Join the Reading Revolution
We’re a national charity that wants to bring about a Reading Revolution so that everyone can experience and enjoy great literature, which we believe is a tool for helping humans survive and live well.
From our global Shared Reading movement, to our Calderstones Park home – The Reader builds lively communities that bring people together and books to life.
Find a group near you-
93%
Felt better after a session
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700
Groups around the UK
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10,000+
Readers a year
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84%
Made new friends
What's Happening
Gravity Festival
5 - 7 November 2021 FreeGravity is a new festival taking place online and in person from 5 – 7 November, and hosted by The...
Gustavo the Shy Ghost
Sat 23 Oct - Sun 31 Oct £4.00We are so excited to feature the vibrant and light hearted book Gustavo the shy ghost by Flavia Z. Drago for this October Half...
Books and Brambles
6 Week Outdoor Adventure, starting on 6 November £49.001 child £49, 2 siblings £80, 3 siblings £120 Books and Brambles is a six-week outdoor adventure of exciting weekends...
Pride on the Page
Every Wednesday, 5.30pm Free‘A book is a door. You open it. You step through.’ Jeanette Winterson, Why Be Happy When You Could Be...
Trails and Tales
All day, every day FreeThe Trails & Tales experience is a way for visitors of all ages to connect with their surroundings as they...
Shared Reading – Wednesdays
Every Wednesday, 11am - 12noon FreeCome and experience Shared Reading at the Mansion House which is home to the International Centre for Shared Reading. Relax...
Incy Wincy Rhymers
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday - various times £4.00Our sessions for little ones - 1 - 4 year olds - and their families. We'll explore classic stories, family...
Introduction to Chinese Painting
Sunday 28 November, 11am - 5pm £50.00Explore the history of Chinese Painting techniques with artist Madeleine Pires. This Chinese brush painting session is a mixed ability...
Tiny Acorns
6 week Indoor Sessions starting from Friday 24 September £49.00£49 for 6 weeks - booking includes a copy of our featured baby board book to keep and share again and...
Liverpool Irish Festival: The Gods of Old; a Samhain (Hallowe'en) storytelling
Sunday 31 October, 10am FreeYou know that Samhain (Hallowe’en) is a Pagan festival? A time when the veil between this world and ‘the Other’...
dot-art Club (10-13 yrs)
Wednesdays, 4pm - 5.30pm starting 15 September or 3 November £90.00dot-art Club is an exciting block of art workshops for young artists that will help nurture & develop their creative...
Home
Welly Walks
Saturdays throughout the year, various times £4.00Combining the whimsy of our Storybarn with the exciting heritage of Calderstones Park, we invite you to join us for Storybarn Welly Walks Each...
Shared Reading – Thursdays
Every Thursday, 10am - 11am FreeCome and experience Shared Reading at the Mansion House which is home to the International Centre for Shared Reading. Relax...
Cyanotype
Saturday 23 October, 11am - 4pm £50.00This course introduces participants to the use of a traditional Victorian photographic technique as a way of creating unique images....
Liverpool Irish Festival: Irish myth and legend (exhibition)
21 October - 31 October, 10am - 4pm FreeIn 2020 Gael Linn and An tUltach partnered with the Liverpool Irish Festival to create a one-off creative commission to celebrates Irish language and folklore. Selected...
Outdoor Trail – Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present
Saturday 27 Nov – Thursday 23 Dec, various times £12.99The Storybarn is thrilled to be partnering with Walker Books to bring families a brand new self-lef outdoor story trail...
Become a volunteer
Love reading? Love meeting new people? Want to make a difference locally? If so, Shared Reading could be the thing for you. And you could be just the person for us.
The Reader at Calderstones
The Reader at Calderstones is a community unlike any other, somewhere people can get together, experience literature and try something new.
Drop in at the Mansion House to get a bite to eat at The Reader Café, join a Shared Reading group or explore 5,000 years of storytelling in our dedicated exhibition.
Explore the park, where you’ll find the Storybarn play space and The Reader Ice Cream Parlour.
The Mansion House
The Mansion House is a reading home with heart – drop in to discover a place filled with possibilities.
The Calderstones Story
Discover stories of life in Liverpool, starting 5,000 years ago, in our dedicated exhibition.
The Storybarn
Our imaginative play space for children and families will spark a lifelong love of reading for pleasure.
The Storybarn
The Storybarn exists to spark a life-long love of books and reading, and an unending curiosity for exploring the astonishing worlds of our imagination.
Whether you’re coming as family, party or school, this imaginative play space is dedicated to sharing the delights of reading with babies and children.
Come and play!
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8,937
Storyhunter and Incy Wincy Rhymer attendees
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95
Birthday parties
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111
School visits
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23
Family fun days
Something More
Jimmy McGovern and Maxine Peake to headline charity’s literature festival for the covid-era
Gravity is a new festival taking place online and in person from 5 – 7 November, and hosted by national charity, The Reader. Taking…
Rebuilding the Reading Revolution: Shared Reading Groups Open to All
In-person Shared Reading is returning around the UK as volunteers and group members begin meeting again in local libraries and other community venues. So far…
New poetry anthology to celebrate National Poetry Day
As National Poetry Day approaches on Thursday 7th October, we’ve been busy working on a new poetry anthology and planning…
