This year we will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5th March with our annual ‘drop everything and listen’ (DEAL) on the day, the launch of this year’s GGS Reading Challenge 2026, ‘Match the Blurb to the Book (and Teacher)’ and ‘Finders Keepers’. In addition, check out a host of fantastic resources and competitions available from the official World Book Day organisers!
World Book Day 2026 – Match the Blurb to the Book
Pick up a free book. Yes, a free book!
We have 50 copies of each World Book Day title for independent readers this year to give away for free to the first lucky students who request it in the library at break or lunch-time. Or email Ms Brown at mbrown@georgegreens.com stating your full name, form class and title choice.
Book tokens
Pick up a book token from Ms Brown in the library to exchange for any of this year’s short yet powerful reads for FREE or get £1 off any book or audiobook of your choice. Our local booksellers are: ASDA Crossharbour or Waterstones in Canary Wharf or Greenwich. You have until Sunday 31 March 2024 to redeem. You can also download a digital token here.
FREE audiobooks
Head to World Book Day’s World of Stories where you can enjoy free full-length audiobooks for a limited time.
Go All In on your creativity in the Design a National Book Token competition 2026!
To celebrate World Book Day and the UK’s National Year of Reading 2026, this year’s theme, Go All In, is all about diving deeper into the things you already love through reading. Young designers are encouraged to create a bold, eye-catching gift card for the chance to win hundreds of pounds and euros of National Book Tokens for their school. And there are National Book Tokens galore to be won too (up to £350 for the school and £100 for yourself; just imagine all those beautiful new books for the LRC).
All entries should be produced on A4 paper using a specific entry form. The closing date for entries is Friday 27th March 2024. Find out more here or ask Ms Brown in the LRC for an entry form; we will send it off for you. Here are last year’s overall winning entries in each category (up to 8 years, 9-12 years and 13-16 years) below:
The Judges:
Sonia Leong is a comic book and manga artist, and author of popular drawing guides, including Draw Manga: Complete Skills and Beginning Manga. Her award-winning debut graphic novel was Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. She’s worked on Doctor Who, Assassin’s Creed, Domo-kun and Bravest Warriors, amongst many others. She also illustrates for children’s books, fashion, advertising, film and television, appearing on CBBC’s Britain’s Best Young Artist as a judge. In 2025, she designed the exclusive Manga Heroes gift card for National Book Tokens; packed with dynamic energy and irresistible characters, it’s the perfect gift for manga fans everywhere!
Nadia Shireen is an Official Ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2026. She has won awards for her picture books, including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf and Barbara Throws a Wobbler, which has been described as a ‘little doorway of joy’ by Caitlin Moran. She’s also won the Branford Boase award and been shortlisted for lots of awards including Oscar’s Book Prize, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Lollies, The Week Junior Book Awards and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards. Grimwood is her first series for older readers, and also features on a brilliantly bonkers National Book Tokens gift card! The latest book in the series, Grimwood: Rock the Vote! is out in paperback this February.