Manchester Book Award: Groups

Reading groups

The reading groups decide which of the twenty-four books in the longlist go through to be one of the six finalists. Find out what they’re doing and how they work.

A reading group is a group of people getting together to talk about books. Most of the reading groups taking part meet weekly, or fortnightly, in schools and libraries across Manchester. Activites, food and drink are usually involved.

It is the reading groups who decide which books go through to the final six. Young people have their say and adults are not allowed to vote. This makes the Manchester Book Award special.

Be a part of the process – join a reading group today! Check out the list below to see if your school or local library is involved, then contact your reading group leader to find out more. Meet new people, read new books, talk about them and decide which are the best. It’s loads of fun!

There is no right way to talk about a book. Everyone’s opinions matter. Reading groups can be a spur to read more widely, try out new authors, and can lead you to books that you wouldn’t consider to be your kind of thing.

Get more ideas about activities for your reading group.

We’re hoping the whole of Manchester will become a community of readers, reading and discussing the books that the city loves best.