Eight-year-old child author, literacy advocate, Mensa member and BBC Blue Peter Gold Badge holder Jayce Joyce has officially been recognised by Guinness World Records after becoming the world’s Youngest Editor of a Published Anthology.
The record-breaking achievement was awarded following the publication of Our Stories Our World, a unique anthology featuring twenty original stories written by twenty children from across the UK. The publication represents the UK’s first nationally curated child-led anthology and places Jayce among an elite group of young Guinness World Records title holders recognised for literary achievements.
The anthology, which spans 50 pages, took 8 months to create and was developed following a nationwide search to find Britain’s next generation of young storytellers.
Featuring stories including One Big Awesome World, Najita and the Disappearing Handbag, Racism in Football and Veda’s Big Indian Adventure, the book celebrates imagination, diversity, creativity and inclusion through children’s voices. The anthology was inspired by the legacy of celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah, with entries judged by award-winning educator Juliet Bremmer and author and illustrator Kate Rafiq before being professionally published by Jayce’s World.
The achievement comes at a critical time for children’s literacy in the UK. Research from the National Literacy Trust shows that children’s enjoyment of reading is now at one of its lowest levels in almost two decades, with fewer children choosing to read for pleasure in their spare time.
Experts increasingly point to rising screen time, social media and digital entertainment as major factors behind the decline, with children now spending more time consuming content on devices than creating stories of their own.
Jayce hopes his record-breaking achievement can help reverse the trend.
Jayce’s own love of books began long before he became an author. From just two months old, he showed an unusual fascination with books, colours and printed words. By fifteen months, his passion for reading and writing had become unmistakable, with walls around the family home quickly becoming covered in his words and drawings before his creativity eventually extended outdoors. By the age of four, Jayce had already published his first two books simultaneously, becoming the world’s youngest author to publish a book series at the same time.
His family recognised early that literacy was much more than simply a hobby.
Today, alongside his Guinness World Records title, Jayce is a Mensa member with an IQ score of 150 and has received national recognition for his contribution to children’s literacy and community engagement, including the British Citizen Youth Award Medal of Honour, the BBC Blue Peter Badge, the prestigious BBC Blue Peter Gold Badge and a personal letter of congratulations from Her Majesty Queen Camilla. Jayce was also recently longlisted for the Children’s Booker Prize Child Judge 2027.
What began as a single anthology has now evolved into Books from Children to Children, the UK’s first national child-led literacy movement, empowering children to become readers, writers, published authors, literacy advocates and future leaders. Through school visits, workshops, literary festivals, story time sessions and community initiatives, Jayce continues to champion early literacy, diversity and inclusion by ensuring children’s voices are heard.
Jayce Joyce said: “I’m incredibly proud to have achieved a Guinness World Records title, but what makes me happiest is knowing that children across the country are seeing their stories published.”
“Reading and writing have given me confidence, helped me express myself and allowed me to share my ideas with the world. I want every child to know that their voice matters.”
“Children spend so much time on screens today, but writing stories allows them to use their imagination, build confidence and be creative. Children shouldn’t just read stories they should create them too.”
Our Stories Our World Anthology Series Authors