A child reading a book, silhouetted against a setting sun Photo: By Aaron Burden on Unsplash
The National Year of Reading: Sarah Hagger-Holt says Quakers should get involved
‘Books can open us up to new light.’
‘If you don’t read books, how can you know what’s going on in anyone else’s head?’ my teenage daughter asked me recently.
We are a reading family: bedtime stories; library visits; silent train journeys with each of us absorbed in our own books. She has been surrounded by books all her life. But she is increasingly in a minority.
Just one in three children say they enjoy reading in their free time, and only one in five read for pleasure every day. Fewer than half of young children get a regular bedtime story. One in six children eligible for free school meals don’t have a single book of their own at home. And these are just the figures for children and young people – adults are reading less each year, too. We are, according to all recent research, experiencing a rapidly-growing national reading for pleasure crisis.
But why describe this as a ‘crisis’, not just a change in habits? After all, film and TV bring us vivid, absorbing, intelligent stories. And, we now have access to all of the world’s knowledge quite literally in our pockets. If people read less, does it really matter? Except that there is something magical about reading for pleasure.
It’s linked to a range of benefits, which include: stronger writing skills, improved wellbeing and confidence, and even higher future earnings. Reading together strengthens bonds between children and their care-givers at a deep level. When you strip away all other variables, whether or not a child reads for pleasure is a key indicator of whether or not they will thrive as an adult. And, of course, the clue is in the name: reading for pleasure. Many of us know from experience that reading brings us joy.
But back to my daughter’s question. There is something else fundamental about reading: its close link to empathy. Educator Emily Styles came up with the concept of ‘windows and mirrors’ to illustrate how reading can build understanding and connection.
Books can be windows – giving us insight into someone else’s life – or mirrors – showing us experiences like our own. For example, when I read Nathanael Lessore’s award-winning, hugely funny Steady For This, I get to step into the head of a black teenage boy on a south London estate. It changes my perception. It highlights, and even smashes, the stereotypes I hold. It’s a window.
But imagine reading the same book as a black teenage boy… wow! You see someone like you, right there on the page, whose experiences, hopes and fears are at the centre of the story. It’s a mirror.
Mirrors and windows are especially important for people who rarely see their stories represented, who are usually sidekicks, minor characters or barely there at all. As a children’s author, I often visit schools. My books centre and celebrate LGBTQ+ families. On every visit, at least one young person will tell me what it’s meant to them to read about a family like theirs, with two mums or two dads, or discover a character who, like them, is exploring their gender or sexuality.
As a parent and an author, I can see the value of reading for pleasure, but it’s also important to me as a Quaker. Books can open us up to new light. They are a place where we can connect with ourselves, each other and that which we may call God.
What’s more, access – both to books that appeal to us and to the skills and encouragement to read them – is a social justice issue. If we hold to a testimony of equality, we should be concerned that the most disadvantaged in our communities have least access to the transformational power of reading for pleasure.
2026 has been designated as a National Year of Reading to focus energy, resources and enthusiasm on addressing this crisis. Telling people that reading is good for them is not the answer – nothing is more likely to get you reaching for your phone. Neither is insisting that reading is fun, when so many of us have struggled through books we hated at school.
Instead, the approach, captured by the slogan ‘Go All In’, is to link reading to existing passions – whether music, football, gaming, the natural world or anything else that excites us. Reading is a way to go deeper into what we care about. You could even say that reading is a pathway to living adventurously.
That’s why I believe that each of us, as individuals and within Local Meetings, have something to contribute to the National Year of Reading. Here are some suggestions.
‘Books are a place where we can connect with that which we call God.’
Read. Sounds obvious, but if children and young people don’t see adults enjoying reading, why should they bother? Read on the train, while waiting at the doctor’s, when out for a coffee. Get into the habit of always having a book or e-reader to hand. And, if you have children and young people in your life, read aloud to them or read to each other. Include reading aloud and storytelling within your Children’s Meetings.
Talk. Share what you are reading with family and friends and ask what they are reading – you might be surprised! You could even join a book group. My Local Meeting has a spiritual reading group which meets regularly, as well as a monthly writing group; maybe this is something your Meeting could offer, too?
Volunteer. Charities like Bookmark and Coram Beanstalk need volunteers to help children with their reading online or in person. The Shannon Trust and The Reading Agency also seek volunteers to support adults in prisons and in the community who struggle with reading.
Borrow. Join and use your local public library. These are vital community services, often under threat of closure. Many local authorities allocate funding to libraries based on the number of active borrowers – just by being a member, you are helping the library stay open. It’s sustainable – reusing books multiple times – and benefits authors, who receive a small payment each time their books are borrowed through Public Lending Right. Many Meetings have their own libraries too which you can support.
Shop. Choose second-hand, local and independent, of course. Don’t forget, we are fortunate to have an amazingly well-stocked Quaker bookshop, at Friends House and online. Give books as presents.
Give. Donate to literacy charities, like Booktrust, which give books to children in care or in vulnerable situations, and provide training and resources for those who work with young children.
Discover. Each year, brilliant diverse books are being published for all ages. Get clued up on what’s worth reading. Booktrust’s website is full of recommendations, shortlists for prizes like the Little Rebels Award, the Diverse Books Awards, and Books Are My Bag are a goldmine, or ask the staff in your library for ideas – we love to help!
Empower. I love Daniel Pennac’s simple, but powerful, manifesto of the rights of the reader. It includes the right to skip, the right not to finish a book, the right to reread, and the right to read anything. We can put children off reading by insisting that they read ‘proper books’, by looking down on comics and graphic novels, or by telling them they are too old or too young for a particular book or have read it too many times before. Instead, celebrate their right – and yours! – to read whatever you like.
Comments
Things should be presented as normal not continually praised and celebrated.
“Exploring their gender” - what is meant by that?
Are children ever made aware that it’s okay to be non-stereotypical without claiming a new identity/sex and without believing they may need to change their bodies with medication and/or surgery?
By Moyra Carlyle on 5th February 2026 - 10:09
‘always have a book or e-reader to hand’ to show an example.
But how does anyone know we’re having a reading experience if we’re staring at the screen of an e-reader?
By Moyra Carlyle on 5th February 2026 - 10:12
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