To find gold, all you have to do is follow the melody! During May half term, hidden in and around the green spaces of Manchester’s libraries will be 500 copies of Corrine Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On, waiting for young readers to get their hands on.

Corinne Bailey Rae is a Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter who has released multiple albums and toured around the world. Bailey Rae is known for her jazz-infected soul stylings. She also became the fourth female act in history to have her album debut at number one in the US. This year marks the 20th anniversary of her Number One hit single ‘Girl, Put Your Records On’. To mark the song’s milestone, she is releasing a Children’s picture book inspired by the title, Put Your Records On.

Put Your Records On celebrates the infectious power of music and its ability to soothe and energise us when we need it most. Following the Brits and the MOBO’s in Manchester this year, you can find out how to get lost in the music across Greater Manchester down below!

How to take part:

To take part and get your own copy of Put Your Records On, follow Manchester City of Literature and your local library on social media and look out for clues posted each morning on where to find these extra special book packs across each borough. There will be some additional books on the Bee Network, in Spinningfields, hiding in museums and more this year!

To get involved, you can find the clues in your borough through the links below:

Bolton: Facebook / Instagram
Bury: Facebook
Manchester: Facebook / Instagram
Oldham: Facebook / Instagram
Rochdale: Facebook / X
Salford: Facebook / Instagram
Stockport: Facebook / Instagram
Tameside: Facebook
Trafford: Facebook / Instagram
Wigan: Facebook / Instagram
The Portico Library: Facebook / Instagram / Bluesky

Once you’ve found a pack, there will be your very own copy of Put Your Records On to enjoy, plus instructions on how to claim your golden ticket, to be in with a chance to meet Corinne at an event during the Festival of Libraries itself in Manchester! Good luck treasure hunters.

Festival of Libraries

Look For A Book is the introduction to Festival of Libraries, which sees Greater Manchester’s entire library network put on a programme of exciting and celebratory activities. All of the libraries across Greater Manchester are taking part; from historic and internationally renowned libraries like Central Library, The Portico and John Rylands Research Institute and Library to the A to Z of community libraries, which take you from Abraham Moss Library to Z-Arts Children’s Library.