Jennie Orchard – The Gifts of Reading

for the Next Generation: essays on nurturing a passion for reading

Jennie Orchard, Shankari Chandran & Nardi Simpson in conversatoin with Nicole Abadee

Inspired by Robert Macfarlane and curated by Jennie Orchard, an anthology of essays about the joys of giving books to children and young people, from some of the world’s most beloved writers.

Remember the books that shaped your childhood, sparked your imagination, and ignited a lifelong love of reading? In The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation, some of the world’s most beloved authors share their own transformative reading experiences — the books and stories that set them on the path of becoming the readers and writers they are today.

Following the success of its first edition, The Gifts of Reading, this heartwarming collection of essays is a testament to the enduring power of books. By exploring the stories that shaped them, our authors provide a powerful guide to fostering a love of reading in the children and young people in your life.

With contributions from Tristan Bancks, William Boyd, Shankari Chandran, Horatio Clare, Nicola Davies, Imtiaz Dharker, Ursula Dubosarsky, Maisie Fieschi, Pico Iyer, Wayne Karlin, Colum McCann, JohnMichael McCann, Ann Morgan, Sir Michael Morpurgo, Dina Nayeri, Matt Ottley, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Alice Pung, Diana Reid, Nilanjana Roy, Nikesh Shukla, Nardi Simpson, Madeleine Thien, Thelma Young Lutunatabua, and John Wood, and an afterword by Julia Eccleshare.

All royalties generously donated to the two organisations founded by John Wood, Room to Read and U-Go, promoting literacy and education for girls and young women.

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Jennie Orchard has been involved with the world of books and publishing for more than four decades, initially in London, later in Australia and Asia (Japan and Hong Kong). Since 2002 she has been actively involved in the non-profit sector, with a particular focus on Room to Read and more recently U-GO. Jennie’s first book was the original anthology she curated (released in 2020), The Gifts of Reading, inspired by the eponymous essay by Robert Macfarlane.

Nicole Abadee has worked in the book industry for many years after her previous career as a barrister. She writes about books for Good Weekend and is also a regular contributor to their much loved ‘Two of Us’ column. She is in great demand as a facilitator at writers’ festivals and literary events in Sydney and beyond. Nicole is also a director of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Shankari Chandran is an Australian Tamil lawyer and author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Song of the Sun God, The Barrier,  Safe Haven and Unfinished Business. Her fiction explores dispossession and the creation of community, and she has received multiple awards and listings, including the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023 for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens. Shankari is based in Sydney, where she lives with her husband and her four children. She first supported John Wood’s work two decades ago when she was living and working in London. 

Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay storyteller from the northwest freshwater plains of New South Wales. Her debut novel, Song of the Crocodile, won the 2017 Black&Write! Fellowship and the Association for the Study of Australian Literature’s Gold Medal, and was longlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize and Miles Franklin Literary Award. Her second novel, the belburd, was released earlier this year. Nardi is also a founding member of the Indigenous duo Stiff Gins, and a composer. She currently lives in Sydney.