Resources
November 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Non-fiction
For Non-Fiction November, we have created a list filled with the best non-fiction for children and young people. There are memoirs, essay collections and books with great advice. You can join in with the conversation online using #NonFictionBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
Reading Guide for The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden, a Sky original tells the story of Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx – Genius, The Little Stranger), a 10-year-old girl sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Colin Firth), under the watchful eye of Mrs. Medlock (Julie Walters) with only the household maid, Martha (Isis Davis) for company. The film is set in 1940s England at Misselthwaite Manor, a remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire moors. Mary begins to uncover many family secrets, particularly after chancing upon...
Awesomely Austen - Book Club Pack
Meet your new favourite heroines – they’re bold, brilliant and totally awesome! Fresh, funny and accessible retellings of Jane Austen’s classic stories, with witty black and white illustrations throughout. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up. Awesomely Austen: Pride & Prejudice written by Katherine Woodfine and illustrated by...
A Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth by Francesca Gibbons and illustrated by Chris Riddell - a digital pack
It’s time to enter a magical new world. Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum’s boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn’t follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree. But then… who does what they’re told? Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time. Moving fast to escape the monsters that come out after dark, and longing to return home, they find...
The Kid Who Came From Space by Ross Welford - Teachers' Notes
The stunning new 10+ story from the bestselling and award-winning author of TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER, for anyone who loved the humour of WALL-E, the action of STAR WARS and the deeply touching emotion of ET. A small village in the wilds of Northumberland is rocked by the disappearance of twelve-year-old Tammy. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again. But that doesn’t mean...
The Reading Agency's toolkit for hosting online events
As events continue to move to online formats, we have created a toolkit to support libraries and other organisations to host their own author Q&As, panel discussions and readings. If you have any questions or would like further information and support, please get in touch with [email protected].
Halloween characters pack from Oxford Children’s Books - digital resources
Oxford University Press have a wickedly witchy set of digital resources for you to download and use this Halloween. Click on the links below to download the resources: - Super Happy Magic Forest: Slug of Doom activity sheet (2+) - Mirabelle Gets Up to Mischief potions activity sheet (5+) - The Last Spell Breather magical spells activity sheet (7+) - Victoria Stitch: Bad and Glittering Reading notes (9+) We would love to see photos of your wickedly witchy fun. You can do this by using...
There’s a Rang-tan in My Bedroom - digital pack
There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom is based on the Greenpeace film that became a viral sensation, about a little girl who discovers a mischievous orangutan on the loose in her bedroom, and she can’t understand why it keeps shouting OOO! at her shampoo and her chocolate. But when Rang-tan explains that there are humans running wild in her rainforest, burning down trees so they can grow palm oil to put in products, the little girl knows what she has to do: help save the orangutans! Published in...
October 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Powerful Poetry
The fantastic National Poetry Day shines a spotlight on how much fun and important poetry is. We have created a booklist with some of our favourite rhyming picture books, poetry collections and books written in verse. You can join in with the conversation online using #PowerfulPoetryBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
The Castle of Tangled Magic read-along with Sophie Anderson - resources and videos
Want to read-along The Castle of Tangled Magic with the author? Sophie Anderson is running a fairy-tale read-along. Simply download the following resource pack, and head to https://bit.ly/TMreadalong to take part. Sophie’s read-along features author videos, discussion points, activities, and competition prizes – for classrooms, libraries, and all the readers at home. Let us know if you’re joining in @Usborne @Sophieinspace #TheCastleofTangledMagic to win display materials for your...
How to run a virtual reading group with children and young people
Are you wondering how your reading group can continue to meet, even while you’re social distancing? With restricted access to public and school libraries many children and families at home are looking for activities to keep children entertained. We know that books are so important to provide comfort, solace and escapism as well as fun. Virtual reading groups can help children with their confidence through talking about books, and to encourage them to read more widely. In this resource we...
Zombierella - exclusive Libraries Week poster
CELEBRATE LIBRARIES WEEK WITH FAIRY TALES GONE BAD! Crawl out of the grave and step into your mushroom carriage for Zombierella: Fairy Tales Gone Bad, a haunting and humorous adventure of an undead girl searching for her happily ever after. Described by Malorie Blackman as “quirky and original”, this is the first in a funny, deliciously dark, three-part series of twisted classics, written in verse by award-winning poet Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Freya Hartas. Join in the celebrations...
Zombierella digital pack from Walker Books
And she died happily ever after… Crawl out of the grave and step into your mushroom carriage for Zombierella: Fairytales Gone Bad, the first in a funny, deliciously dark, three-part series of twisted classics, written in verse by award-winning poet Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Freya Hartas. A yellow moon hangs in a satin sky the night Cinderella, barefoot and in hand-me-downs, slips at the top of the stairs … and dies. But not for long. The Shadow of Death arrives to breathe life back...
How Much of These Hills Is Gold - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang by clicking below.
Love and Other Thought Experiments - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward by clicking below.
Shuggie Bain - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart by clicking below.
Redhead by the Side of the Road - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler by clicking below.
Real Life - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Real Life by Brandon Taylor by clicking below.
Such a Fun Age - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid by clicking below.
The Shadow King - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste by clicking below.
Apeirogon - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Apeirogon by Colum McCann by clicking below.
The Mirror and the Light - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel by clicking below.
Who They Was - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze by clicking below.
Burnt Sugar - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi by clicking below.
This Mournable Body - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga by clicking below.
The New Wilderness - Readers' Guide
In July 2020 the Booker Prize revealed the longlist for the 2020 prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The New Wilderness by Diane Cook by clicking below.
September 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Back to School Books
Starting back at school can be an anxious time for lots of children and young people, let alone after the Covid-19 lockdown. To help support this transition, we have created a booklist of stories where characters face issues that some students may worry about and books that can give some helpful advice. You can join in with the conversation online using #BackToSchoolBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook. Our Reading Well team have...
YA Booklist - Reading Hack Recommendations
If you’re a fan of YA lit or are looking for books to engage young people, check out our latest YA reading recommendations, all chosen by young adults. See what our reviewers thought of each title over on the Reading Hack blog Download this resource for a list of print and eBook ISBNs.
Reading group guide for For When I'm Gone by Rebecca Ley
Sylvia knows that she’s running out of time. Very soon, she will exist only in the memories of those who loved her most and the pieces of her life she’s left behind. So she begins to write her husband a handbook for when she’s gone, somewhere to capture the small moments of ordinary, precious happiness in their married lives. But Sylvia also has a secret, one that she’s saved until the very last pages. And it’s a moment in her past that could change everything… Use these free reading group...
How to draw Mossy the Fox with David Roberts
David Roberts, illustrator of Julian Clary’s Bolds books, shows us how he draws Mossy the fox. The Bold family seems fairly normal: they live in a nice house, the parents have good jobs, and they all love to have fun. One slight difference: they’re hyenas. That’s right—they’re covered in fur, have tails tucked into their clothes, and really, really like to laugh. For years, the Bolds have kept their true identities under wraps. But now the neighbors are getting suspicious, and the Bolds are...
