By Priyanka Joshi, Elizabeth Haslam and William Swift
Best known for their books for reluctant and struggling readers, Ransom Publishing specialises in providing accessible and engaging literature for teens and older readers with low reading ages.
Moreover, the illustrations in many of their books not only make them more attractive but also aid in developing reading skills, while the topics, style and approach of the books maintain children’s interest. Many of their books are high-low, meaning the content is appropriate for the actual age of the readers but the text has been written for a lower reading age.
This award-winning press is proud to produce books for all ages, from the youngest children just learning to read to older, struggling readers.
New Releases
The Tales from the Pitch series by Harry Coninx
Tales from the Pitch is a captivating series of twenty-six books, each presenting fictionalised biographies of talented young footballers. The stories offer fast-paced, engaging narratives that delve into the personal journeys of rising stars, from Virgil van Dijk to Raheem Sterling, and players from across Europe and beyond. Readers follow the athletes through their challenges and triumphs and see the sacrifices made in the pursuit of greatness.
Beyond football action, the books emphasise teamwork, sportsmanship and resilience, highlighting the enduring spirit that drives these young talents. With vivid descriptions and plenty of football drama, Tales from the Pitch brings the excitement of football to life, capturing both the highs and lows of the game. Ideal for inspiring young readers, especially those who may not typically pick up a book, this series celebrates talent, perseverance and the relentless pursuit of dreams.
Reading Stars Complete Phonics Pack (Phases 1-5)
The Reading Stars Complete Phonics Pack (Phases 1-5) is a comprehensive collection of 250 fully decodable phonics readers, designed to support children’s reading progression week by week. Aligned with the UK Government's validated phonics programmes, including Unlocking Letters and Sounds, this pack ensures a structured approach to developing reading skills. It features a diverse mix of fiction and non-fiction, complemented by beautiful illustrations and photographs to engage young readers.
With stories reflecting a range of experiences, the pack caters to all abilities and helps every child find themselves in the pages. An extended range of Phase 5 books and specific titles focusing on certain letters and sounds provide targeted practice for those needing extra support. Including twenty-seven wordless titles for vocabulary development, the pack offers real, rewarding reading experiences without compromising quality, fostering a lifelong love of reading and meeting the needs of every child.
Notable Releases
Danger in the Dark by Peter Lancett
One of the shorter titles belonging to the Dark Man series, this thirty-six-page thriller encourages catch-up literacy in teens and adults by using grown-up fonts, sinister storylines and age-appropriate horror-based images.
Embracing not only the skill level of the reluctant reader, these stories also appeal to the interests of their target audience. In this work, published in 2006, demons appearing as men threaten the safety of a young woman. The Dark Man must help her to safety. Although the plot may sound straightforward to some, the text is full of accommodating techniques and is accessible to horror fans at any reading level. This title is both dyslexia friendly and based on the one hundred frequency words.
PIG Leaves Home (For a Bit) by Barbara Catchpole
With an age range of seven to twelve, this fifty-two-page work belongs to a series aimed at increasing literacy in young children who may be neglected by the pace of school systems.
Peter Ian Green, or PIG, stars in a comical series of misadventures, in this case finding himself alone at an airport with someone else’s passport. Dealing not only with the issues children face in an age-appropriate manner - this work touches on PIG’s parents’ divorce and his mum’s subsequent remarrying - these stories also draw children into an exciting plot.
The series totals eighteen standalone titles, all dyslexia-friendly and with accompanying workbooks for teachers or parents.
Meet the Rockets by Tony Norman
This title, part one of its own mini-series, is from one of Ransom’s most popular collections: the Goal! books. In this phonics development book, complying with the standards set for UK educators, supporters of the Sunset Rockets find themselves in trouble at a match.
Meet the Rockets uses full-colour illustrations and captions in speech bubbles to engage the young, struggling reader. Although Tony Norman has written a significant number of the forty-eight titles in this series, several have been written by footballers themselves, both male and female.
True to Ransom’s foundational mission to encourage literacy in everyone, the Goal! series uses a major player in popular culture to welcome all readers.