Our summer review-writing competition is back for 2025!
If you're a primary school pupil, get reading this summer and send us your book review. The winners in both KS1 and KS2 will receive a full library of 200 books for your school and, this year, all participating schools will get the chance to attend an author talk with Mel Taylor-Bessent!
Bestselling author of The Christmas Carrolls series, Mel Taylor-Bessent started her career running award-winning creative writing workshops and launched Authorfy.com, as well as her creative writing YouTube channel WriteForFunwithMTB.
With a focus on creating stories that boost reading for pleasure, the first two books in Mel’s new series, Imagination Island, have entered the Children’s Top 20 UK Chart and become instant bestsellers. The Christmas Carrolls was also featured on the Blue Peter Book Club.
Mel has visited over one hundred schools in the last 3.5 years alone and has spoken to more than 25,000 children. In 2025, Mel was shortlisted for the Ruth Rendell Award 2025, for her contribution to literacy in the UK. All participating schools will be able to join a live author session hosted by Mel.
Have you read a book and wanted to tell everyone they should read it? Well, now's your chance! Send us a review of your must-read book and you could win books for you and your school.
You can use one of these templates for your book review, one from school, or you can create your own.
If there isn't a book that you would like to review, you can choose an e-book (Oxford Owl have some great free ones) or alternatively write your own short story (maximum 600 words).
Summertime book review
Some things to include in your review:
Paint a quick picture – explain what the book is about, but no spoilers please!
Opinion – why do you like it? Why didn’t you like it?
Who else would like this book?
Would you recommend it to others, or not?
What could you win?
Thanks to the generosity of Wob, the two winning schools will also receive the fantastic prize of 200 books each to boost their School library!
The winning pupils and schools will each receive a certificate, and their book reviews will be featured on the Schoolreaders website and Social Media. The winning entrants from each Key stage will also receive a £25 book voucher.
When by?
All entries need to be submitted by 5pm on Tuesday 30th September 2025.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This is a competition for pupils of primary school age.
The child's name and age and an adult's contact details must be included with each entry.
Please also include the name and town of the entrant’s primary school so we can contact them.
Send entries by e-mail to admin@schoolreaders.org or post them to: Schoolreaders, Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, Bedford, MK41 7PH. OR submit them via our brand new online portal here.
We would be very happy for any teachers to use the competition as an English exercise (more chances for your school to win!).
Please register if you would like your school to become a Schoolreaders partner school and receive free reading volunteers to support your pupils.
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The Competition is open to any child attending a UK school, who is in Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2 on 19th June 2025.
- Entries must be submitted by 5pm on Tuesday 30th September 2025.
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Entries will be judged by members of the Schoolreaders Judging Panel. Our decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
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The winners will be announced and notified within four weeks of the closing date.
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If a school chooses to use this competition as a class exercise they must seek parental/ guardian consent for each entry and, if requested by Schoolreaders, must provide written evidence of such consent.
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By entering the book review competition, participants and their parent(s) or guardian(s) are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.
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Schoolreaders reserves the right to cancel or amend the Competition, and these Terms and Conditions.
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Any changes will be notified to participants as soon as possible by Schoolreaders.