About

Our ambassadors

Meet the voices bringing the National Year of Reading to life.
Our ambassadors are going all in this year, inspiring the nation to rediscover the joy of reading.

  • Adam Kay

    Adam Kay is a former doctor who has written five million books and sold seven copies. No, hang on – he’s written seven books and sold five million copies. His debut book, This is Going to Hurt, is a literary sensation: a Sunday Times number one bestseller for over a year, winning a record-breaking four National Book Awards and selling over 3 million copies.

  • Adele Parks

    Adele’s Sunday Times Number One bestsellers, Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck, were shortlisted for the British Book Awards. She has also won two Nielsen Bestseller Awards, the RNA Outstanding Achievement Award, a Capital Crime Fingerprint Award and the Quick Read Learners’ Favourite Award.

  • A.F. Steadman

    A.F. Steadman grew up in the Kent countryside, getting lost in fantasy worlds and scribbling stories in notebooks. She is the globally bestselling author of the award-winning Skandar series, which has been translated into 48 languages. A film is currently in development with Sony Pictures.

  • Alexander Armstrong

    Growing up in the North East and now a father of four boys, Alexander Armstrong knows all about the power and the joy of sharing stories. His debut novel for children, Evenfall: The Golden Linnet, is inspired by his childhood and the mystical history of the ancient North. It’s a story that has lived in his head for many years and he is delighted finally to share it with you. And to get the space back.

  • Andy Day

    Andy Day is one of the best-known stars of preschool television. Andy is the star of multiple children's programmes, most notably his Andy's Adventures, which span from dinosaurs, safari, aquatic, and global, and he is excited to be currently filming brand new adventures, which are going to be dinoriffic!

  • Axel Scheffler

    Axel Scheffler is a star illustrator, renowned for his warm, witty and instantly recognisable work. His illustrated books include Fish Who Dream of Trees, The Bedtime Bear and Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes. He is also the illustrator of modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide.

  • Ben Miller

    Ben Miller is a bestselling author, actor and director. He has written several blockbuster books for children, including The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale and Once Upon a Legend. A Very Dangerous Pursuit is his first adult novel, published in 2026.

  • Benjamin Dean

    Benjamin Dean, former celebrity journalist, is the award-winning author of Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow and other middle-grade and teen books. He draws from themes of family, identity and LGBTQ+ issues in his writing.

  • Bernadine Evaristo

    Bernardine Evaristo is an award-winning author, whose writing spans reviews, essays, drama and radio. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other made her the first black woman to win the Booker Prize and the first woman of colour and Black British writer to reach number 1 in the UK paperback fiction chart in 2020. She’s President of the Royal Society of Literature, and lives in London.

  • Billy Monger

    Billy Monger began racing aged two with his father and rose through junior ranks to F4. A devastating crash led to the amputation of both legs, but he returned to compete and win in F3. He is an Ironman world-record holder and Guinness World Record Icon, and has raised over £4.5 million for Comic Relief. Find Your Drive is his first book.

  • Camilla Reid

    Camilla Reid is one of the most experienced and successful devisers of preschool books today. Combining novelty elements, striking artwork and Camilla's unique authorial voice, her range of interactive preschool books taps into what families enjoy, placing the child reader at the heart of everything.

  • Chris Mould

    Chris Mould is an illustrator and author whose work spans picture books, fiction and theatre art. He illustrated Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man and collaborated with Matt Haig on bestselling titles. Based in Yorkshire, he’s rarely found not drawing or writing.

  • Chris Riddell

    Chris Riddell, a former UK Children's Laureate, is an accomplished artist and the
    political cartoonist for the Observer. He has enjoyed great acclaim for his books for children. His books have won a number of major prizes, including the 2001, 2004 and 2016 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals.

  • Christopher Edge

    Christopher Edge is an award-winning children's author whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He grew up in Manchester, where he spent most of his childhood in the local library dreaming up stories, He now lives in Gloucestershire, where he spends most of his time in the local library dreaming up stories.

  • Dan Jones

    Dan Jones is a bestselling historian, TV presenter, and journalist. Writer of non-fiction and fiction, his books include The Plantagenets and the acclaimed Essex Dogs trilogy. He has written and presented numerous TV series inspired by history and he hosts the This is History podcast.

  • David Baldacci

    David Baldacci is an award-winning global bestselling author. A former trial lawyer with a keen interest in world politics, he has specialist knowledge of the US political system and intelligence services. His first
    book, Absolute Power, became an instant international hit, with the movie starring Clint Eastwood a major box office success. He has since written more than fifty novels.

  • David Larbi

    David Larbi is a writer, creator and poet from London. Through his experimentation with diverse platforms and forms of expression, he has built an online community based on introspection and emotional connection. He has a deep love for words, and wants anyone who comes across his work to leave feeling better for it. Frequently Happy is his first book.

  • Dermot O'Leary

    Dermot O’Leary has an established career in television, radio and entertainment, presenting shows for BBC, ITV and Channel 4. He is also a bestselling author of the Toto the Ninja Cat series. He is passionate about history and enjoys time with his son and an afternoon at the Arsenal, or a nice wild swim.

  • Elodie Harper

    Elodie Harper is the award-winning author of the bestselling Wolf Den trilogy, including Waterstones Book of the Month The Wolf Den and Sunday Times bestseller The House with the Golden Door. She has also worked as a reporter at ITV News and a producer at Channel 4.

  • Farhana Islam

    Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne and currently living in Birmingham, Farhana Islam is a primary school teacher with a passion for telling stories and empowering diverse voices. The Misadventures of Mina Mahmood is her hilarious debut novel. She is also the author of the heart-warming picture book Not Now, Noor.

  • Fern Britton

    Fern Britton is a Sunday Times bestselling author of nine novels, known for their warmth and wit. A TV and radio presenter from This Morning, she’s also a Costa judge, literacy advocate, and stage performer. She lives in Cornwall with her family.

  • Frank Cottrell-Boyce

    Frank Cottrell-Boyce, UK Children's Laureate 2024–2026, is a multi award-winning children's book author and screenwriter. Millions, his debut children's novel, won the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal. Frank is also a highly successful screenwriter.

  • George the Poet

    George the Poet is a London-born spoken word artist of Ugandan heritage. His acclaimed work spans musical poetry and social commentary. In 2018 he opened the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with his poem The Beauty of Union. His award-winning podcast Have You Heard George’s Podcast was described by BBC Radio 4 as ‘a story that could change the world’.

  • George Lewis

    George Lewis is a Manchester comedian, actor, writer and presenter known for viral social media sketches with hundreds of millions of views. He has appeared on Comedy Central Live, The Stand-Up Sketch Show, and has hosted Top Gear Extra Gear. He is an ambassador for Autistica and recently released his debut parenting book Don’t Panic.

  • Hannah Gold

    Hannah Gold is a bestselling, multi-award-winning author of The Last Bear and other, heartwarming adventure stories. Her books have been translated into 28 languages with over a million sales globally. She is an ambassador for WDC, a whale and dolphin conservation charity, and lives in Lincolnshire.

  • Harry Trevaldwyn

    Harry Trevaldwyn is an actor, comedian and writer who has been listed as a Screen
    International Star of Tomorrow. Initially rising to fame through writing and starring in his own online skits, Harry has since been nominated for Best Debut Writer at the New Voice Awards. The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is his first novel.

  • Ian Rankin

    Ian Rankin is a multimillion copy worldwide bestselling author of over 30 novels, creator of John Rebus. His work has won multiple international awards, been adapted for stage, screen and radio, and has earned him an OBE, honorary degrees from UK universities, and fellowships at the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of Literature.

  • Iqbal Hussain

    Iqbal Hussain is a writer from Blackburn, who appeared on Blockbusters, Countdown and The Crystal Maze in his teens. A former journalist for the Guardian, the Young Telegraph and the children’s magazine Aquila, he published his debut adult novel Northern Boy in 2024. He lives in north London with his partner and labradoodle.

  • Jack Edwards

    Jack Edwards is the internet’s resident librarian. A leading book influencer with an audience of 4 million, he was honoured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list. In 2025 he founded the Inklings book club (80k+ members) and podcast, interviewing Margot Robbie and Paul Mescal amongst other big names.

  • Jackie Kay

    Jackie Kay, born in Edinburgh, is an acclaimed poet, novelist and short‑story writer for adults and children. Her novel Trumpet won the Guardian Fiction Prize. She has published three short‑story collections, three poetry collections, and her memoir Red Dust Road. From 2016 to 2021 she was Scotland’s National Poet (Makar).

  • Jan Carson

    Jan Carson is a Belfast-based writer with three novels and multiple story collections. She’s a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. Her first stage play, an adaptation of the children’s classic, The Velveteen Rabbit, was produced by Replay Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast in 2025.

  • Jay Shetty

    Jay Shetty is a storyteller, podcaster and former monk. His vision is to Make Wisdom Go Viral and he is on a mission to share the timeless wisdom of the world in an accessible and practical way. Jay has created over 400 viral videos with over 5 billion views, and hosts the world’s #1 mental health podcast, On Purpose.

  • Jennifer Niven

    Jennifer Niven is an internationally bestselling author of 13 books, including All the Bright Places, which she adapted for film. Her books have been translated into over 75 languages, with 3.5 million copies sold. She develops TV and film projects and lives between Georgia and LA in the USA.

  • Jeff Kinney

    Jeff Kinney is the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Awesome Friendly Kid series. He has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and now lives in New England, where he co-owns a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

  • Joe Wicks

    Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, transformed the way millions approach fitness and nutrition through his HIIT workouts, bestselling books, and popular fitness app. Known for his Lean in 15 recipe book series and his popular lockdown PE sessions, he raised £650k for charity, earned an MBE, and has sold over four million books worldwide.

  • Julia Donaldson

    Julia Donaldson has written some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 18 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over one hundred languages.

  • Kae Tempest

    Kae Tempest is an award-winning poet, playwright, writer and musician. A Ted Hughes Award winner and Next Generation Poet, he’s earned Mercury nominations, an Ivor Novello and the Venice Silver Lion. His acclaimed work spans books, plays and six albums.

  • Kate Mosse

    Kate Mosse is an international bestselling writer and Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Her novel Labyrinth was a global hit, adapted for TV and was recently republished with a six-week one-woman theatre tour.

  • Katie Kirby

    Katie Kirby is a #1 bestselling writer-illustrator living in Hove. Creator of the Lottie Brooks series for tweens with over a million sales in the UK in just four years, she began her writing career with her blog Hurrah for Gin. A former media agency executive, she likes gin, rabbits, over-thinking things, the smell of launderettes and Monster Munch.

  • Ken Follett

    Ken Follett is a bestselling author of 38 books, with over 198 million copies sold in 40 languages. A former reporter, he has been president of Dyslexia Action and was a past chair of the National Year of Reading! He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and two labradors.

  • Laura Dockrill

    Laura Dockrill is an award-winning writer from Brixton. Her books for children and young adults have been shortlisted for major prizes, and she’s been named a rising literary talent. She was a judge for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024.

  • Laura Henry-Allain

    Laura Henry-Allain is an educationalist, author and consultant. She created JoJo and Gran Gran, the first Black British animated global series for CBeebies. She works with major brands, supports literacy and inclusion, and creates the My Words, My Book podcast. She is proud to be dyslexic.

  • Leah Williamson

    Leah Williamson plays as a defender for Arsenal and captained the Lionesses to victory in UEFA Women's Euro 2022 and 2025. Leah is uniquely positioned to motivate and inspire younger generations, and her first book, You Have the Power, is her empowering guide for children.

  • Liz Pichon

    Liz Pichon is one of the UK's best-loved and bestselling creators of children's books,
    including Tom Gates and The Mubbles. The Tom Gates series won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story and the younger fiction category of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.

  • LJ Ross

    LJ Ross is an international bestselling thriller author, best known for the DCI Ryan series, with over 12 million sales. Her debut Holy Island hit No.1 in the UK and Australia. She has written 30+ novels and, a keen philanthropist, has founded several arts and crime fiction prizes. She lives with her family in Northumberland.

  • Lola Jaye

    Lola Jaye is an author and psychotherapist who has penned seven novels and a self-help book. The Attic Child, released in 2022, was her first epic historical novel and has since been nominated for the Jhalak Prize and shortlisted for The Diverse Book Awards.

  • Malorie Blackman

    Malorie Blackman is an award-winning author of 70+ books for children and young adults, including the Noughts & Crosses series. Her work spans TV, stage and film adaptations. She is a former Children’s Laureate, and has also written for the Doctor Who series on BBC 1.

  • Margaret McDonald

    Margaret McDonald is an author based in Glasgow. At 27, she became the youngest Carnegie Medal for Writing winner for her debut Glasgow Boys (2025), which won multiple awards. As a disabled author and former NHS worker, she writes on working-class life, students and the Scottish healthcare system.

  • Marvyn Harrison

    Marvyn Harrison is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant and the founder of Dope Black Dads, a support group and podcast that works to challenge outdated stereotypes about Black fatherhood and cultivating a progressive, inclusive community of parents.

  • Matt Lucas

    Matt Lucas is a comedian, presenter, actor, composer and author, perhaps best known for co-creating the BBC Comedy Little Britain. His TV and film appearances include Doctor Who, Wind in the Willows, and blockbusters Paddington and Wonka. His books for children include The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas, which is being adapted for stage.

  • MC Grammar

    MC Grammar is the creation of teacher and rapper Jacob Mitchell, who went viral in 2019 rapping The Gruffalo. Having struggled in school himself, the father of four credits his discovery of books as his turning point with education. Jacob believes no child should be left behind. He is now a best-selling author with his debut series, The Adventures of Rap Kid.

  • Michael Morpurgo

    Sir Michael Morpurgo is an award-winning author of 150+ children’s books, with 35 million copies sold in almost 40 languages. Many of his books have been adapted for stage and screen: War Horse became a global stage hit. A former Children’s Laureate, he co-founded the charity Farms for City Children.

  • Michael Rosen

    Michael Rosen is a celebrated children’s author and poet known for We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and numerous other children’s poems and books. A previous Children’s Laureate, he performs, teaches, lectures, presents Word of Mouth on BBC Radio 4 and reviews books for the Guardian.

  • Ms Apple

    Emma Wilson, aka Ms Apple, is a children’s educator, performer, and creator of the Ms Apple learning platform. With a music education background, she supports young and SEN learners through storytelling, music, and gentle, low-stimulation content to help children engage with language, books and early learning.

  • Nadia Shireen

    Nadia Shireen has won awards for her picture books including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf and most recently for Barbara Throws a Wobbler, which has been described as a 'little doorway of joy' by Caitlin Moran. She has been shortlisted for numerous other prizes. Grimwood is her first series for older readers.

  • Nathanael Lessore

    Nathanael Lessore is a British teen fiction author. His debut Steady For This won the Branford Boase Award, and his follow-up King of Nothing won multiple prizes. His work reflects his warm and adventurous South East London childhood.

  • Oliver Jeffers

    Oliver Jeffers is an award-winning author, creator of the How to Catch a Star and boy-and-penguin series, with over 18 million books sold worldwide in 49 languages. A genre-busting creative force in the world of children’s books, he is also an acclaimed artist, with exhibits in museums and galleries around the world.

  • Pari Thomson

    Pari Thomson is Editorial Director for picture books at Bloomsbury Children's Books. Half Persian, half English, she lived in many places while she was growing up, including India, Pakistan, the USA, the UK and Belgium. Greenwild: The World Behind the Door is her debut novel.

  • Peter James

    Peter James is a bestselling author best known for his crime thrillers featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. Praised by critics and much loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern-day policing.

  • Polly Dunbar

    Polly Dunbar is a bestselling UK illustrator and author, known for Penguin and The Hug. She’s worked with David Almond, Michael Morpurgo, and created Tilly and Friends now on CBeebies. Co-founder of Long Nose Puppets, an award-winning theatre company, she lives in Suffolk.

  • Rebecca Cobb

    Rebecca Cobb is a picture book illustrator and writer. She creates her own books and has illustrated authors including Julia Donaldson and Richard Curtis. Winner of the 2013 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Picture Books, she’s been shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal three times.

  • Richard Osman

    Richard Osman is an author, producer and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club novels are a record-breaking, multi-million-copy, bestselling series around the world. His new series, We Solve Murders, featuring a brand-new detective trio, is also an international bestseller.

  • Rick Riordan

    Rick Riordan, dubbed “storyteller of the gods,” is the author of multiple #1 New York Times bestselling series, including Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now a Disney+ show. He also runs Rick Riordan Presents, an imprint of Disney-Hyperion, and lives in Boston with his family.

  • Rikin Parekh

    Rikin Parekh is a children’s book illustrator from London, and works as a learning support assistant in primary schools. He’s previously designed monsters for films and has worked for a bookseller. His books include Fly Tiger Fly and Iguana Boy. Off-duty, he enjoys cinema and Comic Con.

  • Rob Biddulph

    Rob Biddulph is an award-winning author-illustrator. His first picture book, Blown Away (2014), was only the second picture book to win the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. His #DrawWithRob videos went viral in 2020, and have been watched almost six million times on YouTube alone.

  • Sara Davies

    Sara Davies MBE is the youngest ever female investor to appear on BBC 1's Dragons' Den and is well-known as the founder and creative director of the global craft business, Crafter's Companion, which she launched whilst at university. Sara lives with her husband and sons in Teeside.

  • Sathnam Sanghera

    Sathnam Sanghera is the author of several bestselling and award-winning works of fiction and non-fiction including Empireland, which won the British Book Award for Narrative Non-Fiction and was made into a documentary for Channel 4 and Marriage Material, which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and was adapted for the stage in 2025.

  • Spud Man

    Spud Man, aka Ben Newman, is a viral TikTok baked potato sensation. People come from far and wide to taste his spuds, on the market square or in one of many pop-ups around the country. Ben is from Tamworth, a town now synonymous with the unlikely influencer, along with his wife and nine children.

  • TJ Power

    TJ Power is a neuroscientist, speaker, and co-founder of Neurify. A former University of Exeter psychology lecturer, he helps individuals through his global keynotes on mental health, and works with organisations like Coca-Cola and the NHS to improve mental health and well-being.

  • Val McDermid

    One of the UK’s most accomplished and respected novelists, Val McDermid has sold over 19 million books across the globe and her work has been translated into more than 40 languages.