Monday 6th July 2026
BooksForTopics Founder Alison Leach Named a Bookseller Rising Star of 2026
We are incredibly excited to share some news from behind the scenes at BooksForTopics. As we mark a decade of matching the right books to the right classrooms, BooksForTopics founder, Alison Leach, has officially been named one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2026 in recognition of the impact, growth and influence of BooksForTopics.
The prestigious annual list, sponsored by the Frankfurt Book Fair, honours the leaders, innovators and key professionals driving the British book trade forward. The achievement was celebrated at an industry gathering in London, alongside the publication of the official 2026 list in the Bookseller Magazine’s print and digital editions.
For those outside the publishing sector, The Bookseller is the UK book trade’s leading authority. To have our platform recognised on this national scale is a massive milestone for BooksForTopics, but more importantly, it is a significant nod to the power and influence of our expert-led book curation.
From a Classroom Resource to an Industry Leader
This year’s Rising Stars list includes a focus on professionals who bring vital expertise from adjacent industries. For BooksForTopics, that foundation is rooted entirely in education.
Alison Leach established BooksForTopics in 2016, drawing directly from her years of experience as a classroom teacher. What began as a helpful resource to connect teachers with high-quality children’s literature has grown into an indispensable go-to tool for primary schools across the country.
In their official announcement profile, The Bookseller highlighted this evolution, noting that the past 12 months have been transformational for the platform:
“The business has gone far beyond its roots as a helpful teachers’ resource to a genuine market-shaper as thousands of schools now rely on BooksForTopics’ lists to guide library procurement and direct school budgets.”
Maximising the Impact of School Library Budgets
School budget decisions carry high stakes, particularly when navigating a reading crisis with limited resources. Selecting books for a school library requires balancing curriculum alignment, age-appropriateness and genuine pupil engagement, which takes significant time and expertise.
BooksForTopics serves as an essential trusted tool to streamline this process, ensuring that school spending is directed toward high-quality, teacher-vetted children’s literature, road-tested by our Expert Review Panel, and effectively supporting reading-for-pleasure initiatives.
We are absolutely thrilled by this recognition from the wider book trade, especially as we celebrate our tenth anniversary and the National Year of Reading. It reinforces our ongoing mission to support schools, empower teachers and keep expert-led curation at the absolute heart of children’s literacy – whether that’s through our Year Group Recommended Reads, curriculum topic booklists or Reading for Pleasure resources.
A huge thank you to The Bookseller and to the thousands of teachers, school librarians and publishers who rely on us every day. We are incredibly excited to continue shaping the future of the book industry alongside the rest of the Rising Stars of 2026.
You can find the full list and read the announcement feature over on The Bookseller.
Where next?> Browse our Topic Booklists
> Find out more About BooksForTopics
> View our Year Group Booklists
> See our Books of the Month.