Libraries across Cornwall and Hampshire have been forced to pull children’s books from their shelves after discovering a website link printed inside was directing young readers to dangerous and inappropriate material.
The Humphrey’s Tiny Tales series by Betty G Birney, a beloved chapter book featuring a classroom hamster’s adventures, contained a web address that no longer belongs to the publisher.
Instead, the website link now leads to malicious phishing sites and even pornographic content with no age restrictions.
Publisher Faber & Faber confirmed the website rotates through different suspicious pages each time it is accessed, with various security services flagging it as dangerous.
Faber & Faber moved swiftly to freeze all affected stock and immediately halt sales and distribution of the books.
The publisher said: “We are taking this matter extremely seriously, and have acted as a matter of urgency.”
Faber & Faber confirmed it has reported the website to the National Cyber Security Centre and reached out to everyone in their supply chain, from retailers and wholesalers to schools and library suppliers.
The publisher is urging anyone with copies to remove them from shelves until replacements arrive, and retailers can return affected titles.
Libraries have pulled The Humphrey’s Tiny Tales series from their shelves after discovering a website link printed inside was directing young readers to dangerous and inappropriate material
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FABER & FABER
The issue has already been amended on Ebooks, the publisher confirmed.
One Hampshire primary school sent a stark warning to parents, explaining: “The link now leads to inappropriate and unsafe material, containing pornographic content with no age restrictions.”
The Hampshire School Library Service has been recalling copies from their collection and from Sora, a popular school reading app.
Hampshire County Council confirmed it has withdrawn all digital copies and is now recalling physical editions from public libraries and school stocks across the county, with all local schools notified.
Meanwhile, Cornwall County Council has temporarily pulled the books so staff can remove or cover the problematic back page.
The Humphrey’s Tiny Tales books are described as chapter books perfect for new readers, following the adventures of “Humphrey, everyone’s favourite classroom hamster.”
Faber & Faber stressed that neither the publisher nor the book’s author has any connection to the hijacked website, and Ms Birney has been informed of the distressing situation.
However, this is not the first time such a problem has cropped up.
Back in October, the Spy Pups series by Andrew Cope triggered similar warnings from school library services about rogue web addresses printed in the books.
