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World Book Day 2026: flash fiction, author visits & amazing outfits!

21st March 26

Group of children outdoors around a picnic table, holding colorful books and smiling at the camera.

With 2026 named as the ‘National Year of Reading’, this year’s World Book Day was an extra-special affair at KAS.

World Book Day in Lower School

In Lower School, it turned into a whole month of stories, creativity and reading inspiration!

Literary visitors included poet Karl Nova, who chatted metaphors and haikus with Year 6, and authors Pippa Goodhart (creator of the You Choose series) and Josh Lacey (author of the Dragonsitter and Time Travel Twins series), who hosted writing workshops with students from Reception to Year 4.

Children sit on the floor in a school library as a author Josh Lacey reads near a large screen showing 'NEW BOOKS'.

Author Pippa Goodhart seated at a table outside, holding a bright yellow 'You Choose' children's book toward the camera. Other colorful books are piled on the table in front.

Poet Karl Nova wearing a gray hoodie speaks to a group of children seated at desks in a colourful classroom with a whiteboard and charts behind them.

Meanwhile, our Big Book Swap saw students manning stalls and sharing much-loved titles with their fellow KAS-mates (pictured top).

And, of course, the big day itself brought with it a host of fantastic costumes – from students and teachers alike! Take a look at a selection of the World Book Day outfits below…

Two kids in DIY cardboard animal masks (blue and orange) stand outdoors, holding a book together. They are Bluey and Bingo outfits.

Child wearing a white mask with a sad mouth design outdoors in a park, dressed in a patterned sweater and dark pants with white gloves. He is the character from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Five people in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe costumes pose outside a building, including furry animal outfits, a deer-like character, an ice queen, and a large decorative door prop, all smiling at the camera.

A young girl in fancy dress stands in a classroom. She is dressed as Princess Pearl from the Zog books, which she is holding.

Child dressed in Willy Wonka fancy dress, wearing a brown top, purple coat, yellow bow tie and red cain

Three children in dress-up costumes; Winnie-The-Pooh on the left, Tigger in the middle, and Piglet on the right.

A young girl wears an orange and black striped Tigger outfit, standing in an outside playground.

Woman in a pink 'Little Miss Sunshine' shirt and bright yellow layered skirt, standing with hands on hips in a sunny park with bare trees in the background.

Smiling girl in a Hogwarts school uniform standing outside a building, holding a stuffed owl. She is dressed as Hermione Grainger from Harry Potter

Group of people in bright costumes forming a human Hungry Caterpillar, standing in a line outside a modern building on a sunny day.

Two kids pose outdoors behind wooden posts; left child wears a blue outfit and a blue dog mask with arms raised, right child wears a red puffer vest, sunglasses, and a denim shirt, looking at the camera.

Girl in a gold and blue Egyptian-inspired costume with a tall hat and blue tassel earrings, smiling outdoors.

Young girl in a pink princess dress holds a green display box containing a purple decorative panel with butterflies, bees, and ladybugs (a school craft project).

Child dressed as a gray cardboard robot with a square head and label 'RECO 4' stands in a classroom, another student in a checker dress in the background.

Person in a black-and-white fuzzy animal costume with face paint holding a children's book in a classroom setting. He is dressed as Hairy Maclary.

Two children in white costumes posing in a classroom; one wears a white hat with a yellow chick on top, the other has a paper bunny head mask.

Smiling girl in a blue gingham dress with red bows stands outside holding a wicker basket of stuffed toys. She is dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

World Book Day in Upper School

In Upper School, Year 7 and 8 students enjoyed a group reading session after selecting a free book from a range of titles written especially for WBD.

In the classroom, students were also encouraged to reflect on their reading habits – including how reading makes them feel, what they thought of their most recent reads, and what they would like to read more of in future.

Group of students in a library gathered around a round table sorting colourful books.

Four boys stand around a round table in a library, looking at colourful books spread across the surface.

Group of female students sit in a library reading books.

Flash Fiction Competition

In a bid to get their creative juices flowing, students were also invited to enter our ‘flash fiction’ competition, which challenged them to compose a 100-word short story based on their favourite book.

The winning entries are published in full below. Well done to all who took part!

Year 7 winner: Marlen A-M

Juan Sebastian Cotopaxi was missing. The goldfish wasn’t expected to live long anyway. His bowl was overturned, the water spilling out. The boy searched everywhere. Even the garden, but regretted this as the garden was a long walk away.

His sister searched too. No luck. His mother scolded him. This did not help either. His brother suspected the fish was dead. Extremely unhelpful. The boy prepared for school.

He said goodbye to his family. As he walked out the door, Cheshire, the cat, appeared. The boy ruffled his fur and pulled a few gold fish scales out of his whiskers.

Year 8 winner: Sabrina M

Lauren had always believed her life was ordinary. Her parents were kind, her home was safe, and nothing ever seemed out of place. One afternoon, she discovered a photograph hidden in her mother’s drawer. The baby in the picture looked exactly like her, yet the woman holding the child was a stranger. A cold, uneasy feeling crept over her. When she asked her parents about it, they exchanged glances and changed the subject. Suddenly, every memory felt staged, every answer rehearsed. The house that once felt safe now seemed full of secrets. Lauren couldn’t stop wondering who she really was.

Year 9 winner: Bo B

I hung up the phone and started running. I felt nauseous. The sun blazed down like it was close enough to obliterate me. I reached out. Hopeless. Crickets chirped, people walked and talked. They looked at me sprinting through crowds and cars. Maybe. Colours merged and danced, my breath felt dry, empty. I arrived at the derelict train tracks, the sun still painful through a gap in the roof, and in its light, was Akao. I hadn’t seen her for a year. She lay dead on the ground, and in the shadow behind her, two eyes and a calm smile.

Where Next?

World Book Day 2026: flash fiction, author visits & amazing outfits!

World Book Day in Lower School

World Book Day in Upper School

Flash Fiction Competition

Year 7 winner: Marlen A-M

Year 8 winner: Sabrina M

Year 9 winner: Bo B

Where Next?

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