| Founded | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Patience Thomson and Lucy Juckes |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Headquarters location | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Distribution | Bounce Sales and Marketing |
| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | Children's & teens nonfiction |
| Fiction genres | Children's & teens fiction |
| Official website | www |
Barrington Stoke[1] is a children's book publisher based inEdinburgh,Scotland. The company was founded in 1998 and publishes fiction and non-fiction adapted to different reading ages for reluctant, under-confident anddyslexic children and teens. The books are printed on cream paper to reduce glare and language-edited to increase readability. The text is a specially-adapted dyslexia-friendly font, with a considered layout and numerous chapter breaks.[2]
Barrington Stoke was awarded Publisher of the Year in 2007 by the Independent Publisher’s Guild.[3] In 2020, Barrington Stoke had its first CILIPCarnegie Medal winner withLark byAnthony McGowan.[4]
Barrington Stoke was founded by Patience Thomson and Lucy Juckes in 1998.[2] Thomson was a principal of a specialist school for dyslexic students and Juckes had held a marketing role withBloomsbury Publishing. They identified children and young people excluded from books due to dyslexia or other reading issues. The pair then formed Barrington Stoke in Juckes’ living room, with an aim to produce books with a different design and editorial approach, along with a shorter format to support less able readers.[5]
Barrington Stoke publishes well-known children's authors such asKevin Brooks,Terry Deary,Elizabeth Kay, Anthony McGowan,Robert Swindells,Lisa Thompson,Onjali Q Raúf andDiana Wynne Jones. The company also publishes previousChildren’s Laureates such asAnne Fine,Michael Morpurgo,Malorie Blackman,Michael Rosen,Julia Donaldson andLaureate na nÓgEoin Colfer. Some authors better known for writing for adults also write for Barrington Stoke, includingEric Brown,Allan Guthrie,James Lovegrove andGwyneth Jones writing asAnn Halam.
Barrington Stoke launched its Picture Squirrel imprint in 2014 after a dyslexic father lamented the fact that he could not read to his daughter.[6]Michael Morpurgo was the first children's author to join Barrington Stoke's picture book list.
In 2015 the company ventured into digital and launched Tints, a dyslexia-friendly reading app that allowed its specially-designed books to be accessed via tablets.
