World Book Day is on Thursday, March 7 and here’s the free books you can spend £1 tokens on

Thousands of £1 World Book Day book tokens will be handed to children by schools and nurseries this week.

The mass giveaway enables young bookworms to take their token to a book shop or participating supermarkets and swap it for one of 12 exclusive free World Book Day books.

Alternatively the token can be used to get £1 off any full priced book or audiobook instead.

World Book Day takes place on Thursday, March 7 but tokens are actually valid from Thursday, February 15 until Sunday, March 31 or while available stocks of £1 books last.

Alongside distribution through schools and nurseries, tokens can also be found within a range of children’s magazines and are also being handed out alongside McDonald’s Happy Meals.

So which free books will children have to choose from? We take a look below at the special World Book Day stories for 2024 available in this year’s token exchange:

BEGINNING

1.Greg the Sausage Roll: Lunchbox Superhero by Mark and Roxanne Hoyle (aka Ladbaby), illustrated by Gareth Conway

Greg The Sausage Roll is chilling in the bakery when a little boy comes in with his family, looking for something special to put in his lunchbox to help calm his nerves. In the blink of an eye, Greg gets scooped up and before you can say ‘SAUSAGE-ROLL CALL’, he’s off to school for a super exciting adventure.

2.Elmer and the Patchwork Story by David McKee

Do you know the story about the magic biscuit? Neither does Elmer! But the baby elephants want to hear it, so Elmer and his friends race to remember it before bedtime . . .

3.Charlie McGrew and the Horse That He Drew by Rob Biddulph

Charlie McGrew is one creative kid, and when he decides he’s going to draw a pet horse, he discovers he must also find ways to keep his new friend happy.

EARLY

4.InvestiGators: High Rise Hijinks written by John Patrick Green, with Christopher Hastings and Pat Lewis

Crack the case with Mango and Brash in InvestiGators: High-Rise Hijinks, a laugh-out-loud special World Book Day adventure with black-and-white illustrations.

5.Marv and the Ultimate Superpower by Alex Falase-Koya, illustrated by Paula Bowles

When Marvin puts on his superhero suit he becomes the unstoppable, invincible MARV! Marv can run at super speed, fly through the air, and freeze baddies in their tracks, but all these powers are nothing without kindness—the ultimate superpower! This World Book Day 2024, join Marv in five action-packed mini tales as he embarks on his latest adventures

6.Dinosaur Club: On the Trail of the T.rex by Rex Stone (Jane Clarke), illustrated by Louise Forshaw

Jamie and Tess are members of Dinosaur Club – a network of kids around the world who share dinosaur knowledge, help identify fossils, and talk about all things prehistoric. One day, while exploring their home of Ammonite Bay, Jamie and Tess discover a secret cave with fossils all over the walls. They go through a tunnel at the back and discover some dinosaur footprints. When they walk along them, the two friends find themselves back in the time of the dinosaurs! It’s amazing, but dangerous, too – they’ll definitely need help from Dinosaur Club.

FLUENT

7.The Amazing Edie Eckhart: The Friend Mission by Rosie Jones, illustrated by Natalie Smillie

Hi! I’m Edie Eckhart. I’m a little bit different. I have a disability called cerebral palsy, so I talk slowly and fall over a lot. It’s never really bothered me because I’ve never known anything else. It’s the start of Year Eight and there’s a new girl in Edie’s class from America! Edie can’t wait to get to know Mia and her twin brother, Benjamin. This is Thrilling with a capital T! Especially as Mrs Adler sits Mia next to Edie in class. Mia has a hearing impairment and wears hearing aids. She seems shy and Edie knows how scary it can feel to join a new school. Maybe Edie can be the jam to Mia’s jelly? It’s time for… THE FRIEND MISSION!

8.Onyeka and the Secret Superhero by Tọlá Okogwu

Twelve-year-old Onyeka is enrolled at the Academy of the Sun, a school for superheroes called Solari. When she’s sent on a mission with her friends to investigate a series of freak weather incidents in a remote village, they aren’t expecting to find a top secret Solari with extraordinary superpowers. But is this new Solari friend or foe? There’s only one way for Onyeka to find out . . .

9.Loki: Tales of a Bad God by Louie Stowell

After Norse god Loki played one too many tricks in Asgard, Odin banished him to live on Earth as an eleven-year-old school boy. With Thor, Heimdall and the giant Hyrrokkin pretending to be his family, Loki must record his deeds in a magical (slightly sarcastic) diary to prove he’s learning how to become more virtuous. It’s a bit of work in progress.

10.Can You Get Jellyfish in Space? by Dr Sheila Kanani, illustrated by Liz Kay

Join Dr Sheila Kanani as she discovers a weird and wonderful cast of animals who have travelled into space, from Ham the chimpanzee to Félicette the cat, and the 60,000 jellyfish who have orbited the Earth (did you know you can also get jellyfish-shaped galaxies?). You’ll meet the microscopic creatures that can survive in the vacuum of space, and wonder – could aliens really exist?

INDEPENDENT

11.Creepy Creations by Jennifer Killick

Dread Wood High is a school like no other. Angelo and his friends are used to battling horrifying creatures at school – giant spiders that fire poison darts, brain biting worms that burrow into your flesh and vampire birds that drink your blood! These terrifying beasts were brought to life by crazed caretakers-slash scientists, the Latchitts. And they aren’t finished yet.

12.The Doomsday Date by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

On the day before the world is meant to end, Sanjeet dyes his hair pink… He’s determined not to die without ever having really lived, so he’s come up with the Doomsday List – ten things he needs to do before the sky comes crashing down. Sola knows the world’s not going anywhere. But, as Sanjeet’s best friend, she’s decided to help him out. As the seconds tick down to midnight, Sanjeet will need all his courage – and Sola’s – to finish the list. Especially number 10. The one that scares him the most.