Easy World Book Day Activities for Secondary Schools that Support Belonging
We’re celebrating World Book Day in Secondaries with books that support pupils’ sense of belonging. To do this we’ve picked out some great book recommendations, and pulled together some of our favourite Reading for Pleasure activities – all of which can be set up in under 2 minutes!
Plus, scroll down and find out downloadable extract from ‘The Black Flamingo’ to use as a special guided reading session that encourages pupils to build empathy.
Why World Book Day is Important in Classrooms Today
The stats don’t lie, we know that reading dramatically increases pupil’s academic achievements as well as their emotional wellbeing and relationships. Reading for pleasure is on the decline and World Book Day provides a perfect opportunity to start a conversation about reading, so that even the most reluctant of readers can get back into stories.
We know one day of lovely celebrations and fancy dress can’t fix it all, but it can get the ball rolling (and the pages turning!).
5 Powerful Books that Support Belonging in Secondary Schools
Fight back by A. M. Dassu
Age range: 11-13
Theme: Identity, resilience, unity
Crossing by Manjeet Mann
Age range: 13+
Theme: Identity, resilience, unity
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Age range: 13+
Theme: Coming of age, representation and being true to yourself
Girl, Ultra Processed by Amara Sage
Age range: 13+
Theme: Body image, unpicking diet culture, self-esteem
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Age range: 13+
Themes: Religion and homophobia, authentic story, romance
Reading for Pleasure and Guided Reading Activities
Download our specially created Reading for Pleasure and Guided Reading doc for World Book Day. Easy to use, no printing required!
About The Story Project
An award-winning social enterprise using the magic of stories to improve children’s wellbeing and literacy in schools. Led by high-quality, popular books and rooted in the latest research, we have remarkable impact from Nursery to Year 8 with our fully resourced curriculums created by teachers that are aligned with the National Curriculum RSHE guidance (July 2025)
