A British Childhood: How Our Children Live Now

by Frank Cottrell-Boyce

In A British Childhood Frank Cottrell-Boyce tells the story of what it means to be young in Britain today and the consequences of growing up at the sharp end of two major crises – the pandemic and austerity. During his time as Children’s Laureate he visited schools that had been forced to make permanent homes in temporary buildings, where teachers doubled up as social workers, therapists and nutritionists. He talked to children abandoned within the prison system, seen to have forfeited their right to the second chance a good education might provide. He met families shuttled from one hotel room to another as they awaited the outcome of asylum decisions. And he talked to the extraordinary array of people working to change the fortunes of the young people around them.

These encounters prompted him to reflect on his own upbringing in Merseyside, the difference literature made to his early years, and how, during his lifetime, childhood in Britain has been transformed. He shows how the connections we make and the sense of community are so vital to our future adult selves, and how, in the twenty-first century, these connections are increasingly frayed.

A British Childhood is at once a searing account of our failure to look after the nation’s most vulnerable citizens, and a call to arms to all of us to protect the innocence of childhood.

Genres: Nonfiction

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2026

Reviews

[Benedict Ness 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of people call loads of old tosh important. This book, is important.

[Jo Kneale · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not a long book, not a hard read, takes you from birth to the point of adulthood through the places Frank himself and the modern child use. It compares past and present, has some stories about the people Frank has met and a very definite message: we need to talk about Kevin and Claire and Amos and Abdul, Gloria and any other children we have the privilege to be involved with.

Reading is meaning, it shapes and helps us in ways we barely understand. Mr Cottrell Boyce is the Children's Laureate at the moment, and a passionate advocate for reading with children as soon as possible and as long as we can. Access to books, Mazlow's hierarchy of needs and the black hole of online are all covered.

It left me wishing I had time to read at school. Perhaps when I retire. It also left me wishing that the answer to phones and social media in young people's lives could just be open more libraries, play areas, football pitches and meeting spaces so that the physical can compete for virtual.

And take the ipads off the pre-schoolers, for the love of God. Get them on your knee, give them a hug and grab that book. It will do them more benefit in the longrun.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The statistic that remains with me from this book is that over half of children arrive at primary school having never been read a story. Cottrell-Boyce uses stark and upsetting facts like this to explore modern childhood, through his work as Children's Laureate with the charity BookTrust. He is positive and optimistic about children, but sad about the ways in which many of them are growing up, with a lack of structure, certainty, and in some cases absolute basics like beds.

It's an important book, in which he argues for the return of Sure Start centres and for investment in libraries and schools, and above all for spending time with children, enjoying the power of books. It's all very hard to argue with. I can only hope the right people will read his book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank was the children’s laureate as well as having written many children’s books and being a visiting speaker at many schools, young offenders’ institutions etc and he makes the case for the difficulties many young people have and how literature can help.

[Saloni (earnestlyeccentric) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first audiobook on BorrowBox that popped up on my homepage, so I figured I'd just listen to it while I pack my whole life into boxes and suitcases, and channel my anger towards something more virtuous, like, "Why aren't children reading as much anymore?" as opposed to, "Why does my life suck so much right now?!" Unfortunately, it didn't really work because I found the book boring, and I kept zoning out. I also felt that there was a lot of tooting one's horn going on in this book, and I, ironically, can't stand an iota of self-centredness. Even if it's with good intentions.

TLDR of this book is we should encourage children to read more.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to a talk by Frank Cottrell-Boyce at the 2026 Hay Festival, about the importance of the spoken word to children growing up and his warmth and humour prompted me to buy this book. In it, he reflects on how childhoods have changed over the decades and he touches on many of the initiatives he is involved in, in his role as children's laureate, and how they are impacting young lives in a positive way. He is a marvellous advocate of stories and story-telling and I look forward to reading some of his children's books.

[Karen Soole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the work of Frank Cottrell-Boyce and his emersion in the world of story and words. He does important work as childrens laureate which focuses on children within deprived areas. This book reflects that. As such it is very political and narrow in its focus. I didn't finish because I felt I got the idea ... may be a mistake but I have loads of other things I can read.

[Aimée Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up a signed edition of this in the newly opened Toppings book store in York. Having worked with children my whole life, I found this very interesting! Some anecdotes were better than others, hence the 4 stars.

[Alexander Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It should be mandatory for every adult to read the powerful eight page introduction. The world would be a better place if we all showed the same empathy and understanding as Frank Cottrell-Boyce.