NEWS: World Book Day reveals 2026 books

September 17, 2025

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Find out about the 2026 World Book Day books! This week, sixteen new books have been announced for World Book Day, which will be celebrated on Thursday, 5th March 2026. In this blog, we reveal the choice of 16 books that children will be able to choose for free, in exchange for their £1/€1.50 token.

Newly announced – The Line-Up of £1 books for World Book Day 2026!

World Book Day 2026

World Book Day will be celebrated on Thursday, 5th March 2026, and it provides an opportunity for schools and families to celebrate books and reading, and of course, the opportunity for children to get a book of their own using their free book token. This week, our friends at World Book Day have announced their line-up of £1/€1.50 books for 2026, and we at BooksForTopics are so excited to share the news

Children were involved in selecting this year’s titles, putting World Book Day’s commitment to children’s choice at the core of its work. The 2026 range of £1/€1.50 books appeals to a whole range of readers, from beginners to teens, to ensure the celebration is accessible to all, and children will also be able to exchange their World Book Day £1 book token for any of these sixteen books. With just one in three children and young people saying they enjoy reading in their free time – a 36% decrease in reading enjoyment since 2005– helping find the joy in reading is more important than ever.

Supported by long-term sponsor, National Book Tokens, and working alongside publishers and booksellers, this year World Book Day will continue to build on its work to improve access to books, encouraging everyone to give children the choice and chance to develop that lifelong habit of reading for fun. The £1/€1.50 books are also available in braille, large print & audio via Guide Dogs, Vision Ireland, RNIB and Calibre Audi, and more information about this can be found on the World Book Day website.

We’re especially pleased to see some BooksForTopics favourite authors featured, including Hannah Gold, Serena Patel and Jamie Smart. Some of the books are exclusive stories by popular authors, while others are based on well-loved characters or existing bestselling series.

Introducing the 2026 World Book Day Books

This year’s line-up includes a new story from the popular children’s TV show Peppa Pig, an original story by author and actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and a story set in the world of the award-winning Unicorn Academy series. Serena Patel’s Pia’s Pet Club series, which appeared for the first time on our Year 3 recommended reads list this year, also features in this year’s World Book Day books with a short story called Iguana Escape.

For more fluent readers, there’s a brand new book by bestselling author Hannah Gold, whose book The Last Bear was a phenomenal success with children and is featured on our Year 5 Recommended Reads list. There’s also a comic adventure by Jamie Smart, whose graphic novel Bunny vs Monkey series is loved by so many.

You’ll also find a new story by Sibéal Pounder inspired by the classic Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a thrilling adventure story by A.F. Steadman set in the world of her bestselling Skandar series, which features on our Year 6 Recommended Reads list. Non-fiction lovers will be pleased to see that Christopher Lloyd’s Factopia series makes an appearance, which the BooksForTopics review panel described as “a fun non-fiction book with a difference.”

Finally, followers of our new KS3 booklists will be keen to hear which options are available for older readers and will find inspiration in Against All Odds, by Nathanael Lessore, whose multi-award-nominated books feature on our Year 8 and Year 9 recommended reads lists.

Fiona Hickley, Interim CEO of World Book Day, comments:

“World Book Day exists to help children find their own joy in reading. When children have the freedom to explore books and all forms of reading in a way that suits them, that’s when they gain the well-documented wellbeing, educational and life-chance advantages of reading for fun.

Our research shows children avoid reading when pressured, so at World Book Day we seek to appeal to children with our wonderful selection of £1/€1.50 books that are meticulously chosen to offer exciting options across popular interests and reading levels.
Our aim is to ensure every child can discover their own kind of fun in the books.”