BookTastic is on a mission to ignite a love of reading in every child, no matter where they live or what their background might be.
What began over a decade ago as a small, volunteer-led children’s book festival in Bedford has grown into something much bigger. In 2024, we became a registered Community Interest Company (CIC), marking a bold new chapter: helping communities across the UK bring the joy of books and stories to the children who need them most.
We believe reading is more than a skill – it’s a gateway to imagination, confidence, and lifelong opportunity. Yet, far too many children from low-income backgrounds miss out on the simple magic of owning a book or meeting an author who looks and sounds like them.
What We Do
BookTastic partners with schools, libraries, and community organisations to co-create literary festivals for children in areas of high deprivation. These aren’t just events—they’re experiences that transform attitudes towards reading.
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Every child gets a book to take home, often the first they’ve ever owned.
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Children help shape the festival, voting on the authors, illustrators, and themes they care about.
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Events are free to attend, and we work with schools to remove practical barriers like transport and accessibility.
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No community is too small. Our new national model gives local organisers the tools, and resources to run their own festival with our support.
Why It Matters
Research shows that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of future success – more than family income, more than parents’ education. But hundreds of thousands of children in the UK have no books at home. We’re here to change that.
In the schools we work with, reading enjoyment often more than doubles. Teachers report improvements in confidence, engagement, and library use. And when children see their own identities reflected in stories, it sparks something powerful: the sense that their voice matters.
A Growing Network
We’re already working with communities from Bedford to Barrow-in-Furness, and growing fast. Our national platform provides a digital home for local delivery partners, with customisable websites, planning guides, and access to high-profile authors and publishers. It’s a shared infrastructure designed to let local stories shine.
Whether you’re a school leader, librarian, teacher, or community organiser, if you care about children and want to celebrate books, we’re here to help you make it happen.
Let’s build a festival together.
Get in touch to find out how your community can join the BookTastic network.