The heat is on and it’s that time of year when parents have to dig deep to find ways to entertain their kids for the long summer holidays. This can be a daunting task, but what better way to spark children’s imaginations and keep them amused than to get them stuck into some fantastic books.
Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) we know there are 25,000 children aged 0 to 16 across the UK who are living with a vision impairment which can make reading that bit more challenging;
We’re determined to make sure these children can spend the summer with their favourite book characters in the same way sighted children can.
That’s why we’ve got more than 5,000 children’s books in braille and audio formats that children can read in RNIB’s completely free online Library.
Our fantastic collection of awe-inspiring audio books can be downloaded directly from the RNIB Library on smart devices like tablets and phones, or via voice commands on Alexa-enabled devices.
Specialised Daisy CDs designed for easy, structured navigation, can be delivered to your door as can USB memory sticks with up to three books on each. Printed braille books can be ordered on-demand and electronic braille can be downloaded to read on braille displays.
Children can use all these brilliant books to take part in the annual Summer Reading Challenge – a summer readathon run by The Reading Agency which encourages children aged 4-11 to read six books and provides incentives for completion.
Each winner to receive £4,000 worth of books and stationery for their school
TGJones has revealed the winning reviews of its Bitesize Bookworms campaign, a national reading competition in which primary school children aged between five and 12 years old were challenged to describe their favourite book in 25 words or less.
Split across three primary school age groups, the high-street retailer received thousands of reviews as part of the campaign, with a judging panel consisting of MC Grammar, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan eventually picking out three winning entries, from the ingenious to the hilarious.
“It’s a funny and relatable book; my cat judgementally stared at me while I laughed loudly, snorted juice everywhere, and missed every bedtime until completed.”
Each winner will receive a £200 TGJones Gift Card, plus £4,000 of books and stationery for their school.
The judging panel also chose three runners-up from each age group, who will receive a £50 TGJones Gift Card and £500 of equipment for their school.
The retailer launched the Bitesize Bookworms competition earlier this year in support of National Year of Reading 2026, the biggest campaign in a generation designed to inspire everyone to discover a passion for reading and embed it into our everyday lives.
A Department for Education initiative supported by the National Literacy Trust, the National Year of Reading is delivered with the support of major sponsors and partners, including TGJones.
The campaign has encouraged the nation to Go All In in 2026, reading into our passions and interests to get more out of the things we already love, whether it’s football, gaming, music, sci-fi, or baking.
TGJones’ competition added to the momentum, encouraging readers to pick up a book and share their recommendations with others to spark a conversation about reading.
Alex Willson, CEO of TGJones and Head Judge of Bitesize Bookworms, said: “Nothing is more creative than a child’s imagination and we wanted to celebrate that unfiltered, accidental comedy that comes from a child giving their honest opinion about their favourite book – and the winners of our competition provided us with just that.
“Reading is so important for a child’s development, and as partners of the National Year of Reading 2026 we hope this campaign has encouraged more children to pick up their favourite book.”
We’re delighted to let you know that we’re planning to open the new temporary Blackhall Library at Davidson Main’s Primary School on Monday (8th June).
The opening hours for the library, alongside a programme of planned events and activities, will be available on the Blackhall Library webpage soon.
Due to essential works the library will be closed for one day only on Thursday 25 June. Unfortunately it hasn’t been possible to schedule these works ahead of the library opening, but we’ve been working with contractors to minimise disruption and limit the closure to a single day.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you all into our new space very soon!
Although we will not be open till late on Thursday 23rd April for World Book Night, we will still be celebrating at Stockbridge Library–please join us on Wednesday the 22nd from 6-7pm to share a poem or a short passage from an author who has made a lasting impact on your life.
No need to register in advance, but please do pick something that can be read aloud in under ¬3 minutes!
As the conflict in Ukraine enters its fifth year, pupils across Scotland are forming friendships with Ukrainian classmates through the UK-Ukraine School Partnerships programme.
Pupils at Elgin Academy in Moray and Papa Westray primary school in Orkney are among 130 schools from across the UK and Ukraine taking part in the British Council initiative, funded by the UK Government, which connects schools through shared reading, creative projects and regular online exchanges designed to build empathy, resilience and global awareness.
At Elgin Academy, the S2 class of 29 pupils, aged 13–14, is now collaborating with a school in the Poltava region. The partnership has special significance at Elgin, located near RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland’s largest RAF base where many pupils come from military families.
The classes have exchanged letters, researched Remembrance Day traditions in both countries, created giant sunflowers with messages, and in January, introduced their Ukrainian friends to Robert Burns.
The class voted to share the novel “Ghost” by Jason Reynolds, only later realising the main character loves sunflower seeds, Ukraine’s national symbol. The partnership has been particularly meaningful for two Ukrainian pupils in the class, who have enjoyed speaking their own language with the Ukrainian students during video calls.
School librarian Shelagh Toonen applied for the programme following a conversation at the Edinburgh Book Festival, when a Ukrainian pupil spoke about family losses during the war.
She said: “From that experience, I thought we could probably do an awful lot more. When I saw the opportunity through the British Council, I thought it would be a great way to develop a working relationship with Ukraine and share our love of reading.”
Shelagh travelled to Poland last September to meet partner teacher Katia.
She explained: “When I met Katia, I realised they don’t have a library the way that we do.She was nearly in tears when she saw that I was gifting her some books, they have to rely on sponsors to buy books for them at the moment.”
Image: (Pupils from Elgin Academy S2 class working with their chosen book ‘Ghost’ for their Ukraine school partnership)
The video sessions have been tempered with difficulties including air raid sirens and power cuts, moments that have brought the reality of war into the Elgin classroom. Shelagh explained that their partner school is on the front line, operating under a “three bells warning” system – when sirens sound, pupils must move to shelter for online learning.
“Our pupils have definitely developed a lot of empathy throughout the project,” Shelagh said. “They’ve had a kind of gradual awakening and have come to realise what a privilege coming into school every day is.”
Neil Johnson, Head Teacher at Elgin Academy added: “In Scotland, young people’s exposure to current affairs now is very limited, and the conflict has been going on for so long that for many of them, it’s just background noise.
“This partnership makes it real and gives it a focus for our pupils.”
On Papa Westray, one of Orkney’s most remote islands and Scotland’s smallest school in the programme, Head Teacher Tim Ross leads weekly Friday morning video calls between his six pupils, aged 6–8, and eight children at Voinivskyi Lyceum in Ukraine.
The programme comes at a meaningful time for the Papay school, which after welcoming another family late last year, currently has two Ukrainian families within the school community. For them, learning about the partnership was a welcome surprise.
Tim said: “It’s been lovely to tell them about the close link we now have with the Ukrainian school. You could see their faces light up when I mentioned the project, and it demonstrates our support and interest in their experience and background.
“The children in the school have already developed a strong, supportive kindness toward Ukraine because of their friends at the school.” He said, “Even at this young age, they recognise that we’ve got friends here who’ve had to leave their home because of the war.”
Tim Ross (R), Head teacher at Papa Westray Primary School, meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Svitlana from their Ukrainian partner school during their meeting in Poland, in 2025
As part of the partnership, Tim has invited one of the Ukrainian parents to teach the whole class some basic Ukrainian phrases, using an approach that links to their daily phonics learning. He said: “It’s a great exercise for the children in experiencing another culture, listening, and sharing language, it’s also been a great way to connect the programme to our wider community.”
“The calls work best when we’re sharing fun visual learning and finding out about our shared experiences and interests,” Tim said.
“We’re proud of our friendship with Ukraine. This whole programme is about being supportive, none of these children are at fault for what’s happening, and we want to give them something positive to look forward to each week.”
Power cuts on Papa Westray can knock out electricity for six hours at a time, giving the island community an unexpected understanding of the disruptions faced by their Ukrainian partners.
Tim said: “We’ve had to miss some planned activities because of the difficulties they’re facing in Ukraine with power cuts, and the air raids. It really brings home the challenges they’re dealing with.
“But what’s been amazing is how energised both classes are about the Friday sessions. I think this regular connection has become as important for the class in Ukraine as it has for ours.”
The school has matching sets of picture books from Scotland’s Read Write Count with the First Minister scheme, which Tim gifted to the Ukrainian school during his training trip to Poland. Each week, both classes pick a book, read it in their own classrooms, and share creative activities on their video call.
Since January 2025, the UK-Ukraine School Partnerships programme has involved 130 schools across the UK and Ukraine, supporting approximately 23,400 young people. It is now expanding to reach a further 300 schools, with an estimated 54,000 pupils expected to benefit.
Speaking about the programme, Claire de Braekeleer, Director, British Council Scotland said: “With the conflict in Ukraine now entering its fifth year, this programme has helped build something very important, lasting connections between young people in Scotland and Ukraine, grounded in shared stories and friendship.
“These partnerships are a wonderful example of what the programme is all about, and the children are discovering that despite the distance and the challenges, they have far more in common than they might have imagined.
“Applications for the next round of the programme are now open, and I’d encourage schools across Scotland to get involved; it’s a meaningful opportunity to build international connections that will stay with young people for the rest of their lives.”
Schools and teachers interested in joining the programme can apply before the deadline on 2 March. To find out more, please visit:
Four writers from Edinburgh have been named as this year’s recipients of Scottish Book Trust’s 2024 New Writers Award.
Tutor Alice Rowena Wilson, writer and poet Shasta Hanif Ali, primary teacher Amie Robertson and journalist Sukhada Tatke were selected out of hundreds of entries to take part in this year’s mentorship programme.
Every year, Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives with reading and writing, holds its prestigious year-long writer development programme to support burgeoning writers in Scotland. In addition to a £2,500 cash prize, awardees receive invaluable mentorship from established writers and industry professionals, a week-long retreat, and opportunities to showcase their work to key figures in the publishing world.
Since its launch in 2009, the New Writers Awards have had an extraordinary impact on publishing. Of the 212 awardees who have completed the programme, 96 have published their work, and 210 books have been published worldwide.
Previous awardees include Graeme Macrae Burnet whose 2015 novel His Bloody Project was shortlisted for the Man Book Prize.
Pakistani-Scottish writer Shasta Hanif Ali is a winner of the Edinburgh 900 Poetry Competition 2025 and the 2024 Candlestick Press Light Poems competition.
She’s also written and performed her poetry at Push The Boat Out Poetry Festival and Edinburgh’s International Book Festival amongst others.
She says: ‘I am delighted to receive the New Writers Award 2026 and grateful to the Scottish Book Trust for this opportunity. It’s come at just the right time for my writing and development. I’m looking forward to meeting the other awardees and being in community.’
Alice Rowena Wilson is originally from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire and now lives in Edinburgh, where she works as a tutor. She was previously selected for the BBC New Creatives programme, in partnership with Arts Council England.
Her short drama was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2021. She is particularly interested in the intersection of the historical, the fantastical, and the imaginary.
Alice says: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to receive this award. I was totally shocked when I got the call – I’d just woken up from a nap and thought it was a bizarre dream!
“I’m now looking forward to throwing myself into my writing this year, and making the most of this opportunity.’
Amie Robertson is a primary school teacher from Edinburgh, who specialises in children’s stories. Her stories weave a passion for Scottish history and mythology with the lived reality of her working-class background.
She has completed two writing courses at Edinburgh University, where her children’s picture book, My Secret Dragon was chosen for their writing showcase. She is working on her second middle-grade novel, inspired by historical Hebridean clans with an added touch of magic.
Amie says: ‘I am shocked and overjoyed to have won the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award and cannot emphasise enough how much it truly means.
“It has given me the confidence and determination to go after my writing dreams, with the invaluable support and insight from those within the business. I just can’t wait to get started!’
Sukhada Tatke is an independent journalist and communications officer at a think tank. She was the inaugural recipient of this year’s The Kavya Prize, to support an emerging writer of colour.
Originally from Mumbai, India, she currently lives in Edinburgh. Her features have been published in Al Jazeera, Wired, BBC and Atlas Obscura, and essays in literary magazines such as The Rumpus, Literary Hub, Commonwealth Writers’ and Verseville. She is the recipient of several journalism awards and fellowships.
Sukhada says: ‘I am incredibly thrilled and honoured to receive this award. In what is often a solitary journey riddled with challenges and self-doubt, it is wonderful to get the kind of recognition that tells you you’re on the right path.
“I look forward to meeting my cohort and the many opportunities this award will bring.’
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:‘Congratulations to this year’s New Writers, each of whom were selected for this opportunity for their exceptional writing. It’s always incredible to meet our awardees as they start their year-long journey of receiving invaluable support and mentorship.
“We look forward to seeing the next steps in their writing journeys.’
Here is the full list of awardees:
Shasta Hanif Ali, poetry
EmmaClaire Brightlyn, spoken word
Alice Rowena Wilson, fiction and narrative non-fiction
Amie Robertson, children’s and young adult
Sukhada Tatke, Kavya winner
Donna Louise Irvine, Scots
David Ross Linklater, poetry
Andy Grace Edwards, fiction and narrative non-fiction
In partnership with EBIF Paper Trails and North Edinburgh Arts we are very happy to announce, what we hope to be our first, Muirhouse library Winter Book Festival!
Throughout February we will be hosting:
Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi
Campaigners and hosts of the Witches of Scotland podcast and co-authors of How to Kill a Witch. Mitchell and Venditozzi join Vic Murray for a lively discussion about all things Scottish Witch trials and their sinisterly humorous book: How to Kill A Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy.
Doug Johnstone
Author bestselling works including anarchic rock and roll road trip story The Ossians, the darkly funny seven-book series The Skelfs, and the whip-smart sci-fi Enceladons Trilogy.
Ahead of the publication of his 20th novel later this year, join Doug Johnstone to celebrate his 20-year career as a writer, including sharing reflections and hilarious stories from the last two decades.
Maisie Chan
Author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths, Nate Yu’s Blast from the Past and the Tiger Warrior series. Listen to Maisie read from her hilarious, warm-hearted books; hear where she gets the inspiration for her stories from and then get stuck into an interactive drawing activity fuelled by your imagination!
You’ll also receive a free copy of one of Maisie’s books to keep.
This event is suitable all ages – perfect for some half-term family fun.
Val McDermid
Scotland’s undisputed ‘Queen of Crime’, Val McDermid joins Book Festival Director Jenny Niven to talk all things crime, dark nights, and share a few behind the scenes stories of having her books adapted for TV.
Irvine Welsh
Joining us via video link for this special event Welsh returns to Muirhouse Library, where he spent time as a child, to bring his characteristic wit, energetic imagination and unfiltered honesty home to the place that made him.
Details and tickets are available to book online via the link below:
There will also be a limited supply of tickets for each event reserved for residents of the local area available to be picked up in the library, pop into the library and ask a member of the team.
Homebuilder Taylor Wimpey has made a generous donation to Scottish Book Trust to fund author visits to school children in east Scotland.
For the second year running, Taylor Wimpey has announced during Book Week Scotland that they will fund ten Live Literature sessions for children at Scotland’s schools in the central belt, and five will be for schools in the east.
The Live Literature programme inspires a love of reading and writing and is delivered by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing. These sessions allow for a children’s author to visit a chosen school, bringing the magic of reading into the classroom.
The schools that benefited from Taylor Wimpey’s previous donation in the 2024-2025 Live Literature sessions were:
Lumphinnans Primary School in Fife, welcoming Natalie Russell, to help engage pupils in reading and writing.
Forrester High School in Edinburgh, inviting Alastair Chisholm to discuss the role of technology in his novels.
Dalkeith High School, holding workshops on creating graphic novels.
Glenlee Primary School in South Lanarkshire, welcoming Shelley Mack to promote the joy of reading.
Craigbank Primary School in South Lanarkshire, welcoming Vivien French, to encourage pupils to diversify their reading.
Eastertoun Primary School in West Lothian, holding sessions to support the school’s growing reading culture.
Picture – Chris Watt Photography
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Kirsty McGill, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey East Scotland said:“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the Scottish Book Trust for another year and contribute to the celebration of World Book Day 2026.
“By funding 10 author visits in February and March next year, we aim to inspire young readers and support Scottish Book Trust’s mission to bring the magic of books to life.
“This initiative aligns with our commitment to supporting the communities where we build, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on children across our local areas.”
Marc Lambert, CEO Scottish Book Trust, said:“We are grateful to the generosity of Taylor Wimpey who, for the second year, is supporting our Live Literature programme.
“Author visits to schools really inspire children to have a life-long love of reading and writing. There is such a demand for Live Literature sessions from organisations across Scotland that we can’t meet all our requests, so this support is very welcome indeed.
“We look forward to discovering which authors and illustrators will be visiting schools, and the creative and uplifting experiences they will bring to pupils.”
Applications for the Taylor Wimpey funded Live Literature sessions are now open and close on Friday 28 November.
