July 18, 2025
On the very hot afternoon of Thursday 10th July in the splendour of the Royal Society in Central London, we celebrated the 2025 What Kids Are Reading report and 10th Quiz Writers’ Choice Awards.
A full recording of the event can be found here and at the bottom of this post.
The event opened with a conversation between the author of all 17 editions of the What Kids Are Reading report, Professor Keith Topping, and Director of Education at Renaissance, Crispin Chatterton, discussing the key findings of the 2025 report. Of particular interest was the overall rise in the comprehension levels of both primary and secondary students compared to previous years, along with the additional research from the National Literacy Trust, which found that Accelerated Reader (AR) users – especially boys and those in receipt of Free School Meals – are more likely to enjoy reading than those who do not use AR.
We then heard from Ben McGarry, Trust Strategic Lead for Primary English at Outwood Grange Academies Trust, on how Accelerated Reader is supporting their pupils’ reading journey. In particular, he spoke about ‘non-negotiable texts’ and how the staff use data from AR and Star Reading. You can read more about the trust’s love for Accelerated Reader here.
Next up was an animated panel discussion chaired by Crispin and featuring educator and author, Matt Beighton, who penned this special article for us recently on boosting writing skills in the classroom, and Sunday Times bestselling children’s author, Dan Freedman, who wrote this piece on how football can motivate reluctant readers. Unfortunately, our third panellist was unable to attend on the day, but Prof. Topping stepped in at the last minute, and we were grateful for his insights and experience.
Some of the key takeaways from the discussion related to the importance of encouraging children, particularly struggling or reluctant readers, to engage with written materials on topics that most interest them. This can help to build both confidence and enthusiasm for reading so that they go on to discover a diverse mix of authors and genres over time. There was also consensus around the importance of librarians and how staff and students alike should befriend their school or local librarian who can help navigate the brightest and best children’s books for information and enjoyment. Crispin also flagged the Top 100 book lists – available for the first time alongside the What kids Are Reading report – as a great resource if looking for inspiration. Former school librarians and AR experts Kate Barton and Katrina Piggott explain more in this video on how to navigate the report.
Attention then turned to what, for many, was the main event – announcing the winners of the Quiz Writers’ Choice Awards. The is the 10th year of the awards – and in all that time the way in which the nominees and winners are chosen has not changed, although more categories have been added. Each year, the Renaissance Content Team who write and edit the Accelerated Reader quizzes, consume hundreds of children’s books. In fact, throughout the last school year, they collectively wrote over 10,000 questions for quizzes on 1,250 books, worth over 5,000 points to the students to earn on the successful completion of those quizzes. This really gives them a unique take on the books available.
Throughout the school year, they make notes on the fiction and non-fiction titles that move and stand out to them – perhaps making them laugh, cry or think differently – building a list of nominees unlike any other book awards. Like the videos they recorded specially for the event and the blogs they write and posts they produce and share throughout the year – including Book of the Week and Featured Non-Fiction, which you can follow on our dedicated @AccReader socials – all of this is in addition to their main job of quiz production, for which we are all very grateful!
Winner for Best Primary Fiction
- Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer by Jeffrey Boakye and published by Faber and Faber
- Middle Years, ATOS Book Level 5.3
Winner for Best Secondary Fiction
- Boy Like Me by Simon James Green and published by Scholastic
- Upper Years, ATOS Book Level 4.9
Winner for Best Primary Non-Fiction
- Lands of Belonging by Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhatt, illustrated by Salini Perera and published by Nosy Crow
- Middle Years, ATOS Book Level 7.8
Winner for Best Secondary Non-Fiction
- Welcome to St. Hell by Lewis Hancox and published by Scholastic
- Upper Years, ATOS Book Level 3.1
Winner for Best Debut
- Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star by Laura Noakes, illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books
- Middle Years, ATOS Book Level 6.3
Winner for Best Series
- Bizarre Behaviour by Shalini Vallepur and published by BookLife
- In Ancient Rome Middle Years, ATOS Book Level 4.5
Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners!
Remember, if you haven’t yet seen the 2025 What Kids Are Reading report and all of the amazing bonus material, including a poster of the contest-winning student artwork, you can access it all at: www.whatkidsarereading.co.uk