Bookbuzz FAQs

We hope you'll find the answer to your question here. If not then please get in touch with us using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

About Bookbuzz

What does each Bookbuzz school receive?

  • A book and bookmark for every participating student to keep
  • Two sets of the Bookbuzz books for your school library and staff room.
  • A guide to using Bookbuzz, including tips on how to launch the programme at your school, what to do while you wait for your books to arrive and how you can keep the buzz for books going across the school year.
  • Access to a website packed with a wealth of information for you and your students, including extracts from the books, a film featuring the Bookbuzz authors, downloadable resources and exclusive competitions.
  • A selection of the Bookbuzz books each year are also made available in accessible formats: braille and Giant print.

How much does Bookbuzz cost?

Thanks to the support of the Bookbuzz authors and children's publishers, schools are able to purchase the Bookbuzz programme at the greatly subsidised cost of £3.45 per participating student.

Once registered, an invoice will automatically be generated and emailed to the person stated as the invoice contact at the time of registration. Full payment instructions are included on the invoice. See FAQs below for more detail.

See our timeline for a summary of the key dates

Registration and payment

  • When do I have to register?

    Registration is now open, and the final deadline for registration is Friday 20 September 2024.

    Register here

  • When I register am I committing to take part?

    Yes, when you register for Bookbuzz you are committing to take part in the programme and pay the amount stated during the registration process - an invoice is generated at the point of registration.

  • What do I do if I don’t know how many students we will have in September?

    We ask for an estimate that is as accurate as possible so we can place initial orders with publishers. Registration is open until 20 September so you can wait until then to register, if at that stage you will have a clearer idea of student numbers.

    Some schools may prefer to register for a few extra students as any books that you don't need for students can be used by the library or English department.

    Alternatively, if you have more students than expected, please contact us before you place your final order of books and we will increase your student numbers, subject to stock being available. A minimum increase of five students (£17.25) will apply and payment must be made before you can place your whole order.

    Please note: we will not be able to issue refunds if you have fewer than expected students in September.

  • Can I amend the number of students after I have registered?

    Yes as long as you haven't yet paid the invoice you may be able to amend the number of students. You must notify us in writing by emailing [email protected]. We will then cancel your registration and invoice and you will need to re-register.

    If you have more students than expected, please contact us before you place your final order of books and we will increase your student numbers, subject to stock being available. A minimum increase of five students (£17.25) will apply.

    Please contact us to confirm additional students as we will need to place orders with the publishers.

    Requests for orders placed after this deadline will be looked at individually, based on available stock.

    Please note, payment must be received for the additional students before you can place your order.

  • Can I amend my address details?

    You can amend your address details by completing a form during the registration and ordering process. This will then be reviewed and approved by the team but it won't stop you from registering/ordering.

    If you have already registered/ordered but contact [email protected] so the team can amend your records. Please do this within 12 hours of ordering to avoid your order being sent to the wrong address.

    If you have already registered, you can let us know your new address details by emailing [email protected].

  • My school name/address is due to change over the summer – what should I do?

    Please contact us as soon as possible by emailing [email protected] with the details of your current school name/address and new school name/address, and date that the change will happen, so that we can ensure your launch pack and order are sent to the correct address in the autumn.

  • I have less than 35 students, can I still register?

    Yes, but you will still need to register for 35. This is a great opportunity to give more books to students and encourage them to build a collection of books. Why not order more than one book for each student instead, invite staff to take part, or order extra copies of books for your school library?

  • How can I pay?

    An invoice will automatically be generated and emailed to the person stated as the invoice contact at the time of registration. We recommend you download the invoice and print it off immediately.

    The invoice can be paid by BACS, cheque or credit card. Full payment instructions are included on the invoice.

    Alternatively, you can pay by credit card over the phone by calling us on 020 7801 8800. You will then be sent an order acknowledgment confirming payment has been received.

  • When do I have to pay?

    Final payment deadline is 20 September 2024.

  • Why do I have to pay in advance?

    Payment in advance is required in order to enable BookTrust to place the large orders with publishers and other suppliers that are necessary to keep the cost of Bookbuzz at £3.45 per student.

    In addition, almost all of the Bookbuzz books are printed specifically for Bookbuzz so it's crucial that we can accurately forecast the number of students that are going to be taking part.

  • When will I receive an invoice?

    An invoice will automatically be generated and emailed to the person stated as the invoice contact at the time of registration. We recommend you download the invoice and print it off immediately.

    If you can't download your invoice please contact us by emailing [email protected].

    Please note, if you make payment by card as part of the registration process you will receive an order acknowledgement confirming payment and the order has been received.

  • I’ve changed my mind; can I cancel my registration?

    If you change your mind within 14 days you can cancel your registration, as long as the invoice has not already been paid. You must notify us in writing of your wish to cancel by emailing [email protected].

The Bookbuzz books

  • When are the books announced?

    The Bookbuzz books will be announced in the coming months.

  • How are the books selected?

    The Bookbuzz list is chosen by an independent panel of experts, including teachers from both mainstream and special schools, librarians, BookTrust's disability consultant and other children's book experts.

    We invite a range of publishers to submit the titles that they think would be appropriate for the Bookbuzz list. Of the titles we receive, we select a long list of books for our selection panel to consider.

    The panel then read all the books, and gather opinions from 11 to 13-year-olds, before selecting a final list that reflects a variety of genres, styles and reading levels.

    Bookbuzz books are selected with the needs of both Year 7 and Year 8 students in mind.

  • How many publishers are involved and how are they chosen?

    The books are chosen purely on their individual merit, regardless of publisher. A wide range of publishers are invited to submit books for consideration; any publisher who wishes to submit titles should contact us and we will add them to our list.

  • Is Bookbuzz open to Special schools?

    Yes, Bookbuzz is open to Special Schools.

    It is also recognised that some children participating in the programme will have additional specific needs. With this in mind, we offer books on the list available in both Braille and giant print. If you have a student who would benefit from a Braille or large print edition of a Bookbuzz book, please email us.

    The list of titles available in Braille or large print will be available to logged-in Bookbuzz coordinators. (coordinators area will be available from September).

  • Will Year 8 students have different books to choose from Year 7?

    No, all Bookbuzz books are selected with the needs of both Year 7 and Year 8 students in mind. All 16 titles will be available for both Year 7 and Year 8 students to order.

How to order your books

  • How do I place my order?

    All Bookbuzz orders must be placed online. To order you will need to log-in to your account in the coordinators' area using your username (email address) and password that you have set up during registration. From there you will be clearly directed to where you can place your order.

  • When should I place my order?

    Ordering opens on 11 September 2023.

    The final date for ordering will be 20 October 2023.

  • How and when will the books arrive?

    As long as you order by the deadline of early September, your books will be with you no later than the end of the autumn term. Orders placed after the deadline will be placed into a priority queue.

    Schools who do not place their orders will receive a selection of Bookbuzz titles in the new year.

    When your books have been dispatched you will receive an email to let you know they are on their way and should be with you within 48 hours.

    Your books will be delivered in boxes clearly marked with the Bookbuzz logo and addressed to the named Bookbuzz coordinator.

  • Can I order for more students than I registered for?

    Yes, but you must contact us and pay for your additional students before you can place your order. We will be able to generate an invoice for the additional students, subject to stock availability. A minimum increase of five students (£16.50) will apply.

    Please email [email protected].

  • Can I choose the books for my students?

    The element of choice is central to Bookbuzz and our research has found that students say they are more likely to read a book if they have chosen it themselves. We would therefore urge you to allow your students to choose their books for themselves.

    To make collecting your students' choices easier we provide a bookmark for every student on which they can make their selection, a class order form and a spreadsheet which coordinators can use to collate the orders.

  • I can’t remember my password – what do I do?

    You can reset your password on the log-in page - click 'Forgotten your password' and enter your registered email address and a new password will be emailed to you.

    If you have any problems, please email [email protected] with the subject line 'Forgotten username'.

  • What happens if I can't place my order before the deadline?

    BookTrust encourages all orders to be placed by the closing date at th end of October to ensure students receive their first choice. We will do our best to fulfil orders placed after this deadline but schools may be offered a different title, if the first choice isn't available. We will send a selection of books to schools who haven't ordered but BookTrust will advise schools when this will happen.

  • I’m missing books from my order, what do I do?

    Please contact us as soon as possible if books are missing from your order. Please email [email protected] and let us know which books are missing and if you have received any extras by mistake. Please contact us within 14 days of receiving your order, based on the signatory date, so we can replace your titles as soon as possible. Schools that contact us after 14 days will be looked at individually, based on the available stock.

  • I’ve placed my order but have ordered the wrong books, what shall I do?

    Please contact us immediately via email (within 12 hours) if the order has been placed incorrectly. We will do all we can to amend your order before it gets sent to the warehouse. Once it has been sent to the warehouse, we will be unable to amend the order.

    If you have received your order and realised you've made a mistake please contact us at [email protected].

Launch Packs

  • What will I receive in my launch pack?

    Launch packs will contain:

    • Two sets of the 16 Bookbuzz books
    • Two Bookbuzz posters to promote the programme in school
    • A bookmark for each participating student
    • A guide to using Bookbuzz, including tips on how to launch the programme at your school, what to do while you wait for your books to arrive and how you can keep the buzz for books going across the school year.
  • When will I receive my launch pack?

    Launch packs will begin being sent out in September.

If you have any questions or comments about the Bookbuzz programme that are not answered in these FAQs, please contact the Bookbuzz team at BookTrust.

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 020 7801 8800

Also useful

Coordinators

Coordinators from signed-up Bookbuzz schools can login to find guides, resources and the Bookbuzz film.

Timeline

A helpful summary of dates for the coming year to help you run Bookbuzz in your school.

Student zone

Find out more more about this year's Bookbuzz books and authors. Which one will you choose?