Brilliant Box of Books!
At Read for Good, our dream is for every child and young person in the UK to fall in love with reading for pleasure and to experience the life-long benefits it brings.
Our work over 40 years has shown us that this only happens when children are able to choose from a truly representative range of enticing titles of the highest quality. Dated, dusty, dog-eared books aren’t good enough in a world ruled by technology and virtual entertainment. For more information, see our Inviting & Inclusive Libraries page
Read for Good’s expertly curated Brilliant Box of Books offers children and young people access to a diverse range of brand new books. From the latest award-winning fiction and non-fiction to bestselling graphic novels and updated re-prints of treasured classics, our aim is to offer instant excitement, escapism and adventure to a generation of disadvantaged children and young people. We want to gift them the books that will get them reading, for good! For more bookish inspiration, visit our Books We Love page or check out our author event archive.
“It’s special when books are a gift, it somehow imbues them with a magical power” ~ Andy Seed, 2023
National Literacy Trust research sadly shows that numbers of children and young people reading for pleasure is at its lowest in two decades. This alongside the decline in funding for school libraries and resources, not to mention the cost of living crisis, means this work is more vital than ever.
In schools
Informed by the research found higher up on the page, we invite all UK schools in need of reading for pleasure material to apply for a Brilliant Box of Books. Each box contains a fabulous selection of new books and comics to revitalise library spaces or replenish classroom bookshelves. The books and comics contained in each box are tailored towards the age range of the pupils in each school, making them enticing and accessible.
Applications are assessed against various criteria, including:
- Pupil Premium levels
- English as an Additional Language (EAL) rates
- Enthusiasm for literacy and reading for pleasure
In community settings
UK medical and community settings working with children and young people can also apply for a Brilliant Box of Books containing a variety of specially selected new books and comics. Examples of community settings are hospices, pupil referral units, foodbanks, and refuges, but we welcome applications from every community setting that works with disadvantaged children and young people.
We compare applications using several factors, including:
- Local literacy levels
- The possibility of long-term collaboration
- Enthusiasm for literacy and reading for pleasure