Liverpool Reads

On Thursday 6th March, World Book Day, Liverpool will launch its fourth annual reading adventure! Author Mal Peet will be in the city to celebrate the distribution of thousands of books across Liverpool – 10,000 copies of Keeper, a novel about a poor South American logger's son who learns to become a World Cup-winning goalkeeper so good he is almost unbeatable, and 3,000 copies of Tamar, which is about the Dutch resistance in the Second World War – secrets, lies, love and espionage.

Liverpool Reads is a city-wide reading adventure where each year, books are distributed for free across the city and a programme of outreach activity, author events, reading groups and much more, is coordinated to accompany the big read. This year, the initiative is being jointly sponsored for the first time by Cobalt Housing and Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT).

2008 is the National Year of Reading as well as Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture and author Mal Peet is proud to be in the city for its celebrations:

“Books are free travel passes for journeys through space and time, and it’s a brilliant, radical idea on the part of Liverpool Reads to distribute them to the people of Liverpool. And I feel hugely honoured that in 2008, the National Year of Reading and the year in which Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture, my books have been chosen as the City Reads. All it will take now for my happiness to be complete is either Liverpool or Everton winning the Premiership and the Cup. (One each would do!)”

Pick up a free copy of Keeper from your local library – just take one of the coupons printed in Liverpool Echo on the 6th, 7th, and 8th March along to participating Liverpool libraries. Please see www.liverpoolreads.com or call 0151 794 2291 for a list of participating libraries. The launch will take place at Central Library at 6pm on Thursday 6th March – please note, tickets are now sold out.