The Ransom Library (Info Hub)

Real books to hold to them captive – and support fluency/comprehension

Recent guidance emphasises the value of moving students onto ‘real books’ after phonics. We wholeheartedly agree – but recognise there are some benefits that come with traditional ‘reading schemes’.

So meet our new range of real books for Years 2-6 – The Ransom Library.

Buy across the various series/standalone books we publish under this umbrella term and you’ll have what looks and behaves like a completely normal library – but in the background you’ll know:

● The books have been carefully edited by a literacy publisher who’s considering post-phonics reading fluency/comprehension. We’ve ensured they offer great opportunities to read with expression (prosody), great new vocabulary, great moments where the reader will need to infer something, etc.

● The books have been very subtly organised into levels. You can of course ignore these, but they’re there if you wish to check/control the level of challenge a student is encountering in their reading. (The Ransom Library covers 12 ‘Ransom Fluency Levels’, which in Book Band terms roughly correspond to Orange Band through to Dark Red Band.)

● The books have been developed to appeal to and delight today’s children, fostering a lifelong love of reading. Expect hilarious illustrated chapter books, action-packed graphic novels, poetry, visually stunning non-fiction on ‘wow’ topics, as well as books that hit curriculum topics in a fresh way – all from experienced authors and a leading publisher of books for even the most reluctant readers.

It’s powerful stuff.

But also important to us, The Ransom Library is designed to build an appreciation of and sensitivity to language, too.

Indeed, this is something that partly happens through steady exposure to carefully considered, delicious text – and it’s a life-changing thing for an individual to possess. As a literacy publisher of children’s books, we believe it’s our duty to foster it.

Love what you’re hearing – and wondering when The Ransom Library will be available?

New series/standalone titles are coming every month!

Please get in touch for the full schedule of what’s out and what’s coming over the 26-27 academic year. Here’s a sneak peek at the next few months:

OUT NOW: Time Trippers – wild fiction stories that are part chapter book, part graphic novel (Level 6)

OUT NOW: The Little Town That Listened – rounded fiction stories that explore ‘British Values’ (Level 8)

JAN 27: Lessons from the Pitch – non-fiction books revealing ultimate football tips and tricks (Level 3)

FEB 27: Inside Out – super-visual part fact, part fiction books on ‘wow’ topics e.g. darts, historical scams, lost languages (Levels 1-6)

MAR 27: First Look – non-fiction books exploring various curriculum topics in an engaging way (Levels 4-6)