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Original poster

Jack Reacher should be taught in schools

161 replies

noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:25

Lee Child, the famous and prolific author of thrillers has been doing literacy workshops with prisoners based around his Jack Reacher novels.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/dec/19/lee-child-thrillers-uk-school-curriculum-literacy

He suggests that teaching children literary masterpieces is putting children off reading. "He said: “You should have whatever is compelling and whatever gets people into the habit of reading. Then you can have the fancy stuff later, of course, but don’t start with it.”"

I mean, he has a point, there is a crisis in reading among young people, particularly boys (65.5% of boys got a 4+ in English in the summer compared to 75.9% of girls and we know that being a reader improves outcomes across all GCSEs).

  • "Just 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2024. Reading enjoyment levels have decreased by 8.8 percentage points over the past year alone.
https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2024/

But I'm not sure what to do with this - Lee Child is finding that male prisoners are engaging with Jack Reacher in prison when there's not much else going on for them, would those same young men have engaged with it at school? On the other hand, his books are certainly more engaging than Of Mice and Men.

Thrillers should be on UK school curriculum to boost reading, says Lee Child

Bestselling author says focus on ‘masterpieces’ puts children off as he promotes prison literacy scheme

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/dec/19/lee-child-thrillers-uk-school-curriculum-literacy

OP posts:
Sirzy · 21/12/2025 11:29

I think we need to normalise reading for pleasure - and most schools I know of have a big push on this at the moment - but that should be separate from the texts studied as part of the English curriculum. Most of them are chosen for a specific reason linked to the current learning or the learning outcome.

What we need to do is stop the snobbery around what people are reading. Let them read what they enjoy be that the Beano or War and Peace!

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:36

Then maybe the learning outcomes could be changed to match the more engaging novel?

OP posts:
Sirzy · 21/12/2025 11:38

noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:36

Then maybe the learning outcomes could be changed to match the more engaging novel?

which novel is going to be engaging for the entire class though? Especially by the time you’re getting towards GCSE level.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

8 year olds General education
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:38

Incidentally, while the Beano is a fantastic publication, it doesn't build up reading stamina which is needed to get through a book. And reading stamina is an increasing problem in the age of TikTok.

OP posts:
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:39

Sirzy · 21/12/2025 11:38

which novel is going to be engaging for the entire class though? Especially by the time you’re getting towards GCSE level.

Show quote history

I think we could probably agree that a thriller would be more engaging for a larger subset of the population than war poetry?

OP posts:
2DemisSVP · 21/12/2025 11:39

There’s definitely space for one of the gcse texts to be something like that. Is it three they study - so make one a contemporary popular novel ?

DancingNotDrowning · 21/12/2025 11:40

I totally agree. I love books, reading is pretty much my favourite thing to do, but having to read the Mayor of Casterbridge and Chaucer when I was 16 could so easily have killed that passion.

HarryVanderspeigle · 21/12/2025 11:42

noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:38

Incidentally, while the Beano is a fantastic publication, it doesn't build up reading stamina which is needed to get through a book. And reading stamina is an increasing problem in the age of TikTok.

I love the beano and am so pleased that ds is in to it now too. But he is primary age and I wouldn't expect it as a gcse text. My dad credits it with him learning to read.

Soony · 21/12/2025 11:44

I would endorse this. Jack Reacher turned my reluctant reader DS into a teenager who read for pleasure and still does as an adult. It was great as we had that in common and we used to make up Jack Reacher plots together.

I say this as a lifelong reader myself who nearly gave up reading altogether after GCSE literature.

I love those books, they are formulaic, predictable, moral and it's true somewhat violent, but really good fun. There aren't great female characters in there, the tv series might make you think otherwise as they bigged up the role of one woman.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:44

HarryVanderspeigle · 21/12/2025 11:42

I love the beano and am so pleased that ds is in to it now too. But he is primary age and I wouldn't expect it as a gcse text. My dad credits it with him learning to read.

Show quote history

If he likes the Beano, have you looked at The Phoenix, which is another great comic which has a mix of silly stuff and more serious stories?

OP posts:
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:47

Soony · 21/12/2025 11:44

I would endorse this. Jack Reacher turned my reluctant reader DS into a teenager who read for pleasure and still does as an adult. It was great as we had that in common and we used to make up Jack Reacher plots together.

I say this as a lifelong reader myself who nearly gave up reading altogether after GCSE literature.

I love those books, they are formulaic, predictable, moral and it's true somewhat violent, but really good fun. There aren't great female characters in there, the tv series might make you think otherwise as they bigged up the role of one woman.

Edited

I mean, Of Mice and Men is taught in schools and the female character doesn't even get a name, so it could be used as a launching point for discussions about depictions of women in literature?

OP posts:
LighthouseLED · 21/12/2025 11:47

I’m in two minds about this.

Anything that gets people to enjoy reading is a good thing and the classics just don’t do that for a lot of people (and I include myself in this!)

But on the other hand, English Literature requires you to study a book in depth. Much as I enjoy the Jack Reacher novels, I’m not sure how much there is to say about them?

I wonder whether we make too many people take English Literature. English Language is, of course, important but I’m just not sure literature is to the same extent. Perhaps allow literature to be dropped for GCSE but have a mandatory “reading period” instead for anyone dropping Eng Lit.

I fully expect to be shouted down for this, though!

Holluschickie · 21/12/2025 11:48

I have never read Jack Reacher. But Agatha Christie should be in schools. Got me out of many a reading slump.

TheNightingalesStarling · 21/12/2025 11:49

My DD in Yr8 has to do 3x20mins of leisure reading a week as part of homework. They can't really confirm whether its done however... the parent signs the log, the teacher might ask a question but the teacher can't know every book ever written. (They are also supposed to have the book with them).

It is a good point that no book will ever be enjoyable for everyone. And many of the Set Texts aren't that engaging (and some were the popular literature of their time).

Mustreadabook · 21/12/2025 11:57

Any book is painful to read the way you have to read it in english class. First you have to read 8 pages a day very very slowly and everyone has to read bit aloud which is such a slow way to read a book. If you get bored and read ahead that makes the rest of the lessons even worse as you are more bored. Once you have finished then you have to find out ‘what the author thought’ and that it wasn't eg a nice fantasy story about wardrobes and lions but was all about radical christianity and all the possible fun of reading the book is sucked out and dissected. I don't think any book could stay fun!

VegBox · 21/12/2025 11:58

Oh great, more dumbing down! As if the school curriculum in this country isn't anti-intellectual enough.

VikaOlson · 21/12/2025 11:59

I don't think making all teenagers trudge through Shakespeare and Dickens is a good use of their time really.
Is it more important to us that all children can read and understand English at a functional level and read for pleasure, or is it more important that they can remember quotes from Shakespeare?
The education system as it is fails far too many children - what's the actual purpose? 40% of kids aren't getting passes in English Language and Maths as it is.

This is part of a wider discussion about the education system though and what it is actually for, what is it preparing children for and is it successful.

VikaOlson · 21/12/2025 12:00

VegBox · 21/12/2025 11:58

Oh great, more dumbing down! As if the school curriculum in this country isn't anti-intellectual enough.

What's the purpose of having an 'intellectual' curriculum that many children can't access?

ShesTheAlbatross · 21/12/2025 12:01

noblegiraffe · 21/12/2025 11:36

Then maybe the learning outcomes could be changed to match the more engaging novel?

I think the act of studying a book makes it worse. I love reading. But the two books I hate the most are the two I had to endlessly analyse for every metaphor and pathetic fallacy.

ShesTheAlbatross · 21/12/2025 12:02

Mustreadabook · 21/12/2025 11:57

Any book is painful to read the way you have to read it in english class. First you have to read 8 pages a day very very slowly and everyone has to read bit aloud which is such a slow way to read a book. If you get bored and read ahead that makes the rest of the lessons even worse as you are more bored. Once you have finished then you have to find out ‘what the author thought’ and that it wasn't eg a nice fantasy story about wardrobes and lions but was all about radical christianity and all the possible fun of reading the book is sucked out and dissected. I don't think any book could stay fun!

Totally agree. I read a quote about analysing a joke once that I think applies to analysing a book “analysing a joke is like dissecting a frog. No one’s that interested, and the frog dies”.

PowerPuffGirdle · 21/12/2025 12:03

Not RTFT so apologies if its been mentioned, but JK Rowling did this.

Children's reading rates (especially boys) soared when HP was first released.

everdine · 21/12/2025 12:06

I’ve always loved reading, read Enid Blyton when she was considered bad for children. It gave me a love of reading from a very early age. I obviously moved on from her and read a wide range of books but I definitely think a Jack Reacher book would appeal to a lot more teenagers in school!

user1471538275 · 21/12/2025 12:09

I think you need to start at the GCSE - what are we trying to assess? Is it a measure of functional literacy as it is used in our society?

I would argue at the moment it is not.

We got our children through it using graphic novels and a lot of Mr Bruff content to help them actually pass the qualification.

Whilst analysing poetry provides skills ; understanding word play, rhythym etc - could music lyrics build similar skills whilst appealing to a larger group?

I think it has always been an issue - I was an absolutely voracious reader as a child and teen but hated the books and poetry that I studied for GCSE - could barely get through them as they were so alien to my life at the time. I have read them since as an adult and liked them.

Parsleyforme · 21/12/2025 12:09

I’m a book lover and every single book I studied at school was dull as dishwater. Little Women, Frankenstein, Of Mice and Men etc. I don’t really see the point in studying books with language and grammar that we don’t use today, or books where very little happens. How is it supposed to keep kids engaged when the books were written 100+ years ago and not really relevant anymore. Knowledge of Dickens doesn’t make someone employable but general literacy skills do

uhtredofbattenberg · 21/12/2025 12:13

Back in the 90s there was a big drive to get more boys into reading- and that there should be more books that will appeal to them. Arguably Jack Reacher/ thriller books might do just that.

Suspect that's no longer a thing that gets talked about....