The Guardian view on the National Year of Reading 2026: time to start a healthy habit for life

Editorial: A Children’s Booker prize, library cards for newborns and a major campaign – initiatives to encourage a love of books in children are a cause for celebration

Thrillers should be on UK school curriculum to boost reading, says Lee Child

Bestselling author says focus on ‘masterpieces’ puts children off as he promotes prison literacy scheme

Patricia Robson obituary

Other lives: Teacher who used her skill in storytelling to engage primary school children in drama productions

Scott Galloway on the masculinity crisis: ‘I worry we are evolving a new breed of asexual, asocial males’

When his book Notes on Being a Man was released last month, it raced to the top of the bestseller lists. The US author, tech entrepreneur and podcaster explains his theories on dating, crying – and the rise of Donald Trump

Spain has too rosy a view of Franco’s regime. Let’s remind ourselves of its horrors

Little is taught about the murderous, incompetent dictatorship – and now almost one in five young people say Franco was good for the country, says historian Giles Tremlett

A former Tory councillor tried to ban my novel Pigeon English. Why should pupils suffer because of him?

My book, which draws on my upbringing on a diverse and deprived Luton council estate, has been used as a GCSE text. But one man objected to its profane language and depictions of violence and sexual behaviour

Kemi Badenoch wants to end ‘rip-off degrees’ – but I wouldn’t have created Horrid Henry without mine

I studied Old and Middle English. Although I didn’t know it, I couldn’t have chosen a better subject to train me to become a children’s author, says author Francesca Simon

A vampire novel that smells of garlic? Well, if it gets people reading …

The limited editions of Jennifer L Armentrout’s latest fantasy novel come with Hellmann’s aoli-imbued ink, in a coffin-shaped presentation box. It’s a no-brainer, writes Carys Afoko

UK libraries urged to remove children’s books with URL hijacked by porn site

Puffin issues alert to schools and local authorities over books in popular Spy Dog series by Andrew Cope

John Searle obituary

American philosopher whose Chinese Room thought experiment rebuts the idea that computers can think as humans do

‘Bans are disheartening’: US author criticises Dorset school’s removal of her book about race

Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give was taken off year 10 reading list at Budmouth Academy after parent complained

Dorset school urged to reinstate banned book about race to reading list

Budmouth Academy in Weymouth removed The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas after complaint from parent

I toured UK council estates and learned this: all our lives are poems just waiting to be written

I knocked on doors, spoke to people about hopes and concerns, and wrote poetry to share with them. It could and should be an art form for everyone, says poet Rowan McCabe

Brian Lewis obituary

Other lives: Founder of a community publishing and arts body that aimed to give ordinary Yorkshire folk a voice

Eric Midwinter obituary

Educationist, writer, broadcaster and co-founder of the University of the Third Age (u3a), whose members teach and learn from each other in a network of groups