Books and reading | Leicestershire County Council

Online forms maintenance

8 June 2026: Most of our online forms are now available again, with a handful still undergoing some maintenance and unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Our recommended reading lists feature a mix of fiction and non-fiction books for children, teens and adults.

Summer Reading Challenge

Summer Reading Challenge 2026 – Read to the Beat. Sign up, read books, get rewards and enjoy a summer filled with stories and sound!

Story telling and play

From weekly story and rhyme sessions to Boromi Pop-in Play libraries, there's lots for babies and toddlers.

Bookstart

Bookstart aims to provide free reading packs for all babies and support reading and literacy for pre-school children.

Finding what to read next

Discover a whole new world of fiction writers based on your favourite authors using ‘Who Else Writes Like’ (for adult fiction) and ‘Who Next’ (for children’s authors).

News

National Year of Reading launches across Leicestershire libraries

5 February 2026

Free events and activities across our libraries will be held throughout 2026

Winter reading challenge returns across Leicestershire libraries

26 November 2025

National challenge to get kids reading over Christmas returns

Libraries set for Summer Reading Challenge

25 June 2024

2024 challenge gives youngsters fun reading challenge