About Us
"Thank you - you have helped to turn a reluctant reader into a voracious one."
(From a parent)
Barrington Stoke was named 2007 Children's Publisher of the Year at the IPG Awards for its "outstanding commitment to children who have dyslexia or find reading difficult."
Barrington Stoke has helped thousands of children become readers. Your child could be one of them. Read on to find out how!
Barrington Stoke - The Power of the Story and
the most readable books
Barrington Stoke believe in stories. When a reader is hooked on a story, his reading ability improves. He reads more fluently, because he wants to read!
Struggling readers don't need boring books in childish language - they need the best stories they can get. And that's why Barrington Stoke publish stories by some of the best children's authors in the world.
We have a lot of ways to make it easier for your child to read but it all starts with a good story. Comedy, ghost stories, real-life drama, fascinating facts or thrilling adventure: there's a Barrington Stoke book that will keep your child turning the pages.
Some opening lines from Barrington Stoke books...
"Pssst! Wanna buy an alligator?"
"Behind that door is the most dangerous criminal on this planet."
"It was my birthday really, but it could have been my deathday. Very nearly was, in fact."
"I was going to die. We were all going to die - everyone of us."
...do you want to read on?
Barrington Stoke turn reluctant readers into book-lovers, and struggling readers into confident ones. Here's how we do it...
Barrington Stoke has a decade of experience in making great stories highly accessible. Our books are never dumbed-down or patronising. They are compelling stories that children love, they are easy enough so that readers build up their confidence, and they look great too. Most of all - they work!
Looking right
All our books are written by well-known authors. If your child is reading a Barrington Stoke book, it's probably by the same people his or her friends are reading - like Terry Deary, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Malorie Blackman or Michael Morpurgo.
We make sure that our books look good - they don't look like schoolbooks, and there is never anything on the cover to suggest the books are for struggling readers.
Every detail matters
- We use our own specially designed font, proven to ensure a smooth read.
- We use cream or off-white paper, which is easier to read than black print on white.
- Paragraphs are never too long and dialogue is clearly marked.
- Uneven lines help the reader keep his or her place
- Text size and line spacing are carefully calculated and tested for the clearest and most readable layout.
- All books have chapters, to provide lots of natural breaks for readers.
Tested for children - by children
What really makes Barrington Stoke different is our unique consultancy programme. Every Barrington Stoke story is sent to consultants before it's published. Consultants are children of the right interest age and reading age for the book. We ask them to read the manuscript and tell us everything that was tricky about it.
Difficult words? We'll explain them subtly, or change them. Difficult sentences? We'll make them simpler. Something doesn't make sense, or they didn't get the plot? We'll make it clear. Our team of language editors - all dyslexia and literacy experts - work with the author to fix all the problems.
So by the time a book is published, we know for a fact that someone with a reading age of 8 (7 for some books) will be able to read and enjoy it.
Sounds good? Don't just take our word for it! Here's what people say about Barrington Stoke:
"These texts do not assume slow readers lack sensitivity, intelligence or knowledge of the world. These are risky, edgy, provocative stories and the better for that." (Times Educational Supplement)
"Hard-edged, fast-paced reading that does credit to an excellent enterprise." (The Times, on Kill Swap)
"Until 3 months ago my son was very reluctant to read. Today I have an enthusiastic, indeed avid, reader who is much more confident, in touch with people around him/emotions etc. School have commented on it and asked me what the ‘secret key' was ... In a nutshell, it's you!" (Parent)