Take 10 to Read with Read Manchester (and the world!)
Take 10 to Read was developed here in Manchester to promote the wellbeing benefits of reading. Designed to support World Mental Health Day, we’ve given away thousands of books, hosted…
Category Read Manchester
Libraries Update – August 2026
1996 IRA Bombing and the Regeneration of Manchester – 30 Years On Central Library is currently hosting two key exhibitions marking 30 years since the IRA bomb attack devastated Manchester…
Baby Week 2026
The Read Manchester/Manchester Libraries team was excited to take part in the Baby Week 2026 launch event recently. There was a full programme of activities and events for expectant parents, parents, and babies. The launch was held in the city centre at Manchester…
MAD – Manchester Activity Day Teens led event in Longsight
In March this year a group of amazing young people from St Peter’s High School in Longsight devised and hosted their own event at Longsight Library. The event was the…
Summer Reading Challenge Read to the Beat Launches Across Manchester!
1 July to 12 September The Summer Reading Challenge got off to a fantastic start across Manchester, with the Children and Access Team delivering three exciting launch events for local…
Read Manchester Update Summer 2026
Welcome to our Read Manchester Summer update. We are well into the National Year of Reading now and Read Manchester celebrates a 10-year anniversary this year too! See what we’ve been up to and how you can help us to Go…
Giving something back – how corporate volunteers support Read Manchester
Volunteers greatly enhance our Read Manchester offer, whether that is our Literacy Champions or the business community. We want to give a big shoutout to several local companies who have kindly devoted their time to…
A record crowd visit Central Library on Manchester Day to celebrate the National Year of Reading!
Manchester Central Library was buzzing on Manchester Day, 26 July 2026 as the library recorded its busiest Sunday Funday ever! An amazing 7,614 visitors in 5 hours came to see the suite of…
Announcing Quiet Storm as this year’s primary to high school Transition Read
Quiet Storm by Kimberly Whittam continues as Read Manchester's chosen Transition Read for the third year, gifting around 7,000 copies to new Year 7 students in September 2026.
World Book Night 2026 with Read Manchester
Thursday 23rd April was World Book Night, the Reading Agency’s annual campaign which aims to celebrate and inspire reading for pleasure. As World Book Day encourages children to read, World Book Night promotes the too often overlooked benefits…
Read Manchester Spring Update
Welcome to our Read Manchester Spring update. We are well into the National Year of Reading now, with lots of exciting events coming up both nationally and locally. Since January, we’ve been out and about for World Book Day and celebrated…
See Myself in Books Festival
Every child deserves to see themselves in the stories they read. This is the driver behind Read Manchester’s See Myself in Books campaign, which aims to introduce children to a…
Heartstone Story Circles and See Myself in Books
Every child deserves to see themselves in the stories they read. This is the foundation of Read Manchester’s See Myself in Books campaign which aims to introduce children to a range of diverse…
Children’s and Read Manchester
On 4th March 2026, Councillor John Hacking Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure and Neil MacInnes Head of Libraries, Galleries and Culture, took a report on Manchester Libraries to…
Sponsorship Opportunity – See Myself in Books Festival
Manchester Libraries Trust, the charity that supports cultural and educational activity in Manchester Libraries, is backing the See Myself in Books Festival 2026 with a £2,000 commitment and they are…
See Myself in Books festival is back!
The See Myself in Books Festival returns to Manchester from 9 to 20 March, featuring 13 diverse authors and illustrators. Designed to promote inclusivity in children's literature, the festival allows children to engage with relatable characters and cultural stories, enhancing their reading experience. A special event will be hosted on 12 March.
Festive Book Gifting 2025 with Read Manchester
Read Manchester’s Festive Book Gifting project this year was a huge success, with a total of 12,956 Books gifted across 140 different settings! We worked with a wide variety of different organisations, including: Food Banks…
Look back at the Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Read 2025 – Quiet Storm.
For the 2nd year the Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Read was Quiet Storm by local, award-winning author, Kimberly Whittam Home | Kimberly Whittam Author . The book was originally…
Celebrating Non-Fiction November 2025
To celebrate Non-Fiction November, Read Manchester has spent the past month working with publishers and authors to promote non-fiction and gift fantastic fact books to pupils of Manchester schools. We’ve had…
Non-Fiction November with Read Manchester
When we think of reading for pleasure, we often first think of novels – but fiction is only part of the story. National Non-Fiction November is an annual celebration of…