Get to know our CGA English teachers this World Book Day! Each year on April 23rd, Book Day is all about celebrating our joy for reading, favourite authors, and inspiring others to explore a new book.

While some of us love reading, we know it’s not everyone's favourite hobby. That’s why we asked our English teachers to give us insight into the importance of literature for everyday life, and to share their favourite books in hopes to motivate you to pick up your next great read.

Explore Our CGA Teachers’ Top Reads

Reading is as personal and unique as you are - and it’s no different for our teachers at CGA. From romance novels to philosophy and fantasy, here’s what they had to say on their favourite books:

"One of my favourite Primary level books is a recent novel by Patricia Forde called The List. I love the challenge posed by a dystopian world where words are heavily controlled as a way of controlling human thought and endeavour, and the fight to change this.

My favourite recent Young Adult fiction is Scythe by Neal Shusterman, the first novel in his Arc of the Scythe Trilogy about a world where the internet has taken control, disease and disaster can be controlled and humans can regenerate at will. I love novels which take realities in our current world and imagine their future capabilities and possible dangers.

A great literary classic is Great Expectations. I was at first challenged to find a way to engage with this novel as a teenager but have now read it and taught it many times and every time I revisit this novel I find a new and interesting depth or idea: that is the mark of great fiction!" -  CGA Teacher, Suzanne Stacey

"The most recent book that I read and loved was Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I love how he brings fantasy and mythology into the modern world and creates such vivid characters." - CGA Teacher, Anika Krause

"It's really hard to narrow my favourite books down to just one, but if I absolutely had to, I'd probably say 'Cloud Atlas', by David Mitchell. This is a wonderful, haunting story that leaps between time and space and encompasses both the huge themes -  love, friendship, what it means to be human - and the tiny moments that make up a life." - CGA Teacher, Carrie Ingham

"I have lots of favourite books and it is hard to single out just one. One novel that does jump to mind is The Razor's Edge, by Somerset Maughan. I first read this book when I was 16 years old and it had quite a profound effect on me. It inspired me to think about different philosophies, to consider the meaning of life and to re-evaluate my own priorities. It also inspired me to travel - in particular to India - where I spent about a year in my early 20s. Even though Maugham wrote this novel in 1944, it has a kind of timeless relevance. I bought this book for my daughter on her 16th birthday and she also loved it." - CGA Teacher, Vikki Adam

Why Is Literature Important?

There are several key purposes to literature, particularly in education. Not only is literature there to teach us something - whether that be to add intellectual value in our certain subjects or entertain us through poetry or fiction stories, it expands our knowledge and way of thinking in everyday life.

Literature can help us to learn a new language, understand different cultures, help us to build connections with others and challenge us to consider our values.

The Role of Literature in School

"The Importance of Literature in Curriculum: As the brilliant educator Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop says, books are magical and essential because they operate as "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors" for our students. Great literature enables us to better see and understand ourselves, better see and understand others, and step into new worlds to strengthen our moral compasses, critical thinking, and capacity for empathy." - CGA Teacher, Anika Krause

"Literature isn’t important in the curriculum, it is important in LIFE! Literature allows you to explore, experience and escape, it allows you to live beyond the confines of your own existence and it allows you to grow, be challenged and be entertained. Literature is about LIFE, yours and that of others." -  CGA Teacher, Suzanne Stacey

I think the importance of literature in any curriculum cannot be overstated. Literature opens minds, it enables young people to experience different places, cultures and time periods, it feeds the imagination and it provides an escape (when escape is needed). - CGA Teacher, Vikki Adam

"Literature is essential in all curricula - and beyond - as books allow us to inhabit worlds and selves that we would never be able to experience just living our one life. Not only do they teach us words to think with, and empathy to understand others with, but they are both mirrors and windows. Books teach us how to live." - CGA Teacher Carrie Ingham