New Hall School in Chelmsford, Essex, has joined forces with Booked Up, the national programme run by the independent charity Booktrust, which aims to encourage Year 7 children to read for pleasure.

Several weeks ago Year 7 students were given the opportunity to pick a book from a list of exciting titles, and the arrival of them has been eagerly anticipated. Yesterday morning, each Year 7 student was delighted to receive the free book of their choice.

The books are chosen by a panel of teachers, writers, publishers and librarians with the intention of offering something to appeal to everyone, no matter what their interests or reading ability are.