The Government’s insistence on using systematic synthetic phonics as the only means of teaching reading further diminishes opportunities for young readers to engage with a wide range of texts which interest them. Not only are these practices counterproductive in raising achievement but they risk switching off a generation to the pleasure of reading. The decline of school libraries and cuts to public library provision only exacerbate this situation. This document celebrates the importance of reading as a pleasurable activity in its own right, not just as a means to learning, and aims to make reading fun again, by empowering teachers to inspire children and young people through books and other forms of text. It also provides practical support for whole book reading within schools and individual classes and the protection of school and public libraries.