Choose from over 25 online events to add a sprinkle of author magic to your World Book Day® celebrations. From fairy tales with a twist to myth-inspired fantasy and graphic novels, there is an event to cater for a wide range of reading interests with plenty of opportunities for young writers to pick up some top tips to support their own writing.

Monday 2nd March

• British Library: Kick off your World Book Day Week with a journey through food-related global tales with Michael Rosen, Sandra A. Agard, Emily Hanna-Grazebrook and Allen Fatimaharan. This interactive session will include animated storytelling, draw-alongs and creative prompts to encourage pupils to write their own food-inspired tales. Submit photos of pupils’ mini books for the chance to win book tokens and a personal response from Michael Rosen.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 7-11.
• Authors Live: Margaret MacDonald, author of Glasgow Boys, talks about her experience of shielding during the Covid Pandemic and her inspiration for the story of Finlay and Banjo as she shares her journey from a writer of fan fiction to multi-award winning author in this pre-recorded event released in the week of 2nd March.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 13-16.
• Mr Dilly Meets: Explore the power of music to soothe, energise and help us understand the whole ‘rainbow of feelings’ with Corinne Bailey Rae, author of Put Your Records On in this on-demand schools stream available to view for the whole of World Book Day Week.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 6-9.
• Mr Dilly Meets: Join award-winning author (and real-life postman) Ben Davis and illustrator Yasmin Sheikh to celebrate their brand-new illustrated series Postman Planet. Pick up top comedy-writing tips and learn how Yasmin brings character to life in this on-demand schools stream available to view for the whole of World Book Day Week.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 6-9.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Celebrate 15 funny years of Tom Gates with creator Liz Pichon at an event filled with doodles, stories and a World Book Day twist.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Author/illustrator duo Catherine Jacob and Lucy Fleming share their latest picture book Betsy Buglove and the Lucky Ladybirds in a story time and draw-along event with a focus on the environment.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 2+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Philip Reeves celebrates the 25th anniversary of his fantasy classic Mortal Engines and introduces his brand-new prequel Bridge of Storms in this live Q&A session.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Join author James Fox, author of The Boy in the Suit, as he introduces his latest title Boy vs Reality, a funny, sensitive story about online fame, family issues and the importance of enjoying the everyday moments of life.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+.

Tuesday 3rd March

• Shadowers’ Choice Winners Webinar: Hear from three Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Winners in this live webinar with the opportunity to ask live questions of the authors. Nathanael Lessore (King of Nothing), Theo Parish (Homebody) and Tia Fisher (Crossing the Line) will explore the impact of shadowing, the power of storytelling and the impact of AI on creativity. A recording of the live event will be available. Register to be sent the link.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 11+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Enter a secret world where Japanese legends come to life as author William Yamaguchi Dobson introduces his debut middle-grade fantasy Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Get ready for a fairytale with a twist as author Ella McLeod and illustrator Rochelle Falconer introduce young readers to Goldilocs in an interactive storytelling session and themed draw-along that encourages young readers to celebrate what makes them unique.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 3+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Join author Michelle Robinson and illustrator Tom Knight for a lively, rhyming storytime and draw-along as they share their laugh-out-loud picture book When Fish Finger Froze.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 3+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Nora Nightsky is a star – literally. But, unlike her dazzling family, Nora doesn’t like sprinkling magic down to Earth to grant human wishes. Author Rebecca Lewis-Oakes introduces her new illustrated fiction series about a rebellious star who comes down to Earth to cause trouble.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 6+.

Wednesday 4th March

• Scholastic Book Club Live: Explore some of the wildest jobs in the world with wildlife expert and eco-journalist Sarah Roberts as she  introduces her new book Wild Apprentice and talks about her own work protecting animals all over the globe.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 7+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Ten tiny squirrels, sitting in a line. One ran away and then there were… Join author Kael Tudor for some chaotic counting fun as he reads from his new laugh-out loud picture book Ten Tiny Squirrels.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 2+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Dive into Meddy G’s secret diary with author Bethany Walker as she introduces her hilarious new illustrated novel Medusa Gorgon’s Bad Hair Day. Explore the Greek myth that inspired the story and get top writing tips to help students plan their own myth-inspired tales.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 8+.

Thursday 5th March

• World Book Day®/BBC Teach: Vick Hope and Joel M host a special World Book Day Live Lesson to celebrate the joy of reading for pleasure and encourage pupils to discover books they love.
  •  Free.
  • Suitable for ages 7-11.
• World Book Day®/National Literacy Trust: Are you ready for the The Great Big Footy & Booky Quiz 2026? Go All in Together with this online, interactive quiz featuring two rounds of football and book-themed questions. The quiz will be hosted by a special National Year of Reading ambassador with contributions from footballing heroes and writers and there are free supporting resources available to download from the Premier League website.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 8-12.
• World Book Day®/Waterstones Virtual School Visit: Award-winning author Nathanael Lessore introduces his World Book Day book for teens, Against All Odds and explores ideas, inspiration, dreaming big and some top writing techniques.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 10+
• The Children’s Bookshow: Marta Altés leads an interactive storytelling and draw-along session based on her internationally-acclaimed picture books. Find out more about the creative process of an award-winning author and illustrator with the chance for pupils to ask their own questions.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 6-9.
• The Children’s Bookshow: Celebrate World Book Day with acclaimed writer and poet Kwame Alexander, author of The Crossover, Booked and The Undefeated, as he talks about his reading and writing journey and takes questions from pupils.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 8-11.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater, creators of The Flower Thief, lead a laugh-out-loud storytime and super silly draw-along to celebrate spring with Squirrel and Bird.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 3+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Learn about the building blocks of a murder mystery story and help solve a mystery of your own with best-selling author Emily Hourican, as she introduces her new middle grade book Murder at the Ivy Hotel.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Find out how a book is made with this introduction to the publishing process. From editorial and design to production and marketing, meet some of the people involved in turning an author’s idea into a printed book in the class library with the opportunity to ask all your book-related questions.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 8+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Meet Demise, aka Bone Head, a skeleton guardian of the underworld determined to impress his bog boss, Hades. Join Bone Head creator Jamie Gregory for a high-energy event with live drawing and an exclusive introduction to this new graphic novel.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+.

Friday 6th March

• Scholastic Book Club Live:  Adopted brothers Dribble the snail and Dash the firefly are back for another action-packed adventure in The Curse of the Captain Slugbeard, the latest title in the Beastie Bros series. Join author-illustrator David O’Connell for some step-by-step draw-alongs and lots of tips and ideas to help pupils create their own story.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 6+.
• ScholasticBook Club Live: Award-winning illustrator David Litchfield reads his new picture book edition of the classic story The Velveteen Rabbit.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 2+.
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Round off World Book Day week with some fun games, laugh-out-loud stories and live drawings. Join bestselling author/illustrator and brother/sister duo Stephen Mangan and Anita Mangan for a wild adventure through space in The Fart that Saved the Universe and get a sneak peek at their new collection of short stories Welcome to Weird Street.
  • Free with registration.
  • Suitable for ages 9+.

If none of the scheduled events are what you are looking for, Authors Live and Hay Festival have libraries of recorded events and author interviews that you can access for free.

Find more resources to help you celebrate books and reading on the World Book Day entry on our Literacy Year calendar.

Happy World Book Day 2026!