Diary Note: World Book Day, Thursday 5 March 2009

 Reading is one of life’s great pleasures and for more than a decade millions of readers, young and old, have shared the thrill of a good read on World Book Day – 2009 promises to be no different!

 Sometimes reading can be even more fun if it is a guilty pleasure rather than a virtuous one.  This year World Book Day will be finding out which books people really delight in and what are the nation’s guilty reading habits.  Are the books we secretly love different to the ones we talk about to impress?  Do we ever turn to the back of the book to find out what happens before we have finished?  A survey online at www.spread-the-word.org.uk/guilty-secrets/ will find out during the next month, before the nation’s secrets are revealed on World Book Day.

 Brand new for 2009 are World Book Day £1 Books flipbooks which combine two books by two different authors in one book, offering more stories for each child to enjoy when they redeem their free World Book Day £1 Book Token.  There are five flip books, suitable for all ages and one stand-alone picture book for early years.  A sixth flip book will be published specially for Ireland with one story in Irish and one in English.  The World Book Day £1 books include new stories by Joseph Delaney, Andy Stanton and Julia Donaldson.

 Adults are also asked to remember the joy of reading on World Book Day.  2009 sees the return of Spread the Word, an initiative encouraging people everywhere to talk about the books they have enjoyed reading.  Booklovers will be encouraged to discover unfamiliar gems and spread the word about hidden treasures that they’ve read, as the nation embarks on a search to find The Book to Talk About in 2009.  The ten shortlisted books were announced on 30 January and the public can now vote for the winner at www.spread-the-word.org.uk. The winner will be announced on World Book Day.

 For the fourth year running, there is a new series of ten Quick Reads published on World Book Day, which this year includes non-fiction titles.  This innovative and popular range of short and accessible books is aimed at the millions of people who just don’t have time to read or who struggle to finish a book. This year’s Quick Reads include titles by some of Britain’s most popular and engaging personalities, including Sherrie Hewson, Ian Rankin and Kate Mosse, as well as a new adventure featuring television favourite Doctor Who.

 World Book Day initiatives which focus on encouraging children to take up reading include: 

– Over 13 million £1 World Book Day Book Tokens will be distributed to school children across the country, thanks to National Book Tokens, principal sponsor of World Book Day  2009, and to participating booksellers who redeem the tokens at their own expense.
– Schools will also be sent a Schools’ Pack to help them celebrate World Book Day and lesson plans will also be available online: www.worldbookday.com
– The winners of World Book Day’s Evans short story competition for school children will be published in a new anthology on 5 March
(visit www.evansbooks.com for details)

 On the eve of World Book Day, 4 March, Booktrust will also announce the winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards and name the Blue Peter Book of the Year. Judges and Blue Peter viewers will choose the best books in three categories, Book I couldn’t Put Down, Best Book with Facts and Most Fun Story with Pictures, plus the Blue Peter Book of the Year.

 Hundreds of book events take place up and down the country to celebrate World Book Day. Visit www.worldbookday.com to find an event near you.