Your weekly digest about what's going on in the world of children's literature.
Hi there,
We have been at the BETT Show this week - if you are there today, we’re on stand FS37. There’s an exciting line-up of literary figures speaking to coincide with the National Year of Reading, my personal highlights being Amol Rajan and A. F. Steadman. We have a presentation of our own, too, entitled ‘Can technology play a role in re-engaging children in reading?’ Obviously, we believe it can, and in the talk, we lay out the research that went into developing Pageticker. It perhaps won’t be as exciting as hearing from the author of Skandar… but if it does appeal, you’ll find us at the BESA area this morning at 11 am.
Tom (co-founder) and the Pageticker Team.
PS If you like what you read, click here to subscribe regularly to our weekly round-ups.
In the News/Useful Links
Bright Light Education is running a creative writing competition for children, where they write a new story inspired by a book that they love.
World Book Day podcasts covering the celebration of reading to a reading for pleasure strategy
Insights From Our Data
Which authors have got off to a flying start in 2026? We dug into it, and perhaps as expected, Jeff Kinney tops the list with 4.9% of all reading records logged on Pageticker this year (not counting reading schemes and phonics books).
Monthly Giveaway
This month's giveaway contains books from your January Author Spotlight, celebrating the excellent work of Owen Davey and Jon Klassen.
To enter:
Like and comment on our Instagram or Facebook giveaway post.
Follow our Instagram or Facebook account
That’s it, you’re in!
The giveaway closes on January 26, 2026 (12:00 p.m. GMT).
One winner (randomly selected) will receive all of the following books:
Crazy About Cats by Owen Davey
Smart About Sharks by Owen Davey
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen
This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by Instagram or Facebook.
Promoter: Pageticker, Pedalogic Ltd, Bath, UK.
Entrants must be UK-based, over 18, and must still be following @pageticker at the time of the draw.
Full T&Cs here.
Inspiring Initiatives
@magicinmiddle on Instagram has launched Bookemon in school. For this pupils created trading cards of their favourite books and shared them with their classmates. He said that trading the cards meant that they were committing to reading that book next. He found it was a great way of sparking conversations about books and getting kids excited to read.
Handpicked Seasonal Suggestion
This week we are focussing on a wintery read, which is Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone.
In the frozen kingdom of Erkenwald, the Ice Queen has forced people into hiding. Eska, a girl freed from a cursed music box, and Flint set out on a dangerous journey to find an ancient song powerful enough to stop the Ice Queen.
This book is perfect for children in Year 4 and above. It’s a great story of hope, freedom and courage.
Notable New Release
The notable release for this week is The Miraculous Sweetmaker’s: The Storm Prince. This is the final book in a trilogy and is suitable for children aged 9 and above.
Two best friends, Thomasina and Anne, hear a scary voice calling out to them in the middle of the night. But rather than a person it’s a type of magic, Guaire magic which is tied to an old family legend.
Thomasina’s Aunt is convinced that she’s meant to become the Storm Prince. To do it, she needs to control dangerous wild magic and dominate every magical creature out there.
Wild magic is just that though, wild. So it starts to take over Thomasina, putting the magical world at risk and her friendship with Anne.
Pageticker Booklist
In honour of our January Author Spotlight, here are the top 3 books we recommend by authors Jon Klassen and Owen Davey.
Jon Klassen (ages 3-5)
I Want My Hat Back
The Skull
Triangle
Owen Davey (ages 6-11)
Mad About Monkeys
Obsessive About Octopuses
Crazy About Cats
Upcoming Dates
• 2-8 February - National Storytelling Week
• 4 February - World Read Aloud Day
• 5 March - World Book Day
• 19 March - Decline in Volitional Reading - Free Seminar with the Open University
• Take a look at the events for the National Year of Reading
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Pageticker is the UK's top-rated digital reading diary designed to help children develop habits that will fuel their curiosity and learning for life. Find out more.
Happy reading,
The Pageticker Team
