Adventure Awaits: Celebrating Book Week 2025

Book Week 2025 is just around the corner, and this year’s theme “Adventure Awaits” is a brilliant opportunity to reconnect our teens with the magic of reading. While the primary years often get all the Book Week attention (and adorable costumes), there’s just as much to be gained by celebrating literature with our high school students.

Let’s be honest, encouraging teenagers to read can sometimes feel like asking them to clean their room without being told twice. But adventure stories offer a way in. They’re fast-paced, immersive, and more importantly, help build key life skills like empathy, resilience and critical thinking - all while keeping your teen engaged in something other than their screen.

Why Adventure Books Matter (Especially Now)

Australian research shows that reading adventure stories improves imagination and cultural understanding - essential tools in today’s complex, fast-paced world. Whether it’s surviving a shipwreck, exploring the outback, or standing up to injustice in dystopian futures, these stories give young people a way to explore ideas and perspectives far beyond their own. And let’s not forget the simple joy of getting lost in a good book. In a world of notifications and short attention spans, that’s a gift in itself.

Support Local (Authors, That Is)

We’re lucky to have a treasure trove of brilliant Australian adventure authors who speak directly to our students’ experiences - authors like Colin Thiele, Morris Gleitzman, Jackie French and Zana Fraillon. By encouraging your teen to explore these voices, you’re helping them see themselves (and their country) reflected in the stories they read.

Simple Ways to Support at Home

• Set aside quiet time for reading after dinner or before bed.
• Encourage your teen to try one new book each week (or month - we’re realistic!).
• Ask about what they’re reading, and show genuine interest - even if it’s a fantasy series with fifteen volumes. Better yet, let them see you reading, too.

A Dress-Up Challenge…

To help celebrate the “Adventure Awaits” theme, we’re inviting all students (and teachers!) to dress up as their favourite adventure-book character on Friday of Week 5. Whether it’s Indiana Jones, Phryne Fisher, or a humble explorer with a compass and map, we’d love to see you bring the spirit of storytelling to life. It’s a wonderful way to model enthusiasm, support your teen’s school community, and maybe even have a little fun yourself.

Let’s Lead the Way (or at Least Pack the Map)

Book Week is about more than costumes and reading lists - it’s about fostering a love of story, imagination and learning. By celebrating with our teens, we’re showing them that reading doesn’t stop at childhood, it evolves, expands and continues to shape who we become.

So dust off that old novel, think about a cool literary outfit, and join us in making Book Week 2025 one to remember. Adventure awaits, and so does dress-up Friday! We’ll see you there.

Ms Emma Post (Ramke)
Faculty Coordinator