What is Stoke Reads?
Stoke Reads aims to get families in Stoke excited about reading and sharing stories together, and helps parents to support their children’s literacy skills.
Read about the Stoke Reads book lists below to find out how you can inspire your child to develop a love of reading. All the books on the Stoke Reads lists can be borrowed for free from any Stoke-on-Trent library.
You can find out more about other Stoke Reads initiatives on the National Literacy Trust website.
Stoke 100 Primary reads
In March 2016 we conducted a survey to find the top 100 fiction books that all children should read before leaving primary school. Children across Stoke-on-Trent voted for their favourite books and the Stoke 100 Reads book list was born.
Children who read every book on the Stoke 100 Reads list can claim a certificate and a special limited edition copy of The BFG, by Roald Dahl. Take your completed Stoke 100 Reads list to one of the Stoke-on-Trent libraries to claim your free book.
We've also put together this handy suggested age range list to help you discover books suitable for your child's age. If your child feels they are too old to read some of the younger titles, why not encourage them to read the books to a younger sibling or friend? They can then tick it off their 100 Reads list.
If you’ve finished the Stoke 100 Reads, why not try these further reading suggestions?
Is your child under 5?
We've put together a selection of the Stoke 100 Reads to create the 25 Reads mini challenge. It's perfect for children aged 5 years and under.
Even babies will enjoy looking at the pictures and hearing you read the books to them. You don't even have to read the text, you can just talk about the pictures!
Once your child has completed the mini challenge, take your completed 25 Reads list to any Stoke-on-Trent library to claim your free copy of Barry the Fish with Fingers: Tickle Hide-and-Seek.
Stoke Reads On
Looking for books teenagers and beyond? Look no further!
A survey carried out as part of the Stoke Reads campaign found that while 60% of pupils across the city enjoy reading, just 41% read every day outside school.
To inspire older pupils in Stoke-on-Trent to enjoy reading, a new list of recommended books to read at secondary school has been compiled by the Stoke Reads campaign. Stoke Reads On encourages pupils to explore different books to suit their interests through genres such ‘true lives’, ‘magical worlds’ and ‘laugh out loud’.