National Year of Reading - Book Your ‘Author visit!

According to the National Literary Trust research, reading for pleasure by children is at its lowest since their research began 20 years ago.

·       Only 1 in 3 children and young people aged 8 to 18 say they enjoy reading in their free time

·       Only 1 in 5 say they read something daily in their free time.

As a result the NLT have declared 2026 the National Year of Reading.
And guess what? Author visits really do help boost literacy!

In their 2023 study, the National Literacy Trust found that: “Author visits provide vital opportunities to engage children and young people with literacy.”

So having an author to visit your school really can boost literacy. Also better readers do better across the curriculum and are more socially mobile as adults, so helping children enjoy books really does make a difference to your children’s attainment.

The great news is, booking an author visit is easy. And at around £2 per child, it’s very good value too!

I have run hundreds of visits with thousands of children across the UK over the past 16 years. My assemblies are high energy with lots of participation, setting the tone for a fun day of interactive class-based workshops that will leave your children excited, motivated and inspired.

Many teachers tell me their children produce their best written work after a visit, and some are still talking about the day a whole year later!

And remember, an author isn’t just for World Book Day. You can invite an author to your setting at any time of year! We get VERY busy around WBD (and very tired!) so do think about booking after the madness is over!

Find out more and book here

Let’s work together to get kids reading again, and boost learning in 2026!