Skip to content

Resources

15 Feb 2019

Lasting Letters

Valentine’s Day got us thinking about love letters, and how many incredible books there are that feature letters. We’ve put together a selection of books about letters, featuring letters, and even written as one long letter.

28 Jan 2019

Girl With a Pearl Earring Book Club Questions

Johannes Vermeer can spot exceptional beauty. When servant girl Griet catches his eye, she soon becomes both student and muse. But then he gives her his wife’s pearl earrings to wear for a portrait, and a scandal erupts that could threaten Griet’s future. Twenty years on Girl With a Pearl Earring remains as vivid and captivating as ever. A timeless modern classic and an international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold around the world; Harper Collins are publishing a special...

07 Jan 2019

The Language of Kindness Reading Group Guide

Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness. This is a reading group guide including questions, discussion points and further reading.

06 Dec 2018

Reading is magic poster

Discover a love of reading with these top tips from Cressida Cowell, author and illustrator of the popular How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once books.

06 Dec 2018

Cressida Cowell's top tips for parents

Help your child discover the magic of reading with this handy one-page guide from the award-winning children’s author.

06 Dec 2018

ROGO 2018 Best practice guide

The Read On. Get On. (ROGO) coalition has created this best practice guide to help primary schools address the gender gap in children’s reading enjoyment. The guide has been developed in response to the findings of the ROGO Index 2018.

06 Dec 2018

ROGO Index 2018

The ROGO Index 2018 provides a holistic view of how well 11-year-olds in England are reading. Download this document for a comprehensive breakdown of children’s cognitive reading skills, affective processes and reading behaviours

16 Nov 2018

Debuts of 2018

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? If you need a bit of writing inspiration to get your big debut out, take a look at our favourite debuts of 2018: Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave by Richard Williams Pieces of Me by Natalie Hart The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar Vox by Christina Dalcher Never Greener by Ruth Jones Only Child by Rhiannon Navin Suicide Club by Rachel Heng In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi...

01 Nov 2018

Non-fiction November

It’s Non-fiction November and we’re celebrating with some of our favourite non-fiction books. Do you know why we sleep? Or about how Nike was built up by one man? Find out in some of our top picks, and let us know something interesting that you’ve learnt from a non-fiction book on Twitter and Instagram using #NonFictionNovember

19 Oct 2018

Spooky Reads

The days are getting longer so here are some of our suggestions of books to read throughout October. With ghosts, crime and mystery, you won’t be able to sleep at night…

18 Oct 2018

Roar by Cecelia Ahern - sample chapter

Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very...

18 Oct 2018

Roar by Cecelia Ahern - a Readers' Guide

Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very...

28 Sep 2018

Washington Black - themed booklist

The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Washington Black. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.

28 Sep 2018

The Overstory - themed booklist

The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Overstory by Richard Powers is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Overstory. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.

28 Sep 2018

The Mars Room - themed booklist

The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Mars Room. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.

28 Sep 2018

The Long Take - themed booklist

The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Long Take by Robin Robertson is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Long Take. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.

28 Sep 2018

Milkman - themed booklist

The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Milkman by Anna Burns is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Milkman. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.

28 Sep 2018

Everything Under - themed booklist

The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Everything Under by Daisy Johnson is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Everything Under. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.

26 Sep 2018

Night of the Living Ted by Barry Hutchison - Library Competition

Night of the Living Ted Competition Create-a-Ted! Draw your own Teddy at a Teddy Bear’s Picnic. When Lisa Marie and her step-brother Vernon pop into town to get their dad a birthday present, they discover the Create-a-Ted shop is offering free Halloween bears! Making two grisly bears for themselves and choosing an Elvis bear named Bearvis for Dad, they head home. That night the shopkeeper brings the bears to life for nefarious purposes … but Vernon’s bear, Grizz, doesn’t want to be a slave to...

21 Sep 2018

The Long Take - Readers' Guide

On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Long Take by Robin Robertson by clicking below.

21 Sep 2018

The Overstory - Readers' Guide

On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Overstory by Richard Powers by clicking below.

21 Sep 2018

The Mars Room - Readers' Guide

On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner by clicking below.

21 Sep 2018

Everything Under - Readers' Guide

On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Everything Under by Daisy Johson by clicking below.

21 Sep 2018

Washington Black - Readers' Guide

On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Washington Black by Esi Edugyan by clicking below.

21 Sep 2018

Milkman - Readers' Guide

On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Milkman by Anna Burns by clicking below.

03 Aug 2018

Back to School Booklist

When September hits it’s time to go back to studying. We have some fantastic books about schools, university and education for when you want to put down a textbook and pick up something to read just for fun.

01 Aug 2018

Women in Translation Booklist

August is Women in Translation Month. Only a tiny fraction of fiction published in English is translated, and only about a quarter of that translated fiction was originally written by women. For some reason, fiction in translation by women remains as rare as black diamonds. And yet there are so many amazing women-authored books out there in the world – books we’re missing out on. Here is a list of books by women in translation, as chosen by a group of literary translators.

12 Jul 2018

National Poetry Day – Reading Group Guide

In the lead-up to National Poetry Day in October, we have a selection of poetry collections that have been specially chosen for reading groups with notes and questions to get you started. To download the guide, click the link below.

12 Jul 2018

Summer 2018 Booklist

Now that summer has arrived, we’re all looking for that perfect book to take to the beach. The Reading Agency staff have put together our ultimate summer booklist recommendations, with new and older books that we think everyone should take on their holidays. When your children go to the library to get their books for the Summer Reading Challenge, how about picking up one of these suggestions? What’s your summer book recommendation? Join in the conversation online with #summerread To download...

03 Jul 2018

The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson - Extract

In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted some 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children. Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It was a time when women everywhere were largely silent. In this brilliant reimagining, Sally Magnusson gives a voice to Ásta, the...

View our other programmes