Gangsta Grannies are now beating Harry Potter at the library issue desk, research shows
Laughing all the way to the library … David Walliams. Photograph: Murdo Macleod
With tales of Gangsta Grannies and Demon Dentists, the comedian David Walliams has overtaken JK Rowling and War Horse author Michael Morpurgo to become one of the most-read authors in the UK's schools.
The Little Britain actor launched his career in children's books in 2008, and has now written seven titles for children, including Mr Stink ("Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well…"), The Boy in the Dress and Ratburger. His books regularly top charts, with Gangsta Granny selling more than 300,000 copies in hardback, and now, according to the biggest annual survey of children's reading habits, which this year interviewed 426,000 children in more than 2,000 UK schools, Walliams has become the fifth most read writer in UK schools.
This is the first time Walliams has entered the "most read" chart. He comes in behind Horrid Henry creator Francesca Simon, in fourth, young children's author Roderick Hunt in third, Roald Dahl in second and Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney in first place. This is Kinney's first year as the single most read author in UK schools; last year he and Dahl were in joint first place, but this year Kinney has knocked the much-loved late British author off the top spot, held by Dahl every year since the report was launched in 2009. This is a "remarkable achievement considering Jeff Kinney's relatively small number of books published compared to Roald Dahl," said the What Kids Are Reading report.
Hunger Games novelist Suzanne Collins is in fourth place, Rowling, Julia Donaldson and Morpurgo in joint seventh, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas author John Boyne, and Owl Babies author Martin Waddell, in joint 10th.
More
The Little Britain actor launched his career in children's books in 2008, and has now written seven titles for children, including Mr Stink ("Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well…"), The Boy in the Dress and Ratburger. His books regularly top charts, with Gangsta Granny selling more than 300,000 copies in hardback, and now, according to the biggest annual survey of children's reading habits, which this year interviewed 426,000 children in more than 2,000 UK schools, Walliams has become the fifth most read writer in UK schools.
This is the first time Walliams has entered the "most read" chart. He comes in behind Horrid Henry creator Francesca Simon, in fourth, young children's author Roderick Hunt in third, Roald Dahl in second and Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney in first place. This is Kinney's first year as the single most read author in UK schools; last year he and Dahl were in joint first place, but this year Kinney has knocked the much-loved late British author off the top spot, held by Dahl every year since the report was launched in 2009. This is a "remarkable achievement considering Jeff Kinney's relatively small number of books published compared to Roald Dahl," said the What Kids Are Reading report.
Hunger Games novelist Suzanne Collins is in fourth place, Rowling, Julia Donaldson and Morpurgo in joint seventh, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas author John Boyne, and Owl Babies author Martin Waddell, in joint 10th.
More
No comments:
Post a Comment