Library Service on the Right Track for World Book Night

Trains and railway journeys have a long history in literature – whether in Thomas the Tank Engine, The Railway Children or Murder on the Orient Express. Now Rochdale Borough Libraries are taking to the tracks in a bid to help improve the literacy and kick-start a love of reading in residents and commuters on World Book Night.

The library service has been successful in its bid to receive free books to hand out on 23 April and, thanks to Northern Rail, will be giving the gift of words to and brightening up the journey of commuters from Mills Hill, in Middleton, to Todmorden.

Titles to be given away this year include Roald Dahl’s A Collection of Short Stories, The Recruit (Cherub) by Robert Muchamore, Four Warned by Jeffrey Archer, Hello Mum by Bernardine Evaristo, The Perfect Murder by Peter James and Today everything changes by Andy McNabb.

Councillor Peter Williams said: “This is the third year we have teamed up with Northern Rail on World Book Night and we hope to get a fantastic response from all the passengers. Many adults never read for pleasure and hopefully we will inspire the commuters to pick up a paperback to help while away their journey.”

World Book Night is an annual celebration of reading and books which takes place on 23 April and is run by The Reading Agency. It sees passionate volunteers give hundreds of thousands of books away in their communities to share their love of reading with people who, for whatever reason, don’t read for pleasure or own books.

In the UK 35 per cent of people do not regularly read so World Book Night is about giving books and encouraging those who have lost the love of reading, or are yet to gain it, to pick up a book and read.