Scottish Book Trust supports National Year of Reading 2026

At Scottish Book Trust, every year is a national year of reading. Our charity is committed to supporting access to books and sharing the benefits of reading for pleasure, across all life stages.

We will support the National Year of Reading(this link will open in a new window) during our annual celebrations and hope you will join us!

• Reading Schools Week(this link will open in a new window) (2–6 February 2026)
• Bookbug Week (18–24 May 2026)
• Book Week Scotland (16–22 November 2026)

Over half of Scotland’s schools are accredited or working towards becoming a Reading School, exploring and embedding reading cultures for pupils, school staff and communities. Throughout the year, schools can also access author visits, Authors Live with the BBC broadcasts, professional learning opportunities and classroom resources, sensory storytelling support, funding for books, and more.

Our Bookbug and Read Write Count universal book gifting programmes make significant contributions to young families across Scotland, and every child receives at least 18 books of their own by the time they are in P3. Free Bookbug Sessions take place in libraries and early years settings, while Bookbug for the Home supports families facing the biggest barriers to reading with their children. These programmes promote early language development and address inequalities, including child poverty.

Libraries and other partners in every corner of Scotland join us for Book Week Scotland in November, a time for the whole population to enjoy books and reading. Through our Live Literature programme, schools, libraries, community organisations and charities can coordinate visits from the best of Scotland’s writing community.

We thank our many partners across Scotland who help to deliver our vital work. Together we celebrate the joy of reading, across the country, throughout the year. This collaborative effort also helped us achieve international recognition with an award from The Library of Congress(this link will open in a new window) in Autumn 2025.

If you would like to find out more about our programmes or partnerships, or have any queries around the National Year of Reading, please do not hesitate to contact our team at [email protected](this link will open in a new window).