There will be 90 of the book stops around the UK
00:01, 27 Oct 2025Updated 07:03, 27 Oct 2025
Three Little Book Stops will be installed around Northern Ireland this week by Penguin Books to mark its 90th birthday(Image: Matt Alexander/PA Media Assignments)
Special community bookshelves are being installed in three locations around Northern Ireland this week, it has been revealed. Penguin Books have announced the 90 Little Book Stops campaign as part of the brand’s ongoing 90th birthday celebrations.
The campaign is run in partnership with Little Free Library, the US-based non-profit that has overseen the installation of more than 200,000 neighbourhood book exchange boxes globally since 2009.
A local steward has been appointed to maintain each Little Book Stop, which will run on a ‘give a book, take a book’ concept and promote community-led book sharing. The Little Book Stops initiative is designed to celebrate individuals across the UK who champion reading, support more people to easily access books, and help book lovers to find their next read.
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Each book stop features a bespoke Penguin design and has been installed with a curation of children’s and adult books. These include: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox & The Horse by Charlie Mackesey, Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, Look Up! by Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola and The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.
The locations for book stops in Northern Ireland are:
- Belfast City Council, Belfast, BT9 5YR: This Little Book Stop will support the collaboration between Belfast City Council, Queen’s University, Friends of the Field and Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens as part of their community garden and climate demonstration space at Belfast’s Lower Botanic Gardens. They hope this Little Book Stop will demonstrate what a local sharing economy can look like and plan to engage residents, including young people, with its activities so the Little Book Stop inspires the next generation of readers to enjoy nature and books together.
- Halstein Drive, Ballyhackamore, Belfast, BT5 6JQ: Outside of their day job, this Little Book Stop steward is a Board Director with Children’s Books Ireland and is passionate about making literature accessible for all. They hope the Little Book Stop is a positive addition to their neighbourhood that develops a sense of civic pride.
- Cleland Avenue, Killinchy, Newtownards, BT23 6PJ: The steward of this Little Book Stop is a writer who is passionate about supporting underserved audiences to enjoy reading, including through creative writing workshops they run for blind and partially sighted writers.
Chair of Belfast City Council’s Climate and City Resilience Committee, Councillor Michael Donnelly said: “We’re pleased to add a Little Book Stop to the community garden and climate demonstrator site at Lower Botanic Gardens. This partnership project was set up to champion our city’s community plan by nurturing community connection and learning around climate change and resilience.
“As a space to give something and gain something, it provides an inspirational place to pick up a book. We hope, that by providing books for all ages, it will continue to support the ethos of growing, greening and giving for generations to come.”
Rebecca Sinclair, Chief Brand Officer at Penguin Books, said: “We were delighted to have received so many applications for 90 Little Book Stops– it was difficult to select the final locations.
“Books and reading are a great way to build connections and create communities, and the sheer amount of interest we received shows just how much people are looking for this. We’re excited to see the impact the Little Book Stops have on the local communities selected.”
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