Book Donations

Connecting people to the power of our books and authors

Penguin founder Allen Lane believed books should be accessible to everyone.

We still share this vision today, but know that around the UK, many people still face barriers to reading. By working with charity partners and grassroots organisations, we aim to get books into the hands of people who may otherwise not have access to them.

Last year, we donated 254,000 books through our partners across the UK to support:

Children growing up without books at home

People in prisons and the criminal justice system

Local organisations working directly with underserved groups

We work with a small number of long-term charity partners to ensure our donations have the greatest potential impact, and are unable to support one-off donation requests from schools or community organisations outside of these partnerships.

You can view the geographical spread of our donations on our map, or find out more about how we support access to books here.

Our donation partners

Supporting children's reading and early literacy across the UK through national book gifting programmes.

Delivering books and reading programmes across Scotland for children, families and communities.

Ensuring children in disadvantaged communities can choose and keep their own books.

Supporting book access through gifting at reading fairs, hospital packs and community initiatives.

Providing books to prisons across England and Wales to support wellbeing and rehabilitation.

Supporting prison reading groups and family reading initiatives in the UK.

Working in communities facing high levels if deprivation to improve access to books and reading support.

Helping people in prisons and young offender institutions access reading for enjoyment.

Supporting local organisations near our Frating warehouse with donated books. If you represent a cause near the area, get in touch here.

Our most popular donated books

Beasts of Ruin

Ayana Gray (Author)

Buy from:

Brilliant Questions About Growing Up

Amy Forbes-Robertson (Author) , Alex Fryer (Author) , Ava Puckett (Illustrator)

Buy from:

A Dutiful Boy

Mohsin Zaidi (Author)

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Boys Don't Cry

Malorie Blackman (Author)

Buy from:

City of Stolen Magic

Nazneen Ahmed Pathak (Author) , Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrator)

Buy from:

Three Lionesses

Ella Toone (Author) , Georgia Stanway (Author) , Nikita Parris (Author) , Cat Sims (Illustrator) , Cheryl Rickman (Author)

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The Best Sleepover in the World

Jacqueline Wilson (Author)

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1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows

Ai Weiwei (Author)

Buy from:

A Black Boy at Eton

Dillibe Onyeama (Author) , Bernardine Evaristo (Introducer)

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Hidden Planet

Ben Rothery (Author)

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Part of a Story That Started Before Me

George the Poet (Edited by)

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The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett (Author)

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The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson
Prison Reading Groups

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless
National Literacy Trust

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests
Bang Up Books

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children
Children's Book Project

The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson
Prison Reading Groups

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless
National Literacy Trust

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests
Bang Up Books

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children
Children's Book Project

The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson
Prison Reading Groups

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless
National Literacy Trust

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests
Bang Up Books

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children
Children's Book Project

The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson
Prison Reading Groups

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless
National Literacy Trust

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests
Bang Up Books

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children
Children's Book Project

Accessibility & inclusion

We are committed making books accessible in different formats, so more readers can enjou stories in ways that work for them

Find out more

Want to know more about our approach to social impact?

Explore how we're working to widen access to reading, supporting communities and making publishing more inclusive

Our recent impact

Book Donations

Connecting people to the power of our books and authors

Our donation partners

The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children

The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children

The books helped with my own anxiety and mental health, and helped me build a closer relationship with my son and grandson

The books are so varied and high quality. The look on the children’s faces when they discover they can actually keep the book they’ve chosen and take it home is priceless

Having access to free books allows me to read more, as books are expensive on a low prison wage. It allows me to explore authors I may not have chosen outside, and I’ve now gained lots of new interests

Many of our children have never entered a book shop, or a library. The opportunity to select a book from a wide range of choices, and to be told that they can keep it for free, means the world to our children

Accessibility & inclusion

Want to know more about our approach to social impact?

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