We are delighted to share that Blue Peter Book Club Live will launch in Manchester on Saturday 18 May.
Manchester Libraries, Blue Peter and The Reading Agency have partnered on the new initiative, which supports Read Manchester’s aim to inspire a love of reading across the city.
Local primary school-aged children can come and join Blue Peter presenters and top authors at the free launch event at Manchester Central Library. They’ll enjoy a fun day of stories, crafts and lots of books.
A special Blue Peter Badge Trail will also launch on the day, which will challenge families to discover massive Blue Peter Book Club inspired badges at 12 different venues across the city with an additional bonus badge in the Blue Peter Garden in Salford.
The live event builds on the success of Blue Peter Book Club, which introduces young readers to new books by brilliant authors and illustrators and encourages them to talk about what they’ve read.
Starting in Manchester, Blue Peter Book Club Live will take place into summer 2024 with a series of pop-up events at libraries and schools across the UK.
Read Manchester’s Hunt for a Book Club Book
In the lead up to the launch event, Read Manchester will be running an exciting book hunt in four parks around Manchester.
From Saturday 4 May to Monday 6 May, local children will have the chance to get their hands on a free copy of one of the 12 Blue Peter Book Club books.
A total of 96 books will be hidden by Read Manchester Literacy Champions – volunteers who are passionate about improving literacy in their communities. Clues to where the books are hidden will be shared on the Read Manchester Facebook page throughout the bank holiday weekend to help young readers find them.
The book hunt will build excitement about the launch of Blue Peter Book Club Live and give local families the chance to read the Book Club books before they attend the event.
Neil MacInnes OBE, Manchester City Council’s Head of Service, Libraries, Galleries, Culture and Youth said: “We are delighted to work alongside our partners to bring such an exciting reading event to the city. We know that reading is a joyous experience and getting young Mancunians engaged, excited and inspired by books now is really important to us as it will engender a love of reading that continues to grow throughout their lives. And what better place to launch such a wonderful initiative as the much-loved and celebrated Manchester Central Library.”
A special Blue Peter Book Club Live episode will be shown on CBBC and iPlayer at 5pm on Friday 24 May live from Media City UK with authors and local school children taking part.