Look for a Book

Manchester’s Festival of Libraries is about to take families out of this world with a programme of free Family Friendly fun featured as part of the 2025 line-up.  Showcasing the creativity, ideas and adventures that await in all libraries, the festival features games, performances, crafts, exhibitions, trails and more; all of which is free.

Look for a Book – Friday 23 May to Sunday 1 June

Signalling liftoff, intergalactic style, is the Look for a Book challenge.  A free activity for everyone to take part in, this year’s Look for a Book promises cosmic fun with stargazer extraordinaire Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock.  500 copies of her brilliant book Am I Made of Stardust? will be awaiting discovery in and around Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries, the green spaces of Manchester’s Spinningfields, the galleries of People’s History Museum and across the Bee Network during the half term holidays (Friday 23 May to Sunday 1 June). This is a game of finders keepers, with riddles to solve and clues to follow, and for some lucky winners there will also be the chance to meet Maggie in person during the festival.

Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock says, “Libraries are such amazing places to fuel your rocket and jet off into all the places books can take you, for families to get together, and spend time having fun together. To take part in Look For A Book, follow your local Manchester library on social media to get the clues, then head to get your hands on your copy and get exploring.”

Previous Look for a Book participants have included Lenny Henry, Nadia Hussain and Konnie Huq. This year’s event takes place from Friday 23 May to Sunday 1 June and awaiting discovery are 500 copies of Am I Made of Stardust?together with an activity sheet and certificate.  In amongst them will be 25 golden tickets giving the finder the chance to meet Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock.  Suitable for ages 5 plus.

Festival of Libraries – Thursday 4 June to Sunday 8 June

Continuing a space walk through your imagination is children’s author and performer Dan Worsley.  Join Dan for an extra special, extraterrestrial storytelling journey that will prove that with a bit of make believe, anything really is possible.  Out of this World will tour a number of libraries: Bury and Farnworth Libraries on Saturday 7 June; andTrafford and Manchester Central Libraries on Sunday 8 June.  One of the highlights of the session will be the chance to find out more about the James Webb Space Telescope and there will be demonstrations using an infrared camera. Suitable for ages 7 plus.

Inviting you on a very different adventure, Threads is a dance performance that explores the journey into adulthood and takes place at Manchester Central Library on Saturday 7 June.  To create this piece Coalesce Dance Theatre has woven stories from young people from across the North of England together, which are told in a performance that takes place amongst tossed away clothes and a large wardrobe structure.  Themes of mental health, friendship and identity are all part of the narrative.  Suitable for ages 14 plus.

This year’s festival includes lots of literary inspired activities for families to look out for.  Joining the festival for the first time, People’s History Museum is celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books with Mini Books, Big Stories (Saturday 24 May to Sunday 8 June).  Inspired by the fact that Penguin Books democratised literature – making quality paperback books available to the masses for the first time – families are invited to make mini books about the heroes whose stories are told within the galleries of People’s History Museum.  Suitable for ages 5 plus.

At Rochdale Central Library a Draw Along and Storytime takes place on Saturday 7 June with fabulous children’s illustrators Neil Clarke and Penny Neville-Lee.  Neil is an author, illustrator and picture book maker whose work has filled the pages of Ladybird books including Rusy the Squeaky Robot and Walter the Wonder Snail.  Penny is the illustrator of picture books Carousel Horse (Bloomsbury), The Night Train (Little Tiger) and Dark Cloud (Kids Can). Join them in the colourful and magical world of children’s stories and illustrations.  Suitable for ages 5 plus.

Graphic novels and cartoons have never been more popular and have been recognised for everything they have done to engage children with literature, whilst tackling a range of issues.  Come and find out more about this form of literature with a visit to the Danish Comics Exhibition at Sale Library from Tuesday 3 to Wednesday 25 June.  The exhibition introduces the history of Danish comics and some of the most famous work in a vivid and accessible way.

Feeling playful then Remake, Reuse, Replay! has got your name written all over it. This is a game jam challenge in which participants work in teams with designers to create exciting new games from existing board games. Taking place at Droylsden Library on Saturday 7 June you’ll pick up ideas and tips to inspire your future gaming ideas.  You can come as a team or join a team on the day.  Suitable for ages 12 plus.

There’s Family Friendly fun in every borough to look out for including Super Saturdays taking place across all Trafford libraries on Saturday 7 June, a Book Fest landing at Leigh Library in Wigan on Friday 5 June and an art exhibition created by and for children called Pick and Mix taking place at Oldham Library throughout the festival and beyond.

These are just some of the highlights of the family programme, the full programme for the whole of Festival of Libraries 2025 will be announced in April.  In 2024 the festival consisted of 115 events across 5 days and had 44,000 visitors.

Festival of Libraries’ partners include: Archives+, Central Library, Chetham’s Library, John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester Poetry Library, NHS Libraries, The Portico Library, Working Class Movement Library, University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Institute Cervantes Library, Levenshulme Old Library, Greater Manchester libraries (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan), Bee Network and Spinningfields.

For further information visit: https://www.manchestercityofliterature.com/project/manchester-libraries-festival/