National Year of Reading 2026

Get Ready to Read! The National Year of Reading 2026

We’re so excited to announce that 2026 has been officially designated as The National Year of Reading!

What is the National Year of Reading?

It’s finally here! We are so excited that 2026 is officially the National Year of Reading.

This landmark year is a major UK-wide campaign designed to get the nation reading for pleasure, and we at BooksForTopics are thrilled to be at the heart of the initiative – especially as it coincides with our 10th birthday!

Our National Year of Reading Booklist launched in January 2026 and our supporting Read What You’re Into posters are available to download now.

Be sure to sign up for our email newsletter to hear more as plans are announced.

The initiative, led by the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust, aims to tackle the sharp decline in reading enjoyment and daily reading among children and young people.

Why do we need to boost Reading for Pleasure in 2026?

Reading for pleasure is so much more than a hobby – it’s a crucial part of a child’s development, linked to improved wellbeing, literacy skills and even higher earnings later in life.

That’s why this nationwide effort to re-imagine reading as a powerful and relevant activity is so important. It’s a call for everyone — parents, teachers, schools, libraries and key literacy organisations like BooksForTopics – to come together and kickstart a reading revolution in 2026.

What is happening during the National Year of Reading?

The National Year of Reading 2026 is now officially underway! Led by the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust, the campaign is tackling the decline in reading enjoyment head-on.

The dedicated National Year of Reading Go All In website and calendar of events are now live, providing a roadmap of inspiration for families and schools throughout the year.

A major pillar of the 2026 campaign remains the government’s commitment to ensuring every state primary school in England has a library by 2029. This follows the 2025 funding announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves – a huge milestone for the Libraries for Primaries campaign.

At BooksForTopics, we are proud to be a key partner in this reading revolution. Our founder, Alison Leach, was recently featured in the prestigious F:Entrepreneur top 100 list, highlighting the impact BooksForTopics has on the UK’s literacy landscape. We are using this platform to ensure reading for pleasure stays at the top of the national agenda all year long.

To celebrate the launch of the National Year of Reading in January 2026, we were thrilled to announce that our team of experts and review panel of teachers and librarians have selected 100 modern books for a National Year of Reading Booklist.

What resources does BooksForTopics offer for the National Year of Reading?

Here at BooksForTopics, we are thrilled to be supporting colleagues across the industry in a collaborative effort to make the National Year of Reading a huge success!

As a go-to resource for book recommendations, BooksForTopics is fully immersed in supporting the National Year of Reading. Our Year Group Reading Lists remain our most popular tool, updated for 2026 to include the very latest quality texts that children actually want to pick up.

During the National Year of Reading, we will continue to support schools and families in finding quality and appealing texts that are matched to the age, stage and interest levels of readers from EYFS to KS3.

Key Resources for The National Year of Reading

To help you get involved and make the most of this year, we have a range of free resources that champion reading for pleasure and align with the goals of the campaign. Whether you’re a parent looking for your child’s next book or a teacher building a reading culture in your classroom, you’ll find something to help.

National Year of Reading Booklist: The flagship booklist showcases 100 modern texts for primary schools to boost their libraries with recently released books that really hook in today’s readers.
Read What You’re Into Posters: The Year of Reading slogan “If you’re into it, read into it” invites you to Go All In on your passions by discovering how reading can expand on the things you already love, and our printable posters are here to help with children’s book recommendations matched to different interests.
Year Group Recommended Reads: Our popular booklists for every primary school year group (from Preschool to Year 9) are packed with 50 quality, age-appropriate books. We’ve carefully curated these lists with a balance of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels to ensure there’s something to capture every child’s interest – with books especially for boosting Reading for Pleasure in 2026! You can download these as free printable checklists and posters for your classrooms and libraries as well as purchasing full book packs.
Branching Out Booklists: These are designed to help children find their next favourite read after they’ve finished a popular book or series. From books for fans of Dog Man to books similar to Lottie Brooks, if a child loves a particular author, the ‘Branching Out’ list will suggest other books they might enjoy.
Monthly ‘Books We Love’ Lists: These regularly updated lists highlight the best new books being published each month and are perfect for staying up to date with the latest children’s fiction and non-fiction.
Children’s Book Award Calendar: Our updated printable book awards calendar is an essential tool for keeping up with the best children’s literature of 2026, and it’s a key resource for any school library. Awards ceremonies are a great way to celebrate books and authors, and they provide an excellent opportunity to promote reading for pleasure in the classroom. We’ve also rounded up a list of all of the children’s book award winners over the past year.
Curriculum Booklists: Looking for a great story to link with a topic? Our curriculum-based booklists cover a wide range of subjects, from the Vikings and Ancient Egypt to Rainforests and Volcanoes. These are perfect for making reading a central part of your curriculum and helping children learn through stories.
Diverse & Inclusive Booklists: They have a dedicated section of booklists featuring diverse and inclusive books, ensuring that children can see themselves reflected in the stories they read and also gain insight into the lives of others.
Printables and Reading Challenges: Check out our collection of free printables, including our popular Summer Reading Bingo. This challenge focuses on the experience of reading, with fun activities like “read to a pet” or “read with a torch.”

…AND we have some very exciting new projects and partnerships in the pipeline, especially for the National Year of Reading! Watch this space and be sure to sign up for our email newsletter to hear more.