Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

Guides
What's on
Where to go
See all

Look for a Book

Shekina Rose, Families Editor

Visit now

Look for a Book

Spinningfields, Manchester People’s History Museum, City Centre
23 May-1 June 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Free
An image of Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a black middle-aged woman with long hair in a red top, looking directly at the camera with a warm expression. Look for a book
Lovelight Photography and Manchester City of Literature
Book now

Blast off into family fun at Manchester’s Festival of Libraries, returning in 2025 with an out-of-this-world line-up. From Wednesday 4 June to Sunday 8 June, libraries across Greater Manchester will be buzzing with free family-friendly events, from games and performances to arts and crafts, exhibitions, storytelling trails, and more, all themed on space, stars, and stories…

To kick things off, the festival launches the Look for a Book challenge – and this year, it’s gone galactic! Teaming up with renowned space scientist and author Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, families are invited to join a treasure hunt like no other. 

From Friday 23 May to Sunday 1 June (just in time for half-term), 500 copies of Maggie’s book Am I Made of Stardust? will be hidden across the city, in places like local libraries and parks in Spinningfields, the People’s History Museum and even the Bee Network. Keep your eyes peeled and your clues to hand…

Solve riddles and follow the clues, and (this is the best bit) the lucky winners will have the chance to meet Dame Maggie in person during the festival! Maggie has an incredible list of achievements – she was the first Black woman to receive a gold medal in the Physics News Award, has presented on CBeebies, and was celebrated with her own Barbie doll in recognition of her efforts to inspire girls to pursue careers in science.

The Festival of Libraries, supported by Arts Council England, features an amazingly packed programme that celebrates the library network’s (all 133 of them!) full offer, looking at wellbeing, culture and creativity, digital and information, and, of course, reading and books! The festival offers a special opportunity to show your children and remind yourselves, as adults, just how magical libraries can be. It’s a celebration of stories, creativity and community  and – to top it off – all the activities taking place within it are completely free. 

So pack your imaginations, grab your space boots, and get ready to discover the galaxy of wonders waiting in your local library, starting with Look for a Book….

Accessibility

  • British Sign Language
  • Captioned

Featured in

Toddler standing on grass with a paintbrush in hand turning to the right to look at the camera. He is wearing a navy blue rainsuit with a burgundy and navy blue long sleeved tiop underneath. He is standing in front of large cream coloured sheets that have been strung up on a washing line. The sheets have mud marks making on.
Free family things to do in Manchester

The world’s at your fingertips with free history, art, science and creative capers for all ages in Manchester.
Mother and daughter play with smell interactive_Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Things to do over October half term

Looking for things to do with the family over the Easter school holidays? We’ve got you covered.

Where to go near Look for a Book

Proloco
Manchester
Restaurant
Proloco

Honest Crust’s Richard Carver and Rainy Heart’s Dan Hope join forces at Proloco, a music-led Ancoats restaurant serving 18-inch pizzas and seasonal plates.

City Centre
Restaurant
GiGi Gusto Griglia

GiGi is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1950s décor and a menu that sticks to the classics.

Blackburn
Restaurant
Northcote

Northcote’s Michelin-starred restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the Ribble Valley. We get a first look at the new autumnal menu.

Cumbria
Restaurant
Pentonbridge Inn

Pentonbridge Inn is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in north Cumbria. Eight courses of bunkum-free fine dining from head chef Chris Archer.

Manchester
Restaurant
Dahlia Stereo

Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.

Balance Taproom
Manchester
Restaurant
Balance Taproom

Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.

Richard Hards ‘Strangeways’
Manchester
Gallery
Moon Grove

A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.

In Focus: Chinese Contemporary Art.
Manchester
Gallery
New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery

New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery opened in 2016, providing a permanent space to showcase the University of Salford Art Collection within the New Adelphi School of Arts and Media.

Cumbria
Restaurant
1863 Restaurant

1863 offers a seven-course Lake District tasting menu that overdelivers at every turn. Cumbrian ingredients, clever ideas and classical cooking techniques.

City Centre
Bar or Pub
Schofield’s Bar

Schofield’s could be Manchester’s most grown-up bar. Very precise drinks in an upmarket city centre venue. It’s not cheap, hey, but true class costs.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

See all places

What's on: Families

Culture Guides

Nwando Ebizie and Sidiki Dembélé wear jewel-toned clothes against a midnight blue backdrop.
Music

Returning legends, their noisy heirs and centuries-old music made new – all in our latest guide update.

Food and Drink in the North

It's autumn and time to get scheduling those hearty meals. Here's the October guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Exhibitions

It’s a good season for contemporary art fans in Manchester, with many of our favourite small galleries launching something big.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre

Shakespearean tragedy, indie musical theatre, live art and beautifully strange dance-theatre – four standout picks for autumn.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

See all guides