Book fairs and schemes for schools – our recommendations
Book fairs are a great way to encourage pupils to take ownership of their reading choices – literally. Studies have shown that children and teens are far more likely to read a book and finish a book that they have chosen and purchased themselves. Either arranged through national chains or through local bookshop outlets, these events can be a great way to bring the book-buying and browsing experience to your school.
Below is a list of popular book providers who will visit schools and set up a bookshop experience in your assembly hall, sports hall, library or classrooms. Perhaps consider making an event of this, by combining your literature weeks with times for parents to visit after school, author visits, speaking and listening engagements, careers-related talks, extended library sessions and literary activities.
- BookBuzz – Tailored for Year 7 and 8 pupils, BookBuzz offers a curated selection of books to engage and inspire early secondary readers.
- Bookstart – Bookstart provides free book packs for babies and early years children, helping families to read and share stories from the earliest stage.
- Bookplates UK – Bookplates UK provides personalised book labels, allowing readers to mark and identify their cherished literary possessions with a touch of individuality. Set up by Anne Fine.
- Boggledybook School Book Fairs – Boggledybook runs school book fairs with new children’s books priced at £1, £2 and £3, with free books donated to host schools.
- Bookwagon Book Fairs – Bookwagon specialises in hosting book fairs, bringing an array of captivating titles directly to schools to encourage a culture of reading.
- Bookmark Reading programmes, grants and resources – Bookmark Reading offers grants, books and resources to help schools develop a whole-school reading culture.
- Brilliant Box of Books – This program delivers an exciting assortment of books, carefully selected to captivate young minds and promote the joy of reading. There’s a also a facility to ‘sponsor a pupil’.
- Readathon – Read for Good’s sponsored reading initiative encourages pupils to read for pleasure, while helping provide books and stories for children in hospitals and schools across the UK.
- Children’s Book Project – “Donate your new or pre-loved books to us and we will ensure that they are put straight into the hands of the children that need them most.” The Children’s Book Project focuses on providing books to schools, communities, and organizations, fostering accessibility to literature for children.
- Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library posts free age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five in participating UK communities.
- Gobbledy Books School Book Fairs – Gobbledy Books organises school book events which visit your school, or virtual school book events, offering an opportunity for students to explore and choose from a diverse selection of titles.
- Give a Book – Give a Book supports schools, prisons and disadvantaged children by providing books and encouraging reading in places where access to books is limited.
- Harmony Children’s Books – Harmony Children’s Books offers half-priced children’s books at school book fairs, with schools receiving commission in books from sales.
- Jubilee Books School Book Fairs – Jubilee Books provides tailor-made book fairs for schools and education events, including literary events, parents’ evenings, conferences and resource INSETs.
- Libraries for Primaries – Libraries for Primaries is a fully funded programme supporting eligible primary schools with books, resources, training and support to establish or improve a school library.
- LoveReading4Kids Funding for Schools Scheme – The LoveReading4Kids Funding for Schools Scheme enables book buyers to nominate a school so a proportion of eligible purchases can be used to fund books for that school.
- Morrisons supermarket offers a free books scheme – “Little Library” to promote books to disadvantaged children.
- National Literacy Trust Young Readers Programme – The Young Readers Programme gives children the chance to choose brand-new books to take home and keep through a series of reading events.
- Norfolk Children’s Book Centre – Norfolk Children’s Book Centre offers school book fairs, author events, book supply and pop-up bookshops for schools, conferences and literature events.
- Oxford Owl runs a free eBook scheme for children aged 3-11 years old, providing digital access to a wide range of age-appropriate books.
- Pop-Up Bookshop – Pop-Up Bookshop works with schools and nurseries, particularly in Dorset and Hampshire, and can also support UK schools with remote reading challenges, virtual book fairs and school book supply.
- Primary Books School Book Fairs – Specialising in school book fairs, Primary Books brings a varied collection of titles to engage and encourage young readers.
- The Roving Bookshop – “an independent bookseller without sales premises, which provides a hands-on specialist bookshop of 3000+ titles inside just about any specific venue“. Spreading a reading-for-pleasure message and offering bespoke book fairs for schools around the UK, we’ve heard lots of good things about the Roving Bookshop. Highly recommended.
- Scholastic Book Fair – A widely recognised program, Scholastic Book Fair brings an extensive array of books directly to schools, creating a vibrant literary atmosphere.
- Support your school – Support your school is a free Peters-managed fundraising platform that helps schools raise funds from parents and local businesses for books and literacy resources.
- Travelling Book fair – “We help to bring children and books together, delivering Book Fairs – pop-up bookshops – to thousands of schools in the UK every year.“
- Usborne Book fairs – Usborne Book Fairs offer an array of engaging and educational titles for children, promoting literacy in a fun and interactive way.
- World Book Day £1/€1.50 books and tokens – World Book Day book tokens give children and young people the chance to choose and own a book for free through participating schools, nurseries, booksellers and partners.
- Your local Waterstones branch may well be happy to set up a bespoke book fair at your school in exchange for commission in the form of free children’s books for your school. Well worth looking into.
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If you found this page of book fair ideas useful, why not have a look at our list on UK children’s book publishers, our list of writing competitions for children and teens, and our list of oracy schemes and contests for schools?
