A milestone moment – celebrating 2 million copies of The Story Corner!
This month we’re thrilled to be celebrating a brilliant milestone – we’ve now printed and distributed over two million copies of The Story Corner magazine since distribution began in November 2020.
Our magazine reaches children in schools, homes and communities across the UK, helping children discover the comfort and confidence that reading for pleasure brings. Every edition is packed with stories, activities and competitions designed to help children build positive relationships with reading – on their own terms.
Reaching this milestone overall marks a key step towards achieving our 2024 – 27 strategic aim for The Story Corner – distributing two million copies to schools, homes and community settings over the three years. With 1.13 million copies already distributed to date at the halfway mark, we’re well on our way to getting The Story Corner into the hands of the children who need it the most.
This milestone isn’t just a number – it represents millions of reading moments across classrooms, homes and community spaces, each one helping to build a culture where reading belongs to everyone.
How The Story Corner nurtures whole-school reading cultures
In schools, The Story Corner plays a powerful role in supporting reading for pleasure and strengthening whole-school reading cultures.
Each issue is filled with high-quality, diverse reading materials designed to help children feel that reading is for them. Representation matters deeply and recent editions have included authors and stories that help children see themselves – and others – within books. This focus on representation is a key principle of reading for pleasure: giving children the choice to read something relevant to them.
Teachers tell us that the magazine is well pitched and accessible – supporting children with a wide range of reading abilities, ensuring that lower-attaining readers can still engage meaningfully. By removing barriers, The Story Corner helps reading feel inclusive rather than intimidating.
Stories sit alongside competitions, creative writing games, word puzzles and graphic-novel-style content – formats known to build engagement with reading. Delivered three times a year in time for the school holidays, The Story Corner keeps reading alive beyond the classroom.
The Story Corner is visible and shared across schools, developing whole-school reading cultures. Shared competitions, Kahoot quizzes and class‑home tasks create collective reading moments, helping schools grow communities of readers.
The Story Corner at home: helping families read together
The Story Corner continues its journey with children at home, shaping and sustaining reading habits.
For some families, The Story Corner is their only form of book ownership – with one in ten children aged five to eight in the UK not having a book at home (National Literacy Trust, 2025). Each issue includes activities created specifically for home use, from puzzles to creative tasks that parents and carers can enjoy alongside children. These shared activities help families feel more confident supporting children’s reading, especially where adults may feel unsure about how to help, making reading together feel natural and achievable.
Linked online Kahoot quizzes and the regular drawing competitions are collaborative elements that turn reading into a positive, shared family experience.
Culturally inclusive stories help families see themselves reflected in the content, building motivation to read at home.
How The Story Corner supports community reading cultures
We also distribute The Story Corner in community settings across the UK – including food banks, refugee shelters, prisons, children’s hospitals and family charities. By placing reading materials in these locations, we help ensure that children experiencing hardship still have access to stories – supporting their wellbeing during challenging times.
Seeing The Story Corner in community settings helps embed reading into everyday life. It makes reading visible and normal, supporting children to engage with stories in a relaxed, unpressed way.
How content is chosen: insights from Karen Royle-Cross
Behind every edition of The Story Corner is careful curation – led by Karen Royle‑Cross, Programme Development Officer, who oversees the magazine.
Karen works closely with publishers, contacting them ahead of each issue to invite contributions from recent or upcoming books. These contributions include book extracts, author Q&As, forewords or linked activities.
Once materials are received, the team reviews everything together, placing children at the centre of every decision and carefully balancing quality, accessibility and appeal for children aged five to 11.
“We want every issue to feel cohesive, exciting and meaningful,” Karen explains.
“The Story Corner has become more than a magazine. We hear from teachers about the anticipation when children know the magazine is due to arrive - the excitement of having their own copy, the pride in taking it home and the shared experience of reading the same material as their peers. There is real joy in seeing themselves reflected on the cover and within the stories.
One message that really stayed with me came from a community setting after an issue featuring a child in a wheelchair on the cover. They took the time to email to explain how meaningful that representation was - not only for disabled children recognising themselves, but also for its quiet inclusion alongside other characters.
Teachers value the magazine because it is practical, purposeful and robust. The stories and activities are high quality, and the magazine itself is printed to withstand classroom use and the journey home. Families tell us how important it is that their child has something of their own, and how the interactive elements make reading feel enjoyable rather than like a chore.”
Looking ahead: what’s next for The Story Corner?
We’re excited to continue to deepen the magazine’s impact – through expanding partnerships with publishers and authors, developing digital companions such as interactive Kahoot quizzes, and strengthening links with libraries, community organisations and family engagement programmes.
As The Story Corner continues to grow, so does its role in shaping reading cultures – ensuring that every child, wherever they are, can discover the joy of reading.
Discover The Story Corner
Read and download previous editions of The Story Corner – full of engaging stories, reading games and puzzles designed to spark the joy of reading
