Booker prize launches new Quick Read in effort to boost adult reading rates
Short story collection All Around the World will be available for £1 in attempt to widen access to quality fiction
May 2026
Other lives
Greg Brooks obituary
Other lives: Expert in literacy who served on panels looking at how to improve children’s reading and writing skills
April 2026
‘Relentless’ focus on literacy undermines reading for pleasure, says report
Meet Tashi, the miniature poodle helping children gain the confidence to read aloud – video
March 2026
‘It’s like a giant book club’: how schools are getting children excited about reading again
In the National Year of Reading, teachers say a culture of enthusiasm, from dress-up days, story time and book clubs, can reverse a national decline
Joy of teaching English in the age of AI
Letter: Reading and writing are still uniquely human activities even though artificial intelligence can complete complex “English learning” tasks in seconds, says Richard Farmer
Schools in England sidelining dressing-up for World Book Day, MPs hear
Literacy experts say move comes over cost concerns and fears costumes can detract from reading for pleasure
February 2026
The National Year of Reading celebrates the ‘joy’ of books. But let’s not forget they can also be deeply troubling, too
Charlotte Higgins
Today in Focus
Will we ever read books again? – podcast
Only 10% of boys aged 14-16 read daily for pleasure, National Literacy Trust finds
‘Last year I read 137 books’: could setting targets help you put down your phone and pick up a book?
‘The goal has been to demystify’: how a colonial Nairobi library was restored and given back to the people
Susie Dent’s tips and tricks to add muscle to a child’s vocabulary
Children’s vocabulary shrinking as reading loses out to screen time, says Susie Dent
January 2026
‘It’s about making reading as natural as breathing’: Malorie Blackman backs the National Year of Reading
Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books
Leah Williamson and Richard Osman back National Year of Reading
‘For a moment, only that story matters’: my plan to reignite the all-consuming love of books
December 2025
The Guardian view on the National Year of Reading 2026: time to start a healthy habit for life
ChatGPT, cooking and Christopher Walken: how parents got their kids to love reading in 2025
