'You never know, things might have once existed': young readers engaging with postmodern texts that blur the boundaries between fact and fiction

This article considers children’s engagement with the Ologies, a series of post-modern texts that blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. This follows on from a text-based analysis of the series published in this journal (Changing English 22 (3) 2015). Data collected from 9-12 year olds demonstrates how actual readers took up the invitation offered by the text and were able to identify the tension between realism and fantasy; oscillate between different genres; stop to play games and use the tactile to make meaning. In addition they willingly brought their own knowledge of the world to the text and were able to tease out meanings through dialogic interaction. It is argued the quality discussion which ensued is due to the multi-layered nature of the books and the offering of agency to the pupils with little adult interference.