FIVE months of feverish reading came to a head yesterday when pupils from three secondary schools took part in the Gr8 Debate.

Now in its fourth year, the scheme saw 31 Year 9 students from Nova Hreod Academy, Ridgeway School and Isambard Community School read five different young adult titles and come together to discuss the merits and shortcomings of each book.

Selected by the schools’ learning resources managers and funded with the help of a £300 grant from Intel to each school, the books were chosen for their genres, writing styes and themes to stretch the youngsters’ tastes in literature.

Stella Rogers, learning resources manager at Isambard, who hosted the event this year, said: “This year all the children have been really exuberant and opinionated in a good way about discussing each title, which I think is very astute.

“There were some very strong divided opinions about some of the books “We are passionate about reading and we know that the students enjoy reading and it’s nice to be able to do something that they feel is there own, and to take it on in addition to all the other commitments on their time.”

After a morning of debate, the children voted for their favourite title, placing Half Bad by Sally Green in first place followed by My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, Into that Forest by Louise Nowra, The Rain by Virginia Bergin and Heroic by Phil Earle.

Ridgeway School pupil Chelsea Oswald said: “It was good to hear the different ideas and thoughts about the books. Some people said they hated a book while other people said they loved the same book.

“It was good to have the discipline too. It would be good to have a book club but I’m not sure I would have been as bothered if it wasn’t something I thought I had to do.”

Isambard’s 14-year-old Ehlana Drury, of Oakhurst, said it inspired her to read more outside her comfort zone and try new titles.

“I’m definitely reading more books I wouldn’t have read before,” she said.

“I’m also recommending more books to my friends. I used to just tell them about the books I really loved but now I’m recommending things which I think they might enjoy as well.

“I think it would have been good if the students could maybe have chosen just one book, just to show the kinds of things kids today are reading.”

Nova Hreod pupil Lauren Norcliffe, of Haydon Wick, also enjoyed the exercise which brought readers together.

“It’s quite interesting because you get to socialise with other people and discuss the books, not just with people in your own school,” she said.

“You get to meet other people who also enjoy reading.

“I enjoy reading. It helps in school, for instance if you have to write a story and you haven’t many ideas you can think about the books you’ve read and take inspiration from them. It’s also good because if you read a word you don’t know you can look it up and then include it in your school work.”