Hi - my name is Sarah Tyson. Since June 2020 (in the pandemic) I have been sending FREE books to children aged 2-17 years in the UK.

Children receive a book, which they get to keep in return for emailing me their honest review of the book, which I publish on the BooksUpNorth.com blog. The archive now consists of approximately 1400 book reviews written by children for children.

Kids Book Reviews is a voluntary project designed to promote reading for pleasure. It encourages young readers to discover new books and authors, to develop their confidence as readers. It empowers them and nurtures their 'voices' as they take pride in seeing their feedback shared on the Internet. The reviews also inspire their less enthusiastic peers to find a book that they may enjoy reading too. The archive is a respected resource of authentic children's opinions about books that have been written and published for them.

Free books are received by me from a wide range of children's publishers, who have supported this grassroots initiative since its inception. Without their generosity this project would not be viable. However, the increased cost of postage threatens the sustainability of a project, which I would very much like to continue. In 2023 I posted 417 books to children and in 2024 that figure increased to 472 books. The cost to post a small parcel via Royal Mail is now £3.25. The popularity of this project and demand is increasing, perhaps because of the concerns about the falling literacy levels in children and reports by the National Literacy Trust of the decline in the number of children who choose to read in their free time.

I would be grateful to anyone who values children's literacy and is in the position to make a donation to support me so I can continue to post free books to children. Your generosity will help this project to remain inclusive and an opportunity for ALL families to participate in, irrespective of their financial circumstances.

Thank you for your consideration and support.