Readers to Writers is run every two years, in alternate years to Book Award.

Readers to Writers is a creative writing project for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin primary schools. Drawing on the unique skills, experience and insight of children’s authors, who deliver special writing workshops to each class taking part, the project focuses on helping teachers support children in the classroom with their creative writing skills.  By the end of the project, every pupil will have written their very own book!  Everyone is encouraged to enter their book into a Shropshire-wide creative writing competition.

Follow the link to read more about our most recent Readers to Writers project: Readers to Writers 2025

And to get in touch with the Bookfest team to find out how to get involved in Readers to Writers 2027, please click here.

Researchers from The University of Worcester spent 10 months working alongside primary schools in Shropshire as they took part in this project in 2023.  One of the key findings from this study was “levels of engagement with the writing process increased and pupils were more likely to choose to write for pleasure than prior to their participation in the project.”

The full report can be accessed here.

Bookfest was invited to join The Teacher Squad Podcast in March 2024 to showcase the Readers to Writers project and the research study by the University of Worcester.

Together with Suzanne Horton from the University of Worcester, Bookfest discusses the outcomes of the research study by the university into the impact of the Readers to Writers project and how it has left an ongoing positive legacy for all participants.

You can listen here – the piece starts at 12:20.

Readers to Writers 2027 Timeline:

September – October 2026:

Primary schools across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin are invited to book onto the project.

12 November 2026:

A full day’s conference and CPD training day at The Trinity Centre, Shrewsbury for all the teachers who have booked onto the project.

December 2026:

Each class taking part in the Readers to Writers project will be linked up with a children’s author as a writing mentor.

Books by the author-mentors and teacher support materials will be delivered into schools (a book for EVERY pupil), together with details about their linked author and the creative writing workshop they will deliver in their classroom after Christmas.

January 2027:  

Readers to Writers 2027 begins…

Teachers and children will begin to prepare for their author workshops and start honing their creative writing skills using the Project Resource Centre information on our website.

25 – 29 January 2027:

Author Workshops in Schools

An exciting week when all the authors will visit their linked schools to deliver bespoke creative writing workshops and launch children on their journeys to write their very own books.

Spring 2027:

Writing underway!

Hopefully pupils will be buzzing with ideas and inspiration following their creative writing workshops!  They will have the rest of the Spring Term to write their own stories.  And they’ll have complete free rein to write about anything they choose, in any genre and to illustrate and design their books to look like something they might find in their local library or bookshop shelf.  At the end of term, we’ll invite everyone to send their finished books to the Bookfest Reading Panel.

Summer 2027: 

Publishing & Prizes

The Bookfest Reading Panel will read EVERY PUPIL’s book! For each class that takes part in the project, they will award a prize for the book that wows them the most, and there will also be prizes for a pupil from each class who is highly commended by their teacher. There will be special prizes for the books in each year group that have the biggest impact on the Reading Panel overall (Reception to Year 6). Each of these will be published on our website.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 2025 PRIZEWINNERS…