Net gains for teen bookworms

Jul 28 2009 by Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

YOUNG bookworms have been taking part in a day talking about their favourite reads and finding out how to pen their own.

Online book community Spinebreakers.co.uk – run by teenagers for teenagers – organised the event at Birmingham’s Custard Factory, yesterday.

Book-lovers, aged from 13 to 18, met expert mentors who led workshops on graphic novel making and creative writing.

They also had the chance to meet critically-acclaimed author Meg Rosoff who read from her multi-award winning novel How I Live Now. Upcoming teen band Lion Club also performed a live set.

Aijamal Bahibek Kizi, aged 15, said: “There aren’t many sites where teens can share and discuss ideas about the books that they have read and this is a great chance to do so.”

Anna Rafferty, online marketing director, said: “Publishers and the book trade are failing to reach teenagers via traditional methods of marketing. Spinebreakers.co.uk takes the user from the page to the web and vice versa.”