. Her debut The Bird Singer (2022) was inspired by her Polish heritage and was a Sunday Times Book of the Week and nominated for the prestigious Branford Boase Award. Her second book The Wildstorm Curse was an Independent Bookshops Bestseller and has been selected as part of The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge 2024. Her third book, Forest of Forbidden Magic, was published this July (Hachette). Eve has also had a career in publishing and now runs her own freelance Publicity and Events company working with children’s authors and book publishers.

Josh is passionate about the transformational potential of libraries for all inquiring members of society. He leads the University’s Library Services which provide reliable resources, welcoming spaces, digital systems, expert training and guidance, and professional support. These are just some of the significant contributions the library makes towards teaching and learning, research, and engagement. He works in partnership with the Library Executive Team to facilitate the strategic delivery of “Knowledge for All: Libraries’ Vision for 2030” in alignment with the institutional strategy: “Universal Values, Global Change”. Josh promotes open knowledge, freely accessible libraries, and equity, diversity, and inclusion as essential elements of healthy, resilient cultures and communities.

Sarah is an advocate of reading for pleasure and believes that encouragement to develop a positive attitude to reading at an early age can improve every child’s future.  As the editor and coordinator of the Kids’ Book Reviews page published on Books Up North she has observed an increase in the number of people who admit to being dyslexic. Together, with the decline in numbers of children who elect to read for pleasure she hopes that this webinar will help SEN leaders and parents to support children who face additional literacy challenges with the written word.