Discover other ways we support reading
Read for Good
We're proud to support Read for Good, the national children's charity dedicated to the joy of reading. They work in schools, hospitals and community settings to bring books and storytelling to children.
The Brilliant Bookshop Experience®
The Brilliant Bookshop Experience is Read for Good's pioneering new programme designed to help more children discover the joy of reading.
Partnering with National Book Tokens and independent booksellers, The Brilliant Bookshop Experience creates highly accessible pop-up bookshops in primary and secondary schools and provides guided trips for pupils to bookshops on the high street. All children are provided with a £10 book token to spend on any title they choose. Both in schools and on the high street, bookshop staff, teachers and Read for Good specialists are on hand to support pupils as required.
The Brilliant Bookshop Experience addresses the barriers to access that prevent some children and young people from reading for pleasure. Many children in the UK have never visited a bookshop, independently browsed bookshelves or had access to diverse collections of books that range in genre, format and subject.
For many pupils, The Brilliant Bookshop Experience provides the first opportunity they have had to choose and take home their own book.
Image: Read for Good National Book Tokens gift cards and books ready for a Brilliant Bookshop Experience.
Readathon®
Read for Good's sponsored Readathon® is a joyful activity carried out in schools across the country. Through colourful resources and the knowledge that they are helping children in hospital, children are encouraged to read, with the money raised going towards new books and storytelling sessions for children in hospitals all over the UK. Free resources for teachers, brand-new books for the school library, and National Book Tokens to offer as rewards, means that Readathon offers schools a simple, fun opportunity to help develop a positive reading culture.
The support of National Book Tokens in Readathon packs, helps Read for Good's vital hospital programme.
Image: Preet and Vipul have fun sharing their books together as they get reading and raising in their Readathon.
Work in hospitals
Read for Good's hospital programme sends over 27,000 new books and delivers at least 224 storytelling days through a team of professional Storytellers, every year. They reach at least 150,000 children aged 0–18 in 31 children's hospitals across the UK.
Read for Good works with children and their families in hospitals to:
- Improve their wellbeing and mental health
- Reduce isolation and foster connections
- Share the joy of stories and reading
- Regain agency, choice and identity
- Support and strengthen children's educational journeys
The hospital teams hugely value the books and the Storytellers.
"Over a number of years, we have nurtured and really got to know Read for Good colleagues, and now have a truly wonderful and inspiring relationship with Amanda our Storyteller and Read for Good. On arrival, we meet with Amanda and tell her about our current cohort of patients; this ensures that we can make full use of her skills and target certain children who we know well and know they would benefit from her interactions. Amanda has a unique skill in being able to 'hook' a child in with her storytelling and music, it is lovely to observe! She will also take 'Veronica' – our book trolley out and work her magic with children of all ages and their families, who love a free book. Amanda and our trolley are easily recognisable by their bright orange colour, which means that our children who are frequent returners recognise them and know they will mean fun and not treatments!" Kathy Harwood, HLTA Team Leader, Nottingham
Image: Read for Good Storyteller Jen works with children at the Royal Free Hospital, like Selome, to create their own short stories, which are published in a booklet for the Inspiring Stories project.
"The high quality of the books is fantastic. It promotes a love of reading for pupils, they are great talking points and support us in supporting the wellbeing of our pupils. Our Storyteller Jen is an amazing advocate for all things stories, imagination, pupil voice and joy."
Áine Murphy-Brook, Teacher, Evelina, London
The books and Storytellers help children and their families to navigate the difficult and sometimes scary experiences of being in a hospital. For parents, it can be a lifeline in the middle of a nightmarish time.
Andrea explains:
"My son always took a book when he saw the bookcase. Read for Good has been part of his children's hospital experience. He has been in and out of different hospitals for most of his life. When he was younger, reading a story in hospital brought back memories of snuggling up and that link of a 'normal thing' from home. It's a vital little bit of home, in hospital. You feel as though, in that moment, you can protect them. The reassurance of the stories, creating that safe space for your child. It does help to calm the parents as well.
More recently my son chose a YA novel. It was really noticeable that it wasn't censored, that there were books there for teenagers. In many respects, in hospital, they lose quite a lot of autonomy. They have to have a parent there; they have to talk about their body in undignified ways. To have that ability to regain a part of their life back – that autonomy and dignity – is so important. As a parent of an older teen, it was critical to have those books there."
Picture: Andrea's son still enjoys reading his Read for Good book, even if Dizwailee the cat has chewed his bookmark!
Svetlana told us:
"It was truly a wonderful experience for me and my son. He was waiting for his operation and we were both tired, as we were in A&E for hours, and Michael the Storyteller just appeared with these books! First we thought it was just to buy them, my boy loves comic books and he spotted some he didn't have yet.
Then as Michael approached, my son started to chat with him for quite a long time, which eased our worries about the operation for a bit. Michael was really enthusiastic about knowing more about what my son likes, also my son showed him his comic sketches. It was just a bliss how one book and one person made the worst night into smiles and wonderful chat and peace."
We're proud to support the National Year of Reading
If you're into it... read into it! In 2026, every adult, young person and child are invited to Go All In – to discover how reading can make the things you already love even richer.
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