The 2026 Read for Empathy collection is here – with two terrific Troika titles!
The 2026 Read for Empathy collection is here… with 65 diverse and brilliant books for 3–16+ year-olds perfect for the National Year of Reading!
Celebrating 10 years of the collection, the expertly curated selection is representative of our contemporary world, and will spark meaningful conversations which help young people build connection and curiosity. Through these novels, graphics, picture books, poetry collections, non-fiction, and early readers – young people can experience, understand and practise empathy – a learnable life skill at the heart of strong relationships and positive wellbeing.
We’re proud to have our books included in the collection once again this year. Huge congratulations to our talented authors Coral Rumble and Michaela Morgan, whose titles Jakub’s Otter and Star! feature among the judges’ selections.
Jakub’s Otter is award-winning poet Coral Rumble’s first novel. It tells the story of ten-year-old Jakub who cares for his single mum, so his life is full of adult concerns. To give him a break, family friends take Jakub him on holiday to Italy – where he finds a new friend, freedom, adventure, an injured otter called Piccolo – and, most important of all: himself.
Michaela Morgan’s Star! is Troika’s very first non-fiction title. It’s the extraordinary story of Nadia Nadim, a refugee from Afghanistan who went on to become a world-class professional footballer, based in Europe.
We couldn’t be more proud of our empathy-building authors!