đ° Adult Literacy News Summary
From print to playlists: Can listening bring people back to books?
28-Jan-2026 - USA
On a recent evening in New York, a popular streamer read aloud from a novel to tens of thousands of live viewers. Around the same time in Delhi, commuters tuned into audiobooks amidst traffic. In Europe, audiobook revenue is rising sharply, and publishers are increasingly treating audio formats as core to their strategy. These scenes may look disconnected, but together they suggest a global shift in how people encounter stories.
Read more"Donât google the Beckhams!": How to read more, according to Britainâs top authors
28-Jan-2026 - UK
In a world where screen time dominates a dwindling attention economy, readers are in serious danger of becoming a dying breed. Recreational reading among children and teenagers in the UK has fallen to its lowest point in two decades, with just one-third of eight- to 18-year-olds saying they enjoy reading in their free time â a 36 per cent decline since 2005. Adults are not much better: only around half of us regularly pick up a book, and even fewer parents like to read to their young kids.
Read moreBernardine Evaristo renews call to diversify school curriculum in England
27-Jan-2026 - UK
Author says pace of change in GCSE English literature texts is too slow and tide is turning against inclusion. The Booker prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo has called for renewed efforts to diversify the school curriculum in England, warning that young people are growing up in a society where âdoors are closingâ and the tide is turning against inclusion.
Read moreChichester goes âAll Inâ for reading, as city joins 2026 National Year of Reading
26-Jan-2026 - UK
Chichesterâs Year of Reading is led by charity Childrenâs BookFest alongside partners Chichester Festival Theatre and Chichester BID. The campaign aims to bring together the work that many organisations already deliver, creating a joined-up programme of activity through 2026 that supports reading for pleasure, storytelling, literacy confidence and community connection.
Read moreBrownhills singing group hits high note for literacy
26-Jan-2026 - UK
A local community singing group that rose from the ashes of a disbanded choir is proving that friendship and music can change lives. âSinging, Cos We Like Itâ has announced a major donation of childrenâs books and concert proceeds to the Rotary Books4Home initiative, timed to celebrate the National Year of Reading
Read moreSuccess for learners at the Bury Adult Learning Service
26-Jan-2026 - UK
According to the latest figures, 86 per cent of those who completed their learning journey with Bury Adult Learning Service last year declared they had either gone into further education or work. The service, which reached 1,210 learners in the past year, offers a range of daytime and evening courses including English, maths, ESOL, IT and digital skills, and employability training.
Read moreQueen Camilla's reading charity launches major study on how book clubs affect the brain
23-Jan-2026 - UK
The Queen's organisation, which stems from her lifelong love of books, is set to look at the physiological and psychological effects of communal reading. The laboratory-controlled investigation, led by Professor Sam Wass at the University of East London and in partnership with The Bentley Foundation, will look at how the experience of reading in small books transforms lives. The study will build on research conducted by the charity in 2024, which revealed that as little as five minutes of reading fiction can reduce stress by nearly 20 per cent.
Read moreIs listening to an audiobook as good as reading?
21-Jan-2026 - UK
Audiobooks have boomed in popularity in recent years â the revenue they generated for UK publishers rose by almost a third in 2023-24 â becoming an increasingly central part of the industry. But do they truly count as âproperâ reading? Is listening to a book while doing the dishes, walking the dog or drifting off to sleep really as valuable as sitting down to read it?
Read moreDevon literacy support group calls out for more volunteers
21-Jan-2026 - UK
Read Easy North, East & West Devon, which provides free one-to-one reading coaching for adults, is seeking more volunteers and support to expand its services countywide.Joanna Clarke, fundraiser at Read Easy North, East & West Devon (Read Easy NEW Devon), said costs and demand remain high, with reading coaches currently supporting about 50 adults.
Read more"Peace" and "six-seven" are children's words of 2025
21-Jan-2026 - UK
Children across the UK have voted for "peace" as their Oxford Children's Word of the Year for 2025. More than a third (35%) of the 5,000 children polled by Oxford University Press (OUP) chose it as their word for last year. "Artificial intelligence" came runner-up in the poll for the second year in a row, and was chosen by 33% of children surveyed. The viral "six-seven" trend was "overwhelmingly" chosen as the favourite slang term of the year.
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