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Quick Reads

Discover the joy of reading with Quick Reads. Short books and great stories by bestselling authors!

The need

1 in 6 adults in the UK struggle with reading and 1 in 3 adults do not regularly read for pleasure. England ranks 23rd out of 23 OECD nations for literacy level amongst 16-19 year olds. In addition, studies have shown that those who do read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations.

The programme

Quick Reads provide a route into reading that prioritises great story telling and adult-focused content while ensuring the books are written in an accessible and easy to read style. The books are written by some of the most popular authors in the UK - including Andy McNab, Jojo Moyes, Anne Cleeves, Ian Rankin and Benjamin Zephaniah - so they can be a brilliant entry point to new genres, authors as well as the spark to reignite or build up the joy of reading.

The Quick Reads programme has collaborated with over 30 publishers to produce a total of 135 titles since 2006 (many still available to borrow from your public library or buy from The Reading Agency's bookshop) with over 5 million copies distributed and over 6 million library loans.

The latest titles

Six new Quick Reads will be published on 13th April 2023.

The titles include: The Double Clue: And Other Hercule Poirot Stories by Agatha Christie (HarperCollins); Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle (Vintage); Hello Mum Bernardine Evaristo (Penguin); Wish You Were Dead Peter James (Pan Macmillan); One False Move, Dreda Say Mitchell (Hodder & Stoughton); Paris for One by Jojo Moyes (Penguin).

Find out more about this specially reprinted series being published on 13th April.

The titles are available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

The impact

Quick Reads are an extremely valuable tool for boosting reading skills, confidence and engagement in learning. They can act as an entry point to different authors' work in diverse genres, and have led to thousands of adults reading, completing and enjoying a book for the first time. Our long-term goal is to build a nation of readers by getting Quick Reads into every home in the UK!

You can read reviews on Find A Read.

Take a look at our case studies to see the impact that Quick Reads have on emergent readers.

How to take part

Ordering the titles:

Order Quick Reads for a public library from your usual library supplier such as Askews or Gardners and the ebook and audiobook from Overdrive or BorrowBox.

Find Quick Reads in-store at Poundland and Waterstones.

We work with public libraries, prisons, colleges, hospitals and adult learning organisations to ensure these books are accessed by those who may find reading difficult as they are a perfect entry point to reading for pleasure.

Supporting resources:

Browse the available learning resources, book group discussion guides and promotional posters and videos for using with the titles in the Quick Reads resources database

Unionlearn have a toolkit for making the most of Quick Reads and how they can be used in workplaces.

Quick Reads are perfect for supporting the Reading Ahead programme either as reading material or to use as rewards and incentives. Find out more about Reading Ahead.