Thanks to Beaumont Leys School in Leicester for inviting me to READING WEEK to talk to all in years 7 – 9.  There was a great mix of keen readers and some not-so-keen, so I did my best to convince all that reading books really can make you smarter, richer and healthier! After all, research published in the Journal of American Academy of Neurology finds that people who engage in reading experience slower memory decline than those who do not. Our own Reading Agency research demonstrates that reading for pleasure builds empathy and improves wellbeing. I was about to tell Year 9 that reading also makes you good-looking and adorable but feared they might sue. But hey, even if reading doesn’t always make you better-looking, it can help you get a better job to pay for decent cosmetic surgery!   😀