Opens 4 January 2027 · Made in the UK
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Grow your own little world.
Chapterling is a little creature that grows when you read. Every book you finish builds something in its world, unlocks the next chapter of its story, and sends it somewhere new.
Free to start. Paper books, e-books and audiobooks all count.
- Paper, e-book and audio all count
- No streak shame, ever
- No adverts, no endless feed
- Built to the UK Children's Code
How it works
Reading is the game.
- 1
Read
Start the timer, or log your pages afterwards. Ten minutes on the bus counts.
- 2
Your Chapterling grows
Every read earns XP and coins. Your Chapterling evolves, collects outfits and heads off exploring.
- 3
Your world fills up
Every finished book becomes a landmark, a postcard arrives, and the story moves on.
Pick yours
Three Chapterlings to choose from.
Every outfit, colour and trick fits all three, and you can switch any time.
Classic
Page-corner ears and a bookmark for a tail.
Otter
Floats on its back with a book on its tummy.
Dragon
Tiny wings, big dreams and a growing book hoard.
Your world
Every book you finish builds something.
Finish a book and a landmark appears in your Chapterling's world, designed around the story: a lighthouse for a voyage at sea, a rocket for a trip through time. Tap one to remember when you read it.
- Treasure Island Wharffor Treasure Island
- Time Machine Portfor The Time Machine
- Secret Garden Housefor The Secret Garden
- Peter Pan Treehousefor Peter Pan
- Home Meadow · from book 1
- Lantern Coast · 10
- Starfall Peaks · 25
- Moonlit Isles · 50
- The Great Library · 100
You've got post
Your Chapterling sends you postcards.
After you read, your Chapterling sets off somewhere new: crystal caves, a village market, a lighthouse on the coast. Next morning, a postcard arrives telling you what it got up to.
Stick them in your scrapbook, and find the three souvenirs hidden in every place.
The Lost Library
Read to find out what happens next.
A 110-chapter story starring your Chapterling and the friends it meets: Hoot the owl, Boo the shy ghost, Sir Slowly the snail. New chapters open as you read, about a year's worth.
At the end of every volume you choose what happens, then see what other readers picked. And there are two endings.
Play
Little games, a few minutes a day.
Each one pays out in Story Stones, which you spend on outfits and looks. They're all optional: reading is what makes your world grow.
Daily Word
One bookish five-letter word a day, in six tries. Every reader gets a different word, so nobody can spoil it for you.
Stuck? Take a clue. Solve it without one for a bonus stone, then share your grid of coloured squares with no letters in it.
Story Trail
Every read moves your Chapterling one stop along a winding trail, through meadows, woods and beyond. Every few stops, a game is waiting:
- Word Lantern: guess a five-letter word from the world of your favourite genre.
- Memory Chest: three quick questions from notes you wrote on earlier reads.
- Fortune Teller: guess what happens next in your book, then find out if you were right.
Lantern Village
Build a tower floor by floor with the coins you earn by reading. Start with cottages, bookshops and tearooms, then climb through seaside, candy, enchanted, sky, space and royal floors.
Finish a theme and a new turret appears, with someone living in it. On days you read, the lanterns light up and you can collect their glow.
Make it yours
Dress them up. Do up their nook.
Try anything on before you unlock it. Outfits and looks unlock with Story Stones from games, and some come as rewards for reading.
- 400outfits: hats, tops, shoes, glasses, scarves, capes and more
- 6,174ways to wear each one, with dyes, textures, finishes and charms
- 13colours for your Chapterling, plus patterns, cheeks, ears and eyes
- 120tricks to teach them, from a happy wave to air guitar
The style studio
Tap any outfit to see it on your Chapterling, then make it your own: 14 dyes from Berry to Gold leaf, textures like knitted or starry, a glow or sparkle, and a little charm.
Change your Chapterling's colour and look too, from moss and lavender to starlight and aurora.
Your reading nook
Your Chapterling's room is where it curls up with you while you read. Pick the wallpaper, window, bookshelves and rug, then drag the furniture anywhere you like.
Every 25 glowing words your Chapterling catches while you read, it binds a little handmade book for the shelf.
Kind, never guilty
No streak shame. Your Chapterling never gets sad.
- Missed a day? Your streak forgives you.
- Paper books, e-books and audiobooks all count the same.
- No adverts and no endless feed: just you, a book, and a small creature cheering you on.
- Younger readers get extra protections, following the UK Children's Code.
All year round
Something new every month.
A guest visitor, seasonal outfits and a little reading quest.
- JanuaryFresh Pageswith Hoot
- FebruaryBook Lovers’ Monthwith Posy
- MarchBook Day Paradewith Clue
- MarchBlossom Weekwith Bumble
- MayGarden Readswith Sir Slowly
- JuneMidsummer Nightswith Shimmer
- JulyBeach Readswith Sandy
- SeptemberBack to Bookswith Professor Dig
- OctoberSpooky Storieswith Boo
- NovemberCosy Seasonwith Murmur
- DecemberWinter Lightswith Flurry
Better together
Read alongside your friends.
Add a reading buddy with a code and send each other a bookmark: a little "keep going" once a day. No followers, no likes, no feed.
Price
Free to start. Plus if you'd like more.
Chapterling
Free
- Reading timer and logging
- Your world and its landmarks
- The Lost Library story
- Trips, postcards and visitors
- Reading buddies and monthly events
Chapterling Plus
£39.99 a year
or £5.99 a month, or £79.99 once for life
- Everything in free
- Premium pets and evolutions
- Plus outfits and tricks
- Helps a small UK team keep building
Planned prices at launch. Nothing to pay to join the waitlist.
Oli is waiting for you.
We've sent a note to your inbox. See you on Monday 4 January 2027, with a book.
Questions
When does Chapterling open?
Monday 4 January 2027. Everyone on the waitlist hears first, by email, that morning.
How much does it cost?
Chapterling is free to use. Chapterling Plus adds premium pets, evolutions, outfits and tricks for £39.99 a year, £5.99 a month or £79.99 once. There are no adverts and no loot boxes.
Do I need an iPhone or an Android phone?
Either. Chapterling works in your phone's browser; add it to your home screen and it opens like an app, with reminders if you'd like them. App Store and Google Play versions will follow.
Can I change my Chapterling later?
Yes. Switch between the classic, the otter and the dragon, and change its name and colour, whenever you like. Outfits, progress and your world all carry over.
Do audiobooks and e-books count?
Yes. Paper, e-book and audio all count the same. Listening on the commute is reading too.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes. Chapterling follows the UK Children's Code: younger readers get extra protections, no pop-ups suggesting things to buy, and a grown-up check before any payment. A parent or carer sets up accounts for under-13s. The waitlist itself is for grown-ups (18 or over).
What happens to my email?
We use it to tell you when Chapterling opens, plus the odd update before then. Every email has a one-tap link to leave the list, which deletes your details. We never sell or share it. More in our privacy notice.