‘It’s about making reading as natural as breathing’: Mallory Blackman supports National Year of Reading | books

toLast night, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced a £27.5 million package for libraries. It is the latest in a series of government initiatives focusing on reading, the most notable of which is the Department for Education’s National Year of Reading 2026, which kicked off last week with an event at the Emirates Stadium in London.

The Year of Reading campaign comes on the back of research by the National Literacy Trust (NLT), which found that enjoyment of reading among children and young people is at its lowest on record, with just one in three eight- to 18-year-olds reporting that they enjoy reading “a lot” or “a lot”.

The year-long campaign aims to work with schools, communities, libraries and early years settings to promote reading for pleasure, and in doing so “give children the best start in life”.

There are other plans in the works as well. In September, Rachel Reeves pledged that every state primary school in England would have a library by the end of this Parliament. In late November, an investigation into reading for pleasure was launched. Non-government schemes are also underway, with the Children’s Booker Prize launching in October.

“It’s about making reading feel as natural and everyday as breathing,” says Mallory Blackman, Noughts & Crosses author and former Children’s Prize winner, who is among the star-studded roster of ambassadors for the Year of Reading campaign. “Reading is so important for understanding the world around you. It is so easy to focus only on your own experiences, but reading gives you a way to broaden your horizons, learn about others and other ways of thinking, feeling and working. We are in danger of losing that ability to connect and communicate.”

As a child, access to the local library was what first sparked Blackman’s love of reading. “I lived in my local library,” she says. “I didn’t go to a bookstore until I was 14, because I couldn’t afford books.” “Having a public library within walking distance, and discovering that I could read all the books, is what made me who I am.”

This is the third National Year of Reading campaign, following previous iterations in 1998 and 2008. But as a first in the era of widespread smartphone use and streaming, the campaign will focus on all forms of reading material – something Blackman is passionate about.

“I think reading has gotten a reputation as a solitary activity that deserves a lot of attention, but it’s not,” she says. “There are so many types of reading you can do. There’s nothing wrong with, for example, reading graphic novels or comic books. If you’re into cars or motorcycles or whatever it may be — whatever the hobby or passion is — you can get more out of it if you read about it.”

“Reading does not seem to provide the immediate social rewards that motivate us today,” says Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of NLT, which is helping the government implement the campaign. “She is seen as slow, aloof and studious in a world that values ​​speed, status and spectacle.”

The DfE encourages parents to ‘lead by example’ when it comes to reading habits and reading with their children. “Shared reading in the early years is the most impactful way to build a lifelong love of reading,” says Julie Hayward, Director of Partnerships at BookTrust, one of the campaign partners. Reading with children under six also helps with self-regulation, empathy, and relating.

Hayward acknowledges that access to reading is not a level playing field. Barriers that parents may face while reading with their children include having a “negative kind of educational journey” or “low confidence in their own literacy levels.”

Hayward adds that the campaign approach is key. “We shouldn’t be judgmental or preachy. It should be fun and cheerful.” Douglas says the 2026 campaign “focuses on appeal, not duty, and highlights the immediate rewards of reading, making it feel relevant, exciting and rewarding now, not just in the future.”

While the focus on pleasure is intuitive, studies of childhood reading suggest that it may be too narrow.

Research by Sabine Little, a senior lecturer in language education at the University of Sheffield, found that multilingual children spend more time reading for pleasure than monolingual children, and read a wider range of texts and formats.

Little explains that multilingual children typically think about the importance of reading in a wide range of ways. When I asked the multilingual children I worked with to name three things they had read that were important to them, there were “quite a few” books that were included “because of the plot or because they were favorites. It was more about the connections that the books facilitated” – for example, “the first book read in a new country, the book that introduced them to a new hobby.”

One of the children cited lists of racehorses in Hungarian, because he read those lists with his grandmother when he was visiting Hungary. Few believe we can learn from the way multilingual children build connections with books and apply that to monolingual children as well. Validating reading materials that hold significance for them in different ways can help create a better culture around reading.

For Hayward, the newly launched Kids Poker Prize is a big step forward. The first winner will be announced in early 2027, with £50,000 awarded to the best novel for readers aged 8-12, determined by a mixed panel of adult and child judges. The Booker Prize Foundation will also give away 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books to children each year.

While more interest in children’s books is always positive, Stephen Price, who co-owns independent children’s bookstore Pickled Pepper Books in north London, is skeptical about the impact of the award. “The children’s book awards scene is crowded, and I’m not convinced the Children’s Booker Prize will make much difference.”

There is also “a fear that the award might pick up literary books rather than more accessible things, which could be a bit dangerous for me, as things become a bit hierarchical.”

However, Little says the award will create a good opportunity for children to discuss reading in the way they discuss games, television and social media. “One thing kids enjoy doing is talking about books with their peers.” She is “very excited” that the new award will include books in translation and has the potential to show that books from different cultures and originally written in languages ​​other than English are a valuable part of British children’s literature.

“It’s important for authors and publishers, but it’s especially important for kids,” Hayward explains, “to have great, really exciting, engaging books that they can see themselves in.” Ultimately, children’s books and the Year of Reading have the same goal: to encourage children to discover books they will enjoy. “Whatever your interest, there are books out there for you,” Blackman says. “When people tell me they don’t like reading, I always tell them: You haven’t found the right book yet.”

5 tips to encourage children to read

Make it fun
“We’re surrounded by words and stories all the time — read the ads together on the bus or on billboards,” Price says. “Reading doesn’t always mean a book – try reading a recipe together, or making up a story based on your shopping list.”

Create a comfortable environment
Little encourages parents not to panic if there’s a period where their kids aren’t reading as much, adding that the more you push kids, the more you create a stressful environment around reading.

Share stories early
“Share stories in the early years, so that when kids go to school, it’s not all about homework,” says Hayward.

Read for yourself
“Let your kids see you reading, even if it’s in a magazine or newspaper,” Price says. “Why not revisit some classics from your childhood and share them with them.”

Let them read what they want
“Let children gravitate to books that capture their interest, even if they seem ‘lightweight,’” says Sarah Satha, co-founder of Inclusive Books for Children (IBC). “Supplement them with award shortlists – the Carnegie Awards, Booker, The Week Junior or IBC – and don’t be afraid to experiment with genres, formats and reading levels until you find what draws them in.”