Resources
Wild Girl by Helen Skelton and Liz Kay - author video
Calling wild girls everywhere! Helen Skelton – adventurer, world-record breaker and TV presenter – brings you her inspirational guide to getting outdoors and having incredible adventures. From kayaking the length of the Amazon to cycling to the South Pole and running an ultra-marathon across the Namib desert, the Blue Peter and Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton has taken on record-breaking feats of endurance and shown that adventures definitely are for girls. Helen shares six...
Tiny and Teeny by Chris Judge - activity sheets
Welcome to Pocket Town, the teeniest, tiniest town around… Deep down, in between the blades of grass, lives Tiny. Can you see her? Keep looking … closer still … squint a bit … yes, there she is! Tiny keeps very busy in the buzzing place of Glengadget. Every day of the week, she has a different neighbour to meet – she does some gardening for Mandy Small, she reads to Bitsy McGee and she gives Minkin a hand with her lively twins. But when disaster strikes (in the shape of a falling leaf),...
Beverley, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo - Teacher's Notes
Revisiting once again the world of Raymie Nightingale, two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo turns her focus to the tough-talking, inescapably tenderhearted Beverly. Beverly put her foot down on the gas. They went faster still. This was what Beverly wanted — what she always wanted. To get away. To get away as fast as she could. To stay away. Beverly Tapinski has run away from home plenty of times, but that was when she was just a kid. By now, she figures, it’s not running away. It’s...
To The Lions - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for To The Lions by Holly Watt, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
The Devil Aspect - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
The Map of Salt and Stars - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
Sleeper: The Red Storm - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for Sleeper: The Red Storm by J.D. Fennell, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
Firefly - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for Firefly by Henry Porter, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
Preservation - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for Preservation by Jock Serong, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
The Wizards of Once - KS2 resources
Cressida Cowell’s aim as Waterstones Children’s Laureate is to encourage EVERY child to read for fun and get something out of books. Full of magic and wonder, adventure and danger, friendship and family, her latest series, The Wizards of Once, is the perfect series to get children excited about reading. These comprehensive resources are an excellent way to get children to engage with the text in a fun and educational way. Cressida has a passion for developing the creative intelligence of...
Roald Dahl Day activity sheets and competition from OUP
Get Gobblefunking with Roald Dahl Oxford University Press have some fantabulous activity sheets for children to use and enjoy this Roald Dahl Day (13 September). If you do use the resources in your library or school, we would love to see photos. You can share these by using #DahlDay and tagging @OUPChildrens and @readingagency. Competition There is also a great competition for children aged 13 and under on www.oxfordowl.co.uk/roald-dahl. If they enter they could win: A family ticket to...
SAPIENS, HOMO DEUS and 21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY by Yuval Noah Harari: A reading guide
A reading guide for the books by Yuval Noah Harari including information about the author and discussion points.
Food, Glorious Food
Are you hungry? You might be after looking at our fantastic food themed booklist. Novels, poetry and of course a few cookbooks will keep you busy for hours.
Night Boat to Tangier - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry by clicking below.
The Wall - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Wall by John Lanchester by clicking below.
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite by clicking below.
Lost Children Archive - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli by clicking below.
Lanny - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Lanny by Max Porter by clicking below.
Frankissstein - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson by clicking below.
Girl, Woman, Other - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo by clicking below.
Ducks, Newburyport - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman by clicking below.
An Orchestra of Minorities - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma by clicking below.
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak by clicking below.
The Man Who Saw Everything - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy by clicking below.
Quichotte - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Quichotte by Salman Rushdie by clicking below.
The Testaments - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Testaments by Margaret Atwood by clicking below.
Red Joan reading group guide
A reading group guide written by author, Jennie Rooney. About the book Joan’s voice is almost a whisper. ‘Nobody talked about what they did during the war. We all knew we weren’t allowed to.’ Joan Stanley has a secret. She is a loving mother, a doting grandmother, and leads a quiet, unremarkable life in the suburbs. Then one morning there is a knock on the door, and suddenly the past she has been so keen to hide for the last fifty years threatens to overturn her...
The Fairytale Hairdresser and Thumbelina - activity pack
Join Kittie Lacey, the best hairdresser in all of Fairyland, in her latest adventure The Fairytale Hairdresser and Thumbelina. It’s almost time for the Flower Festival and Kitty Lacey’s salon is bursting with people looking for a special floral hairstyle. This is the Flower People’s favourite time of year, but they have all mysteriously disappeared… All except for one: Thumbelina. But when Thumbelina vanishes too, can Kittie save the day with the help of a brave...
September 2019 Children's and Young People booklist - Back to School Books
Our September booklist for children and young people is a selection of our favourite books either set in a school or about starting a new academic year. It includes picture books, guides for teenagers, a graphic novel and some amazing stories. You can join in with the conversation online using #BackToSchoolBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
Dot Day - Make Your Mark poster and activity pack
Celebrate International Dot Day on 15th-ish September! International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009. Now, every 15-ish September, more than 10 million teachers, librarians, and children in 170 countries participate in International Dot Day, making their mark by getting busy with writing, drawing, painting, or other creative outlets and...
