£81 billion a year in lost earnings and welfare spending due to low levels of literacy.
Everything changes when you read.
We’re a UK charity with a mission to empower people of all ages to read.
Help change lives through reading
Reading for pleasure and empowerment makes us more aware and informed. It helps us grow our imaginations. It makes us more empathetic and understanding of other people and cultures. It supports our health and wellbeing. It increases our ability to learn new skills. It helps us to communicate our ideas more effectively. It opens doors. It brings joy.
Please donate to support our work.
Our Research
Research and evidence is central to helping us achieve our mission. We speak to people of all ages across the UK to understand how and why they read, the successes and challenges they face and how our work can make a real difference.
1 in 4 children don’t reach the expected level of reading by the age of 11
Featured booklist: Quick Reads 2024
Resources for Librarians
Photos of key materials: Marvellous Makers
At the link below, you will be able to download photos of key Marvellous Makers materials. These photos can be used in your promotional materials…
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Greenwild by Pari Thomson - digital pack
Embark on an unforgettable adventure through the Greenwild, beautifully illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. Daisy Thistledown has escaped from boarding school and has a mystery to…
Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano - digital resources
This is a powerful, hopeful and timely story about the real effects of climate change: two young people on different continents whose lives are catastrophically…
Latest opportunities from our publisher partners for schools and libraries
If you have a reading group with children or work in a school or library - we have some fantastic opportunities for you! If you…
Latest News
The Reading Agency and BBC Arts launch Big Sporting Read at Hay Festival, celebrating the power of sport through books
The Big Sporting Read – a new national celebration of reading – will launch at this spring’s Hay Festival (23…
Road to Reading returns after helping 1 in 2 improve their reading focus last year
The Reading Agency today announced the return of its highly successful Road to Reading initiative as part of the annual…
Over 500,000 Summer Reading Challenge joiners through the cross-authority pilot model!
The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest summer reading programme for children aged 4-11, run by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with public libraries across the UK. Earlier this year at a roundtable event in East Ham Library, we were delighted to reveal the findings of our 3-year study.
Library Facts
Explore key facts about libraries, including the numbers of libraries, the demographics of library users and the outcomes of using libraries.
Reading Facts
We want to create a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life. Explore UK-wide reading statistics and facts.
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