I did match the Selfie with the Shelfie – I had pictures staff and pictures of their book shelves and the students had to work out which went with which. This was very popular and caused lots of discussions.

Hide books around the school building and provide students with clues. The first to find can either keep or pass on.

Encourage staff to decorate their classroom doors with key information about their favourite book to promote discussion on entry. They could use images, key quotations, character names, fun facts etc. to recommend their book.

Ask staff to carry a book with them on World Book Day and encourage students to ask them questions about it. Alternatively, staff could wear a badge or a lanyard with their favourite book displayed.

Ask older students to either recommend or read an extract from their favourite book to the younger students in school OR write a brief recommendation postcard to display

Book Swap
A free book swap in school is a fantastic way to give students access to a wide range of books. In the week leading up to your swap, encourage students to bring in any books that they would like to exchange and create a stall.

Local Library
Arrange for your local librarian to visit school to encourage students to sign up. Alternatively, arrange for students to visit their local library.

Rescue an Abandoned Book
Encourage students to visit their local charity shop and ‘rescue’ a book… and all for a good cause!

Get staff and students to bake a range of book-themed goodies. Gingerbread people decorated as a character or cakes depicting scenes from stories should get students talking!

Get teachers to name and describe their favourite childhood book with clues. Students then have a quiz sheet and question staff members. Alternatively, staff could provide a childhood picture of themselves alongside a favourite childhood story and students then guess who the images are.

Invite students and staff to find a way to be representing their favourite book that is tricky to spot – they could carry clues, wear a pin badge, drop in catchphrases to everyday conversation, have something in their lunch that’s key to the story etc. Prizes could be awarded for sneaking clues past
each other and for guessing the most.

As an alternative to dressing up, ask students to decorate an egg or a potato as their favourite literary character or topic. Staff could join in, too!

Create a questionnaire to delve into students’ interests and then pair them up with a younger student
with similar responses. Older students begin each session reading a book that caters to the tastes of
both. The younger student could then choose to read to the older student. Story cubes can also be used
as a fun way to encourage students to make a link from the book to others they know!