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!
Primary pupils from across Haddington enjoyed a visit from children’s author Joseph Coelho at Knox Academy as part of their Reading Schools celebrations.
Pupils from five local primary schools gathered at Knox Academy for the special event which was organised by Scottish Book Trust, with help from school librarian Emma Robertson.
The event was part of an initiative to encourage schools in East Lothian to sign up to the Reading Schools programme. Its aim was to show children how much fun reading and creative writing can be, through the experience of an author visit.
The successful Reading Schools programme is developed by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives with reading and writing. It helps schools build a reading culture, where every pupil is encouraged to feed their imagination through books. Schools can work their way through three levels of accreditation – Core, Silver and Gold – and each step is a transformational process for pupils, staff, and the wider school community.
Joseph Coelho OBE is an award-winning children’s author who was Waterstones Children’s Laureate from 2022 to 2024. He won the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Writing. The London-born writer is a champion of school libraries, and he has also been praised for making poetry accessible.
He says: ‘It was a blast sharing the world of Relic Hamilton Genie Hunter with pupils at Knox Academy, with the brilliant Scottish BookTrust. Pupils asked wonderful questions and shared their wishes to make the world a better place.’
Emma Robertson, School Librarian at Knox Academy, said: ‘Having authors like Joe visit schools really makes a difference to our young people as they can meet the person behind the books and get the chance to interact with them in a fun and inclusive way.
“ Now more than ever, we need beautiful stories to inspire and delight us and Joe’s talent certainly shone through to inspire the next generation of writers and artists.
‘It takes a special person to be able to have the adults laughing along with the children and Joe kept all of us mesmerised. We really appreciated all the work that went into the event itself, and it is certainly one our pupils and staff will not forget for a long time.’
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: ‘We were delighted to support Joseph Coelho’s visit to Knox Academy. An author visit allows pupils to fully experience the magic of books, and encourages them to find pleasure in reading.
‘It also supports the work of our Reading Schools programme. So far, 629 schools have been accredited as Reading Schools, and there are a further 705 schools currently working towards their very first Reading Schools accreditation. This means that over 50% of Scotland’s schools are now engaged in the programme.
‘An accreditation is a fantastic accomplishment for pupils and teachers alike, and achieving this status is a way of demonstrating a school’s commitment to developing vibrant reading cultures and the many benefits this brings.’
For more information, contact Caroline Young, PR and Marketing Manager, at caroline.young@scottishbooktrust.com.
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:
https://www.britishcouncil.org/school-resources/uk-ukraine-partnerships
Her Majesty The Queen launched the National Year of Reading in Scotland yesterday alongside iconic Scottish authors, beloved comic characters, 150 local primary school children, and supporting publishers, businesses and charities at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh.
The initiative from the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust, of which Her Majesty is Patron, seeks to address the steep decline in the nation’s reading enjoyment and launched in Scotland amid new research from the charity revealing startlingly low numbers of children and young people in the country who enjoy reading and read daily in their free time.
To help address this challenge, the campaign is asking the nation to ‘Go All In’ on their interests and passions and (re)discover how reading can unlock the things they already love – from music and sport to films, food and family time – in whatever way works for them.
Backing the campaign, award-winning Scottish authors Jackie Kay, Val McDermid and Sir Ian Rankin were unveiled as National Year of Reading ambassadors at yesterday’s event.
The trio also feature in the National Library of Scotland’s centenary ‘Dear Library’ exhibition, which Her Majesty explored on arrival.
Award-winning author Val McDermid said: “Reading is the greatest gift we can give our children. And ourselves.”
Government,business and charity partners including Education Scotland, DC Thomson, Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLiC) also showed their support for the campaign, joining a roundtable discussion, which Her Majesty visited, to agree the priorities and actions required across the year to spark of love of reading in Scotland’s early years settings, schools, communities and homes.
The National Literacy Trust’s latest research provides compelling evidence to underpin the urgent need for the initiative. Based on a survey of 7,739 children and young people aged 8 to 18 in Scotland, the report revealed that just 3 in 10 (30.3%) said they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025, while only 1 in 6 (16.8%) said they read daily in their free time.
Vast numbers of children and young people in Scotland are therefore missing out on the vital benefits that reading can bring, including enhanced reading skills, wellbeing, empathy and confidence, as well as additional gains outlined in today’s report around supporting relaxation (61.4%), learning (54.0%) and creativity (48.0%).
Further insights from the research, which help to identify ways to tackle low levels of reading engagement amongst Scotland’s children and young people, underscore the principles of the National Year of Reading’s ‘Go All In’ campaign to encourage people of all ages to dive deeper into the things they already love through reading in all its forms – from print books to audiobooks, digital magazines to graphic novels, and more.
Indeed, children and young people in Scotland who don’t currently enjoy reading said that finding reading materials based on their passions, as well as visual media, would motivate them to read, such as books relevant to their interests and hobbies (37.4%), compelling book covers and titles (29.7%) and autonomy of choice in what materials they read (25.4%).
The research also found song lyrics, fiction, non-fiction and comics to be the most popular reading materials for Scotland’s children and young people. Comics could provide a particularly unique opportunity to engage boys, who continue to lag behind girls in their enjoyment of reading (23.5% vs 36.3%) and daily reading (13.5% vs 19.7%), as significantly more boys than girls read comics in print (32% vs 25%) and on screen (14.4% vs 10.4%).
Tapping into the power of comics to engage Scotland’s children and young people with reading and bringing the spirit of the National Year of Reading to life, today’s event saw Beano immerse 150 local school children in the magic of reading, writing and illustrating comics.
Using a bespoke three panel Beano comic strip featuring The Queen and Dennis the Menace as a story starter – a special print of which was later presented to Her Majesty by pupils – Beano’s Directors of Mischief (Mike Stirling) and Mayhem (Craig Graham) worked with local pupils from Granton Primary School and The Queen herself to create a mischievous National Year of Reading comic strip.
Her Majesty proceeded to join a group of pupils from Granton Primary School and Clovenstone Primary School to try their hand at illustrating Dennis the Menace’s pet dog, Gnasher, with comics artist and cartoonist Nigel Auchterlounie. Comics artist Laura Howell also helped children draw their own Minnie the Minx characters.
Her Majesty then attended a special reception with National Year of Reading partners, ambassadors and supporters before listening to speeches from David Hayman, Director of the National Year of Reading, Amina Shah, Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland and National Year of Reading ambassador Val McDermid to celebrate the launch of the initiative in Scotland.
All 150 school children gathered to bid Her Majesty farewell, displaying their favourite things to read, from children’s books to comics and magazines, and waving National Year of Reading flags.
To continue their reading journeys at home, generous donations from DC Thomson, HarperCollins and Penguin Random House meant all 150 children were gifted a mix of brand new Beano comics, Beano books and extra children’s books to keep.
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “The National Year of Reading provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate the UK’s relationship with reading and change people’s life stories.
“With incredible ambassadors, events and partnerships at the fore, in addition to the invaluable support of the National Literacy Trust’s Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, the National Year of Reading can inspire every child, young person and adult to go all in on their passions, feed their curiosities and connect with others through reading – in 2026 and beyond.”
David Hayman, Director of the National Year of Reading, said: “Reading is one of the most powerful tools we have to learn, create and grow. But right now, too many people are switching off from it.
“The National Year of Reading’s ‘Go All In’ campaign will transform how the nation sees reading, reaching people where they are and getting them excited about rediscovering the power, joy and relevance it can bring to their lives.
“Today’s event captured the energy and optimism we need to put reading back at the heart of our culture. Reading in all its forms can unlock the things we already love, so whatever your passion: if you’re into it, read into it.”
Val McDermid, award-winning author and National Year of Reading ambassador, said: “Reading is a window on the world beyond our own. It shows us possibilities and gives us the tools to make them realities. Reading is the greatest gift we can give our children. And ourselves.”
Working together with a network of national, local and community partners, the National Literacy Trust will lead the delivery of the National Year of Reading in Scotland. The charity is committed to supporting communities across the UK where low literacy and poverty are having the greatest impact on people’s lives.
In Scotland, the charity works intensively in Dundee, where despite overall improvements in literacy achievement seen since 2017, the gap between pupils from the most and least deprived areas has remained relatively steady.
More broadly across the country, in response to research indicating that 1 in 4 (25%) primary schools in Scotland does not have a library, the charity and Penguin Books’ Libraries for Primaries campaign has transformed library spaces in 100 Scottish primary schools – including Granton Primary School and Clovenstone Primary School, whose pupils attended today’s event.
Just a little reminder that Chatterbooks our P4-7 book group will be restarting on Tuesday 6th January, 6-7pm.
Come along to chat about books, read, arts and crafts, games and lots of fun!
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:
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.
Find out more at Scottish Book Trust.
Join us for fun book-related activities at Corstorphine Library tomorrow – Monday, 29th September – from 4 – 5pm.
Eleven organisations are set to share £650,000 as part of a drive to grow the Scots language across the country.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced the funding on a visit to Bill and Bain printworks in Glasgow where she unveiled a new Scots language children’s book. The Auchtermichty Aw-Stars is being produced by Scots Hoose Yaldi and features three Scots language plays about a youth football club.
It is part of a series of Scots books and comics which will be printed and distributed to hundreds of schools and nurseries through the investment.
Census figures published last year found that 35% of people aged 15 or under had some Scots skills, an increase of 6% from 2011.
Other initiatives receiving support include:
Ms Forbes said: “These plays are part of a series of free Scots books, comics and poems which aim to provide young people with a better understanding of the language so that it can continue to grow.
“Scots is a treasured part of our history, heritage and culture. It enriches communities and research shows that learning the language benefits young people’s literacy skills and confidence.
“The funding represents a £150,000 uplift compared to last year. To grow Gaelic and Scots, we also brought forward the Scottish Languages Act to establish Scots and Gaelic as official languages and introduce teaching standards for Scots.”
Matthew Fitt, a co-owner of Scots Hoose Yaldi, said: “For many children and young people, reading a story or comic in Scots for the first time can be a transformative learning experience.
“We work very hard to improve Scots language provision for young Scots speakers in Scotland’s schools.
“It’s good to be recognised by the Scottish Government for our efforts, especially if it means we can help more young Scots speakers enjoy and learn about their own Scots language.”
National charity Scottish Book Trust has partnered with the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) to host a special free event for 300 school children to celebrate 10 years of Read Write Count, on Wednesday 20 August.
Read Write Count with the First Minister is a universal national book gifting programme for pupils in Primary 2 and 3 all over Scotland. Since 2015 over 2.5 million books have been gifted to children.
The book Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton was in the very first Read Write Count bag in 2015. The writer and illustrator duo will now host a special event at EIBF tomorrow at 11am. 300 school children will attend the free event with hundreds more watching on live stream across Scotland.
Research by Scottish Book Trust revealed that 85% of parents said that Read Write Count bags helped them to engage better with their children’s learning, while 90% of schools felt that gifting the bags had made a positive impact to their relationship with families.
One parent of brother Ollie, who received the first Read Write Count bag in 2015, and younger sister Elia, who will receive her own bag this year in Primary 2, commented: “We have always loved getting our Bookbug bags so when Ollie got his drawstring Read Write Count bag we were chuffed to have new books and games to use as a family!
“Now Elia will get her own P2 bag this year – we can’t wait!”
First Minister John Swinney said: “Books have the power to open our imagination to new worlds, which makes introducing reading from a young age so vitally important. We also know that nurturing positive relationships with reading supports improved wellbeing and attainment for children.
“Over the past ten years, the Read Write Count programme has played a vital role in supporting more children to access and take joy in reading, and it is more important than ever to recognise and celebrate this incredible milestone.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “It is wonderful to mark the milestone and legacy of ten years of Read Write Count.
“Gifting books to children to enjoy with their families and carers is vital, helping to give them not only the best start in life but the lasting benefits that comes with having books at home.”
The event will also launch the books and contents of the 2025 Read Write Count bag, which will be distributed through schools during Book Week Scotland in November. Read Write Count with the First Minister is funded by Scottish Government.
