Come and join Chatterbooks 
Chatterbooks reading groups are where children aged 8 to 11 have a really good time talking about books.
Run by The Reading Agency, Chatterbooks reading groups take place all over the country in libraries, schools and wherever people want to set them up.
Join Chatterbooks for free, sign up for our eletter, get tips to get started plus lots of lovely stuff from children’s publishers - all from Reading Groups for Everyone.
If you buy Chatterbooks goodies or sign up for Chatterbooks training you will also get ready to use activities and exclusive offers to help get children fired up and excited about reading.
I've always been a total bookworm and practically lived in my local library when I was a child. I wish I'd been able to join a Chatterbooks reading group then. It would have been such fun to make new friends and discuss all our favourite books. Lots of members write to me and send me their stories and drawings and book reviews – they obviously love being part of a Chatterbooks group.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Chatterbooks patron.
Engaging children with disabilities
9 May 2012
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Kerry Brookes, Children's Librarian for West Sussex Libraries, tells us about a Chatterbooks project she ran in Chichester aimed at children with disabilities:
In West Sussex we ran four Chatterbooks projects to engage with disabled children which was supported by 'Short Breaks' funding. The Aiming High for Disabled Children Short Breaks transformation programme was designed to ensure that disabled children and young people had greater access to services and activities in their local and wider community. A Short Break was defined as a positive activity for the child or the young person, where the parent/carer had a break from… more
11 May 2012
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To celebrate the release of Dork Diaries: Skating Sensation by Rachel Renee Russell, Simon and Schuster are offering party packs to help you host Dork Day in your library. Each pack contains seven different activity sheets, Dork Day button stickers (30 per pack) and an A4 Dork Day poster.
Packs are given away on a first-come first-served basis and… more
8 May 2012
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Chatterbooks Reads is our monthly promotion with publishers that brings some of the best in children's publishing to libraries, schools, parents, reading groups and book clubs. Each month librarians, publishers and children's reading groups select their favourite new titles. Chatterbooks Reads are a great way to help you find a good read for your children.
May's Chatterbooks Reads titles:
Key stage… more
26 April 2012
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Becky Earl from Bedford Libraries went to her first Chatterbooks session 5 years ago. She tells us about how she got involved and how she has kept her Chatterbooks group going:
I started working at Kempston Library in November 2006, and on my first day my boss explained that they were expecting 'Chatterbooks' in that evening and if I wanted to… more
26 April 2012
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At Chatterbooks we love inspiring children to engage with books and reading and to help teachers, librarians and parents do this, we produce Chatterpacks - special themed or book title focused packs full of quizzes and wordsearches and lots of fun reading, writing and drawing ideas that you can use with your Chatterbooks groups.
We've just created a Chatterpack… more
20 April 2012
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We're hope you've all been having a great time running your Chatterbooks groups. We've been busy here at Chatterbooks HQ pulling together all the latest news and stories just for you and all the latest books that publishers are recommending for Spring and Summer.
Download our Spring newsletter to get information about our offers and training, news from groups and… more
10 April 2012
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On a sunny day in March library staff from across 13 Scottish authorities got together for our Chatterbooks training day held at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow.
As part of the training they worked on their plans for new Chatterbooks groups, aiming to reach a range of target audiences including: boys, looked-after children, English as a second language groups, non-library users, children… more
10 April 2012
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Josie Watson from Essex Libraries tells us about one of the many children's reading groups they run - this one takes place at Basildon Library:
The Children's Book Group is for 8 - 11 year olds, though some a little younger join and some a little older stay on. Numbers fluctuate as children move on to senior school and … more
7 April 2012
/ Chatterbooks
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Chatterbooks Reads is our monthly promotion with publishers that brings some of the best in children's publishing to libraries, schools, parents, reading groups and book clubs. They are a great way to help you find a good read for your children.
Each month librarians, publishers and children's reading groups select their favourite new titles. Here are the titles for this… more
13 March 2012
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/ Chatterbooks
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/ 0 comments
With Clonclyfrau/Chatterbooks just launching in Wales, Erica Neck tells us about running her first Chatterbooks session for the Mountain Ash Chatterbooks Group:
We decided to start up the Chatterbooks group after attending training and we thought it might be a fun way of getting children to expand their reading habits. Although our library is popular with children, they usually just go… more
11 March 2012
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Lots of fun was had with books and a big celebration cake at the national launch of Clonclyfrau/Chatterbooks reading groups for children in Wales. Children, parents, teachers and library staff all had a brilliant time with authors Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore - aka the 2 Steves. Children from Ysgol Esgob Morgan got to dress up as heroes and… more
10 March 2012
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We're really pleased to be working with disaster relief charity ShelterBox, Young Shelterbox and acclaimed childrens' author and illustrator Michael Foreman, on their 2012 illustration competition. Children are being challenged to bring a story about a tsunami to life with their pictures for Shelterbox's third disaster book - The Day the Sea Changed.
The competition is open to every child… more
9 March 2012
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Children's Laureate and author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and How To Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell have been on the hunt to find the best storyteller in Britain. The search ended on World Book Day with Alison Williams from Kensington being named the first ever Storytelling Superstar.
Alison left the judges highly impressed with her retelling of The Tale… more
7 March 2012
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Chatterbooks is a lot of fun; we get to read a lot of books by authors we may not have read otherwise! Brannon, pupil at Ysgol Esgob Morgan, St Asaph
The Reading Agency is delighted to announce the launch of its new Reading Groups for Children in Wales, Clonclyfrau/Chatterbooks network of children's reading groups. Reading Groups for Children is a programme… more
7 March 2012
/ Chatterbooks
/ 0 comments
Chatterbooks Reads is our promotion with publishers that brings some of the best in children's publishing to libraries, schools, parents, reading groups and book clubs. They are a great way to help you find a good read for your children.
Each month librarians, publishers and children's reading groups select their favourite new titles. Here are the titles for this month… more
4 March 2012
/ Chatterbooks
/ Running a reading group
/ Tips
/ 0 comments
At Chatterbooks we love inspiring children to engage with books and reading and to help teachers, librarians and parents do this, we produce Chatterpacks - special themed or book title focused packs full of quizzes and wordsearches and lots of fun reading, writing and drawing ideas that you can use with your Chatterbooks groups.
We've just created a Chatterpack… more
27 February 2012
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/ Running a reading group
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Anne Taylor from Barking and Dagenham Libraries tell us about what one of their Chatterbooks groups have been doing:
One of our Chatterbooks groups meets at Barking Learning Centre. This particular group is open to children aged seven and over, who have completed the boroughs year round reading challenge. The group meets fortnightly for one hour after school.
For the… more
25 February 2012
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Zoe Toft from Playing by the Book is inviting people to join in celebrating all things bookish and delicious by taking part in the inaugural Edible Book Festival. It's a great opportunity to create an edible book inspired by children's literature. So if you love children's books and you love baking - this is the competition for you!
Emma Chichester Clark,… more
20 February 2012
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On World Book Day, why not stream the Biggest Book Show on Earth into your library or school? This online festival, showcasing the cream of publishing talent, is the first of its kind and a great way to celebrate writers and reading with children and their parents.
There will be two events on Thursday 1 March:
The Nursery/pre-school event, from 9.30am-10am,… more
20 February 2012
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The stunning and extraordinarily moving novel A Monster Calls from Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay has won the Red House Children's Book Award 2012. Voted for solely by young readers from a shortlist drawn up by children's book groups across Britain, the award is recognised by authors, parents and librarians as a key indicator of which books are popular… more
