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June’s Title Pick for Children: Heidi by Johanna Spyri
‘But Heidi did not stir; she had no need now to wander about, for the great burning longing of her…
June’s Title Pick for Adults: Stand By Me by Wendell Berry
I remember very well joining an online Shared reading session for staff during one of the Covid lockdowns and reading…
June’s Monthly Stories and Poems
Making a home isn’t a one-off, one-time activity, even if you live in the same place all your life. The…
May’s Title Pick for Children: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
As a child, this is probably one of the books that made me a reader. In a way, the book…
May’s Title Pick for Adults: Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan
‘In this country of grief, the best kind of shelter is to be understood, to have someone stop next to…
May’s Monthly Stories and Poems
Though The Reader Bookshelf and its theme is designed to be a ‘golden thread’ holding the different areas of The…
April’s Title Pick for Children: The Very Noisy House by Sally Nicholls
‘SQUEEEAK’ goes the garden gate, ‘RING RING’, ‘KNOCK KNOCK’, ‘DING DONG’ at the door. Readers are invited to pay a…
April’s Title Pick for Adults: The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
The Home-Maker is an American novel first published in 1924 and rediscovered and published in the UK by Persephone Books…
April’s Monthly Stories and Poems
For all our Monthly Poems and Stories packs for Reader Leaders in 2026, we’re following strands of feeling and ideas…
March’s Title Pick for Children: Don’t Ask the Dragon by Lemn Sissay
Reflections on Don't Ask the Dragon by Lemn Sissay by Erin Carlstrom, Shared Reading Practice Leader ‘What do you think…
March’s Title Pick for Adults: Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Inviting Lila into Shared Reading by Esther Harsh, Shared Reading Practice Lead ‘Her name had the likeness of a name.…
World Book Day® and The Reader celebrate the fun of reading
National reading charity World Book Day is partnering with Shared Reading charity The Reader for a fun-filled day in…
