MPs are being sent off on summer recess with a reading list providing insights into the trials and tribulations of childhood and teenage life.

School children aged nine to 15 from around England responded to a National Year of Reading survey which asked young people what ought to be read by every politician wanting to understand which books children today choose because they reflect their lives and concerns and help them cope with life.

The Top Summer Reads selected by school children across the UK were:

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Holes by Louis Sachar
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The story of Tracey Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson 
The Cherub Series by Robert Muchamore
Horrid Henry Series by Francesca Simon
The Dustbin Baby by Jacqueline Wilson
My Friend Walter by Michael Morpurgo


J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series topped the list on the basis it was a book that adults and children could enjoy together and which would encourage MPs to use their imagination! Second was Holes by Louis Sachar, chosen because it demonstrates that “teenagers in today’s society are punished for things they haven’t done and that adults can be wrong too.”  The story of Tracey Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson was chosen to show “what some children have to go through.”

The school children also shared thoughts on what makes the perfect story. Humour was the top attribute, with a happy ending and a storyline related to bullying also making the top 10.

The most popular reads were presented to MPs by a delegation of school children at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on libraries. They will now be housed in the House of Commons library. Children are anxious to hear back from MPs and Ministers after the holidays about what they have gleaned from their summer reading.

Honor Wilson-Fletcher, Director of the National Year of Reading, said: “Every MP should read from our list this summer if they want to better understand the world of their younger constituents – and it’s what their younger constituents clearly want! It is fascinating, but will be no surprise to anyone writing for children, how important imaginative stories are for learning to deal with the world. It’s a perfect illustration of the happy mix of enjoyment and learning that reading uniquely delivers. It should therefore be no surprise that children see the books they rate highly as a medium through which adults can understand them better.  We hope MPs enjoy their selection, and like children, learn from the experience too!”

The All Party Parliamentary Group on libraries was hosting a parliamentary reception to mark the launch of the 2008 Summer Reading Challenge, which will keep over 650,000 young people across the UK active reading throughout the summer holidays.

Teenagers can get some Reading Ideas or contribute to a national conversation about reading at social networking site Piczo