Home | What is Liverpool Reads? | Launch Press Release | Management Committee

When her grandfather dies, Tamar inherits a box containing a series of clues and coded messages. Out of the past, another Tamar emerges, a man involved in the terrifying world of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Holland half a century earlier. His story is one of passionate love, jealousy and tragedy set against the daily fear and casual horror of the Second World War.

Watch a video clip of Mal Peet discussing the inspiration behind Tamar.
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What a day! Thursday 6th March, World Book Day, saw a range of fantastic launch events with author Mal Peet.

Read all the latest news on the Liverpool Reads News page. 

Ask anyone in The Reader office about Bea and they will say ‘Lovely Bea!’ or ‘Wonderful Bea’ or ‘Loyal, hard-working, dedicated Bea’. Ask The Liverpool Reads Committee and they’ll say how amazingly generous with her time and effort Bea has been, consistently working way beyond the call of duty or her rate of pay. Ask Walker Books, this year’s publishing partner, and they’ll tell you how quick to respond, how well-organised she is, and what a pleasure it is to work with her.

So we’re all very sorry to be losing our dear friend and colleague to the Poetry Society, even as we wish her well and look forward to hearing all about her new life in London - and to making interesting working collaborations with her in her new role as Education Manager there.

Bea has worked with us on three Liverpool Reads, and during her tenure the project has grown enormously in ambition, scope and reach… She has done what a creative person does in a managing role, and really created something new  here, always quietly pushing on with new ideas for new kinds of projects in new places, spotting development opportunities and new partners, writing bids, winning money and setting things in motion.

It was a great pleasure to me earlier this year to go with Bea to the Active Age Centre in Clubmoor where we have been running training sessions for people who live or work with older people in that part of the City. As we met, then sat and read with the carers, housing officers and community association members who had volunteered to take Mal Peet’s Tamar out to ( and read it with) their own immediate communities, I thought to myself, there won’t be another Big Read in the world which is so widely and deeply connected to the actual people it serves. Bea has made that happen.

She has made something very real, very practical and very exciting which offers a lot of people a new window onto the world and themselves.

On behalf of Liverpool Reads and The Reader Office, Bea, may I say a very BIG THANKS, and send the very best of best wishes from us all ; come on everybody: hats off to Bea!

Jane Davis

How to get your free copy of Keeper:
1. Pick up the Echo on Thursday 6th March, Friday 7th March or Saturday 8th March
2. Fill in and cut out the coupon and take it to your local Liverpool library
3. Exchange it for a free copy of Keeper!

Don't worry if you miss the Echo coupon - your local library should have additional copies for you to fill in.

Participating libraries: - Allerton - Breck Rd - Central - Childwall - Croxteth - Dovecot - Edge Hill - Fazakerley - Garston - Gt Homer St - Hunts Cross - Kensington - Larkhill - Lee Valley - Norris Green - Old Swan - Parklands - Sefton Park - Spellow - Toxteth - Walton - Wavertree - Woolton.

Get involved

Find out more about the public events we have planned plus some very exciting school and community projects by using this site to navigate your way into this year's Liverpool reads...

We also want you to get in touch, so we've made it possible for you to e-mail us with or without an e-mail account.

If you are a school, community group, youth group, health organisation, etc. and would like to discuss setting up a reading group or reading related project, please contact Bea Colley, Liverpool Reads Coordinator on: b.colley@liverpool.ac.uk  or call 0151 794 2291.

Reader survey

When you have finished reading Tamar and Keeper, please fill in the Liverpool Reads survey. Your answers will help us to gain support from funders for future projects.

Online survey
Hardcopy survey

Liverpool Reads is now a Constituted Organisation with a committee of seven
members. This committee  makes contributions to, and supports the work of, the
Liverpool Reads Coordinator in promoting each year's chosen 'read'.

The responsibilities of the Management Committee members are outlined in the Liverpool Reads draft Constitution document.

There will be many exciting reading groups, public readings and school and community projects for you to become involved in so please keep checking the website for updates.