'Good Reads' for book clubs

68 million children of school age are not receiving primary school education today, and many more are receiving a poor one. All children have the right to go to school, and to learn how to read and write. Doing so equips them with tools which help them break the cycle of poverty, but reading also nurtures curiosity and is a great source of excitement and adventure - to children and adults alike.

'Good Reads' is a way for book groups to enjoy a doubly good read by sharing a great book and at the same time making a difference to the lives of vulnerable children.

We have asked successful authors to recommend their favourite books set in countries where SOS Children works.

When your group gets together to discuss your chosen book you can also talk about the problems children and families are currently facing in that country and the work that SOS Children is doing to give them a brighter future. 

Book recommendations

We will continuously update these pages as more authors get in touch with their recommendations, but here are a few to get you started:

Tony Parsons recommends

'The Beach' by Alex Garland

Stella Duffy recommends

'Animal Dreams' by Barbara Kingsolver

Louise Doughty recommends

 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' by Mohammed Hanif

Naomi Alderman recommends

'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe

Julie Myerson recommends

 'The River' by Rumer Godden

Deborah Moggach recommends

'The Siege of Krishnapur' by J.G. Farrell

N.J. Cooper recommends

'Witness the Night' by Kishwar Desai

Supporting the work of SOS Children at your Good Reads event

As a way to support our work you can ask for a small donation for drinks and refreshments at your Good Reads event. To raise more money, you can organise a raffle or simply ask book group members to bring along £5 to participate.

You can submit your event donation online by clicking the button below. In the 'special instructions' box please let us know what you read:

Donate Online

Alternatively, you can donate over the phone using a credit or debit card on 01223 365589. You can also donate by cheque or postal order. All cheques should be made payable to 'SOS Children'. Please make sure you include a note saying that you are submitting a 'Good Reads' donation, and details of your book group so we can thank you all appropriately. A Gift Aid slip is also available here, enabling SOS Children to claim an extra 25% to your donation.

If you'd like any more information on hosting a 'Good Read' event, please contact Lottie@soschildren.org