Ransom Publishing

07/01/2026

UK schools - we’re “kicking off” 2026 (AKA the ) by offering FREE Tales from the Pitch bookmarks and posters.

They’re great for luring reluctant readers to the library, especially during a World Cup year!

(Small warning: they can also “kick off” playground black markets?! The last time we did football bookmarks, one school informed us the going rate for the Messi one was "a Kane and two mouldy conkers” 😂)

If you haven’t already, email [email protected] to claim your free quota.

National Literacy Trust Go All In 2026

19/12/2025

As we near the end of the last day of term here in the UK, we want to wish everyone a merry Christmas from all the staff at Ransom.

2025 has seen some challenges (here’s to the price of paper not going up any more in 2026!) but far more highs. We’ve picked up awards for our work, developed incredible new products, and received countless phone calls from teachers who've said one of their struggling/reluctant readers has read one of our books - it's the first book the student has ever read, and they’ve now moved onto others in the series… And are enjoying them! They cannot believe this change.

Playing a part in those moments is a privilege - and we look forward to many more in 2026🎄

03/12/2025

Reading Stars Achieve Phonics has done it again - now shortlisted for “SEND and Inclusion Resources & Services” at the

Thank you to the judges, our talented authors and illustrators, and our amazing customers who testified to the magic of this catch-up reading programme for KS2/KS3.

(Want to see what all the fuss is about? Schools can email [email protected] for more info/free samples!)

13/11/2025

The team are back from - and officially sending out all the exciting things they promised the teachers who popped by our stand.

That includes documents aligning our fully decodable books to the teaching sequence of various SSP programmes, curated lists (e.g. hi-lo books on World War history), free literacy workbooks, advice on reading interventions for SEN students aged 18+, etc.

(If you didn’t attend but any of this sounds of interest, email [email protected]. We’re happy to share the joy!)

06/11/2025

Only a few days to go until 🥳
🥳

Swing by our stand (G37) for:
📚 Free bookmarks and posters
📚 Special discount codes for your school
📚 Expert advice on all things ‘literacy’ (e.g. DfE-validated phonics teaching, catch-up phonics at KS2/KS3, what to do ‘after phonics’, motivating older struggling and reluctant readers, etc.)

24/10/2025

It's !

An important event to celebrate Irish authors, illustrators, publishers, Irish interest books - and of course all the brilliant Irish bookshops that sell them.

It’s also a grand excuse to shine the light on one of our Irish illustrators - Andy Hamilton.

We (and teachers/parents/students) love his illustrations because they’re so full of attitude i.e. perfect for our fully decodable books (also full of attitude!).

Indeed, you can find Andy’s work throughout Reading Stars Phonics - our collection of 250 books to support phonics teaching with 4-7 year-olds.

And also in Reading Stars Achieve Phonics - our separate collection of 98 books for 7-14 year-olds who’re still securing their phonics knowledge. They’re all age-appropriate, specially written to support weaker readers, feature dyslexia-friendly design, etc.

Bookselling Ireland

10/10/2025

We’ve just received an email from an overjoyed parent of a reluctant reader.

Attached was this picture: said reluctant reader in the middle of his birthday BBQ… reading the Ransom book he's just received!

It really does go to show the power of having the 'right' book.

That is, a book that’s on a topic you’re interested in. (He’s a footy fan, so has one of our fictionalised biographies of top players/managers.) And a book that’s also specially written/designed to ensure a reluctant reader cannot help but pick it up - and then cannot put it down.

We’re cheering this young man on - and wishing him a very happy birthday!

02/10/2025

A quick reminder on that poetry is SUCH a useful tool when it comes to literacy.

It boosts:

1. Phonemic awareness (rhyme, rhythm and sound patterns help students to hear the individual sounds in words)

2. Fluency (the repetition of lines you often find in poetry is great for building automaticity)

3. Vocabulary (poems use words that students might not meet in other books/everyday life)

4. Creativity and imagination (it can help students look at things differently, to read and use language differently)

5. And, if used correctly, poetry boosts engagement! Short poems on the right topics (e.g. football) can be a great way to reach reluctant readers who aren’t up for reading a full book.

On that note, we’ll leave you with a fantastic poem.

It comes from 'Football Crazy: Poems, Raps and Beats' by Tony Norman - a short anthology of highly decodable poems for struggling/reluctant readers.

It’s the first thing we recommend when we hear a footy-mad student doesn’t think poetry is for them...

26/09/2025

Guess what… We’re a 2025 finalist!

Ransom Publishing (with our brand-new Reading Stars Achieve Phonics series in tow) has been shortlisted for SEN and Inclusive Resource/Equipment Supplier of the Year.

Huge thanks to GESS Dubai, Global Educational Supplies & Solutions and the judges. What an honour!

23/09/2025

Did you know it's - 's annual campaign to urge you to rescue items from the bin and them instead.

Here's a sneak peek inside some Ransom titles that are sure to inspire you...

1/5👇

17/09/2025

Same goes for our Reading Stars ACHIEVE Phonics Sample Packs!

These help KS2/3 departments explore this separate collection of fully decodable books for older learners. Again, to claim yours (one per UK school, entirely free/yours to keep), email [email protected]📚

FYI - we've just re-stocked the shelves with our Reading Stars Phonics Sample Packs!

They're an ever-popular way for UK schools to explore these fully decodable books for KS1.

To claim yours (one per school, completely free/yours to keep), email [email protected] 📚

15/09/2025

Excited to announce we'll be exhibiting at
🥳

Swing by our stand (G37) for:
📚 Free bookmarks and posters
📚 Special discount codes for your school
📚 Expert advice on all things ‘literacy’ (e.g. DfE-validated phonics teaching, catch-up phonics at KS2/KS3, what to do ‘after phonics’, motivating older struggling and reluctant readers, etc.)