Skip to content

August booklist 2024 – Escape with a Book

Summer is a time for adventures and immersive experiences, so we have created a booklist perfect for readers looking to escape into captivating stories. These sixteen books offer a variety of escapes, from adventurous expeditions and magical journeys to heartwarming romances and engaging puzzles, ensuring every reader finds their perfect summer getaway even if you cannot leave your house.

Our librarian readers have shared three words to describe each book to help you decide if the book is for you. We would also love to hear what books you’d recommend for the list on social media using #booklist and tagging readingagency.

Download A4 posters of the booklists plus accompanying resources from our publisher partners (including activity sheets, image assets etc.).

Our themed booklists

The themed booklists are co-ordinated in-house by the Reading Partners team. The aim is to highlight a variety of titles which children, young people and adults will want to read themselves and to encourage reading for pleasure. We aim to create booklists that include titles that are written and illustrated by authentic voices and then include characters that reflect the diverse society of the UK. (Please note our monthly booklists are not part of our Book Selection Framework applied to programme content and our selection has been supported with external librarian readers).

News

Book clubs – Get Ready to Connect! How to make the most from the site

The Book Club Hub, formerly known as Reading Groups for Everyone, is packed with amazing features to keep you and your fellow readers connected — not just within your club, but with the entire Book Club Hub community. Find out how to have members join your online book club.

Resources

Read to the Beat Collection - Book Information

The Reading Agency and public libraries are working to change this with the Summer Reading Challenge – a FREE, UK-wide programme. Last year, over 575,000 children took part with nearly 12 million books being read. Sing from the rooftops! We’re so thrilled that the theme for the Summer Reading Challenge 2026 will be music. Our exciting partnership with Universal Music Group UK will open doors for children to explore the creative power of reading and music. The link between music and...

News

Meet the Nibbies' BBC Radio 2 Book Club Award judges

Meet the judges who will be selecting the book to win the new BBC Radio 2 Book Club Award at The British Book Awards (aka Nibbies) 2026!

View our other programmes