Weekly Round-up 27th Feb 2026
- Carolyn McCarthy
- Feb 27
- 4 min read
Your weekly digest about what's happening in the world of children's literature
After a break last week for half term, welcome back to this week’s round up of all things in children’s literature.
The obvious talking point this week is the upcoming World Book Day. This annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading serves as a great opportunity to highlight the joy and value of books, reminding every child about the life‑changing benefits of reading for pleasure.
World Book Day also gives schools, libraries, and families a shared moment to come together around stories, creativity, and the power of imagination. With so much activity happening across the country, from costume‑making and book swaps to author workshops and reading challenges, it’s a perfect time to spotlight the work being done to nurture a genuine love of reading all year round.
This brings us to what we’ve been focusing on here at Pageticker, where we're continuing to help children build stronger reading habits and inspiring them to love reading.
The Pageticker Team
In the News/Useful Links
Free NYOR Toolkit
At Pageticker, we understand how challenging it can be to find reading resources that both support learning and genuinely excite children - so we’ve created a toolkit designed to do exactly that.
The toolkit is packed with 10 simple, ready-to-go ideas that bring reading to life in your classroom. Every activity is designed to be fun and engaging for children, whilst easy for you to put into action - no extra planning required.
Whether you try one idea or a few, you’ll be celebrating reading and joining the National Year of Reading movement in meaningful, practical ways.
Monthly Giveaway - Winners!
The winners of our February giveaway are:
Kings Hill Primary School in West Malling
Congratulations! A delightful box of books is on its way to you.
Stay tuned for next month's giveaway.
Inspiring Initiatives
As World Book Day is just around the corner, we thought we’d share an activity that a teacher shared in the Reading for Pleasure Facebook group.
It’s called ‘The Voice’ and is based on the popular television programme. Children have to guess who is reading the book based on just their voice as part of an assembly.
Added to this, we had an idea. Maybe if you happen to have smaller class assemblies you could ask different teachers to read out different extracts of books and children can turn around if they like the sound of the book or would like to know more about it. It’d be a great way to start off some discussions about books.
Handpicked Seasonal Suggestion
As World Book Day is approaching, we’re going to be featuring some World Day books over the next few weeks. The choice this week is Pablo and Splash: The Castle Quest. This is suitable for children aged 6 and above.
Time-travelling penguins Pablo and Splash are on a quest for delicious fishy snacks in medieval England. After hearing rumors of an unlimited supply, Splash drags her best pal Pablo into the time machine. They encounter sheep, a pig, and a very angry farmer, but still no tasty treats. Will the castle bring better luck?
Pablo and Splash books in general are a great choice for children who love funny graphic novels.
Notable New Release
This month, our notable new release is Quill and the Last Generation by C.M.Lewis.
Quill is a shy, ordinary twelve-year-old who knows nothing about being a hero - until a mysterious young shapeshifter in the form of a raven reveals a world filled with urgent magic and deadly danger.
Thrust into destiny, Quill must face dragons guarding ancient secrets, a monstrous hound that hunts lost souls, and a beautiful but lethal water horse. Believed to be the last hope of his generation, Quill is destined to confront the King of Darkness. But before he can save the world and claim the Light of the World, he must first find the courage to fight.
This will be loved by fans of the Skandar and Percy Jackson series. We loved the mix of fantasy and mythology in this book.
Pageticker Booklist
As Ramadan has started we thought we’d share the books that children are reading about Ramadan from our database.
Hassan and Aneesa Love Ramadan - Yasmeen Rahim
Welcome Ramadan! - Lila Assiff-Tarabain
It's Ramadan, Curious George - H.A. Rey and Hena Khan
First Festivals Ramadan - Ladybird
Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr - Sara Khan
Eliyas Explains Ramadan + Guided Journal - Zanib Mian
Upcoming Dates
5 March - World Book Day
8 March - International Women’s Day
9-13 March - British Science Week
19 March -Decline in Volitional Reading - Free Seminar with the Open University
20th March - Red Nose Day
23-27 March - Shakespeare Week
Take a look at the events for the National Year of Reading
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