Book review: Penny Dreadful cooks up a calamity

Review submitted by Elizabeth, Year 6

It was the best book ever. I enjoyed it because it was funny. A bit of drama and sad. It was a competition to win a panda. I think everyone should read this.

Latest

April 2024

With things finally starting to feel a bit more spring-like outside and Earth Day being celebrated on 22nd April, this month we've chosen a #BrilliantBeanstalkBook of the month which we hope will help children understand the importance of protecting our planet and some of the issues faced by climate change. Read more about 'The Last Bear' by Hannah Gold here...
Win books for your nominated school library!

Coram Beanstalk, The Alligator's Mouth Book Shop and The Bright Agency are once again offering schools the opportunity to win a set of the ten books longlisted for The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2024, which champions both authors and illustrators of highly illustrated children’s fiction. Nominate a UK-based school to win a set of the ten longlisted books for their school library here...
6 ways graphic novels encourage reading for pleasure

Our friends at Parrot Street Book Club generously give us a 50p donation for every book they ship to their subscribers. Here, Emily Bright and Sarah Campbell, founders of the book subscription service for children, have written about the 6 ways in which graphic novels can encourage reading for pleasure!
Celebrating the success of our Reading Leaders programme

Having delivered over 40 of our Reading Leaders courses in secondary schools across the country since September, we're delighted to be receiving so much positive feedback and have even appeared in a recent Ofsted report. Read more here...

Apply to become a volunteer with us

Ready to take the first step to becoming a reading helper? Check that you can meet some basic practicalities and fill in our application form here.
Frequently asked questions

You may have some questions in your mind before you fill in your application form. Here are answers to our most commonly asked questions. If your question isn't answered here you can find out how to get in touch with our team.
The benefits of being a reading helper

We know from our volunteers that being a reading helper brings purpose and enjoyment into their lives. Find out more about the benefits of being part of our reading community here.
Our approach

Find out more about how we work and our approach to reading support.
Thank you for applying to be a Coram Beanstalk reading helper
Literacy charities join forces

On 1st November 2017 Reading Matters merged with the national children’s literacy charity Beanstalk.
Current vacancies

Click here to view our current vacancies.
Volunteer agreement

Find out more about how we will do the best we can to make your volunteer experience with us enjoyable and rewarding.
How we train and support our volunteers

Find out how we help our volunteers to become confident in delivering the Coram Beanstalk approach and feel connected, and supported, within our reading community.
Story Starters training

Our early years programme offers a unique approach to equipping adults in your setting to help children develop all six crucial pre-reading skills plus the communication, concentration and confidence they need to ‘catch the reading bug’. Read more about how our unique programme Story Starters can help you ensure that children start their primary education ready to be taught to read.