Published 27th May 2021
Following the success of the first InspiREAD Primary Book awards in 2020, Inspire are excited to announce our 2021 shortlist of great books for children and young people.
After a challenging year of lockdowns and stop-start education, we want to get everyone reading children’s books again: that includes pupils, teachers, parents, grandparents, carers, schools, families and friends. InspiREAD is an opportunity to get children back into reading, boost their literacy, and help them discover new stories. But it's not just for kids - it's for anyone who enjoys a good read.
Our librarians have narrowed down their favourite books for children and young people that were published over the last year. These books are suitable for all ages, and can be read, listened to via audiobook, or watched online. Readers are encouraged to explore as many titles as they want on our shortlist, then vote for their favourites in one of three categories.
View the all the books on the 2021 Shortlist here.
InspiREAD 2021 will run during the school summer term, with voting taking place until 8 July. Go here to vote.
Val Sawyer, Inspire ELS’s Principal Librarian has read all of the shortlisted books, and said:
“We had such great success with InspiREAD last year, despite the lockdown. Teachers and parents and children were eager to keep kids reading, even though normal education was disrupted. And we found that children loved taking part as well.
This year’s InspiREAD is a chance to help children and young people really develop a love of reading. We have some amazing books shortlisted this year, that will really grab young readers and keep them hooked until the last page. Research has shown that reading for pleasure is the single most important thing that will make a child successful in life: it increases empathy and maintains cognitive ability. But most of all, it’s fun – and that’s the most important thing that children, teachers and parents who take part in InspiREAD all discover.”
All shortlisted books are available to borrow from Inspire libraries, and teachers can use our Education Library Service to reserve copies for students.
Shortlisted books are also available for to purchase from Lowdham Books (at 20% discount) from nottinghambooks.co.uk
