Services for children and teens

We have a wide range of fiction titles:

• from the latest children's best sellers to classic children's stories
• books for children learning to read
• books for children that struggle with reading

We also have information books to support children's learning and to inspire their interests and hobbies.

All of these books can be reserved and borrowed for free - if your local library does not have the children's books you are looking for we can usually get it in from another library. 

We also have stories on CD that children can borrow, plus eBooks and eAudiobooks.

Joining the library is free and you can even join online from home (children under 16 need an adult guarantor). There are no charges for the late return of children's books.

The Story Adventurers' Club is a year-round reading challenge offered by Wiltshire Council libraries aimed at inspiring four to 16-year-olds to read for pleasure all year round.

The aim of the Story Adventurers' Club is to read 100 books (but children can go on to read 200, 300, 400 or more should they choose). There is no time limit, it is a personal challenge and children are encouraged to do it at their own pace and their own time frame, choosing books that they want to read.

To join the challenge children must have a library membership and have started to read independently. Children can register for the challenge at any Wiltshire Council library - it is free to join the library and the challenge. Once registered children will be offered the choice of one of four special booklets (each with a different design) to record the books they read and as they progress library staff will stamp their booklets plus offer ongoing encouragement and support. 

Children can personalise their booklets by adding a photo or drawing of themselves and at various stages in their reading journey they will be asked about their reading - such as their favourite books, fictional places and things they've discovered. When they have completed the challenge by reading 100 books, they will be asked for final comments and to choose their favourite book. The certificate at the end of the booklet will be stamped and signed, and children can then move onto their next 100 books if they wish.

The Story Adventurers' Club, which runs throughout the year, will inspire children and young people to develop a life-long love of reading for pleasure, which is known to support good mental health and wellbeing, educational attainment and future career prospects, plus help them to develop creativity and empathy.

Library staff will be on hand to help choose books and encourage them throughout the challenge.

Our libraries also offer free activities for children throughout the year, including rhyme times for babies and toddlers and the Summer Reading Challenge for four to 11-year-olds

Children can also use the library computers (with parent's permission), ask about ​​​​​​​ booking a session, all our libraries offer Wi-Fi too.

Our friendly and welcoming staff are happy to help you and your family whatever your needs.

We have a small collection of children's books in Ukrainian, including picture books for younger children, story books for children aged six to eleven, fiction for teenagers and information books. The collection can be viewed on our online catalogue (opens new window) under 'Suggested Reads - Children - Books in other languages'.

All these books can be reserved for free from any Wiltshire library, for more details ask at your local library or email: libraryenquiries@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

We will be adding to this collection over the coming months.

BBC micro:bits are small programmable computers. They are free to borrow and just like a book they can be taken out for 3 weeks at a time. They consist of a microcontroller based board with LEDs, two buttons, a compass, temperature sensor and Bluetooth connectivity.

The BBC micro:bit comes in a box along with:

• a USB cable (to connect to a PC, lap top or tablet)
• a battery pack (needs 2 AA batteries)
• a simple start up guide/safety sheet

For more information, ask the library staff or visit the BBC micro:bit (opens new window) website.

A selection of books are available through libraries covering a wide range of topics from the adoption process to parenting an adopted child. These books are for children, families and professionals.

We have a special booklet Books for Adopted Children and Teens that includes stories and information books to support very young children to teenagers. All of these books can be reserved for free from any library or online.

For further advice and support contact Wiltshire Council Adoption Support Team, email adoptionsupport@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

The booklet for Books for Adopted Children and Teens can be found in the downloads section.