The Summer Reading Challenge Launch Party – Schedule Announced!
Join the Silly Squad and the Let’s Get Silly Ambassadors for an afternoon (ending with a bedtime story) of family fun!
The Summer Reading Challenge 2020 will launch on Friday 5 June and you can join the Silly Squad on a new adventure by setting your own personal reading challenge to complete this summer. Create a free profile to keep track of your books, reviews, and all of the special rewards you unlock along the way. You’ll also find heaps of super silly activities, quizzes, videos, games and more to keep you entertained at home. This year’s Challenge runs from June to September, so there is plenty of time to take part and get silly this summer.
Join us on Facebook on Friday 5 June to meet our super silly Ambassadors, who will be sharing their favourite silly stories, leading a draw-along to create your very own Silly Squad character, showing us their silliest dance moves, telling their most hilarious joke and sharing so much more silly fun with us all.
Once you have celebrated with the Silly Squad at the Launch Party head on over to sillysquad.org.uk to start your seriously silly summer reading Challenge!
Let’s Get Silly Launch Party Schedule
4.00pm – Sam & Mark (as seen on CBBC) launch the Summer Reading Challenge 2020 and introduce you to the Silly Squad – telling you how you can sign up and start your seriously silly summer
4.10pm – Comedian, author and presenter, David Baddiel, reads from his children’s book The Taylor TurboChaser
4:15pm – Author Gareth P Jones reads from his book Dinosaur Detective: Catnapped! and takes us on a real adventure
4:20pm – Drawing with award-winning author and illustrator Rob Biddulph
4:30pm – Poet and author Joseph Coehlo reads Funny Fish from his book Poems Aloud
4:35pm – President of Libraries Connected, Carol Stump, reads a book from the official 2020 Summer Reading Challenge booklist – You Can’t Call an Elephant in an Emergency by Patricia Cleveland-Peck & David Tazzyman
4:40pm – Crafts, colour and creativity with the original queen of colouring, Johanna Basford
4:45pm – Authors Katie and Kevin Tsang read from their book Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Zombies – including some super silly dress up!
4:50pm – Let’s Get Silly with longest-serving female BBC Blue Peter presenter and author Konnie Huq
4.55pm – Presenter, author and adventurer, Ben Fogle reads an extract from his Mr Dog book series
5:05pm – The British Library shares content from their Discovering Children’s Books website where you can find a whole range of creative activities. In this video, Viviane Schwarz shows you fun ways of developing silly characters
5:10pm – How to Build a Super Silly Reading Den with BBC’s Katie Thistleton and Hacker T Dog
5:20pm – Children’s author Philip Ardagh reads from his book Bunnies on the Bus
5:25pm – Arts Council England’s Director of Libraries, Sue Williamson, reads her favourite poem
5:30pm – Silly Squad draw-along with author and illustrator, Laura Ellen Anderson, who is the Summer Reading Challenge 2020’s official illustrator!
5:40pm – Award-winning comedian, actress and writer Samantha Baines reads from her novel Harriet Versus The Galaxy
5:45pm – Konnie Huq gets super silly with the Silly Squad
5:50pm – Shed School Magic with the nation’s favourite teacher, Mr Bates
6pm – The nation’s favourite comedian and presenter Paul O’Grady will read an excerpt from his favourite children’s book, The Borrowers
6:15pm – Children’s author (and game designer!) Gabrielle Kent reads from her book, Knights and Bikes
6:20pm – Children’s author Jacqueline Wilson shares why you should join The Silly Squad this summer!
6:25pm – The Reading Agency’s Trustee, Subnum Hariff-Khan reads from Roald Dahls Tales of the Unexpected. Subnum has over 20 years of experience working in the public library and museum sector and is currently Library and Information Manager for Oldham Libraries. Subnum is looking forward to having a seriously silly summer with the Silly Squad!
6:30pm – Jokes with our Ambassadors! Including Quick Reads 2020 author Milly Johnson, Samantha Baines, and Konnie Huq
6:35pm – Actor and writer Shobna Gulati (Dinner Ladies, Coronation Street) will read Tiny Ant from the Official Book Collection
6.40pm – Author and illustrator Laura Dockrill shares her favourite poems including her own poem My Mum’s Growing Down as well as one by Benjamin Zephaniah from Talking Turkeys and a Carol Ann Duffy poem!
6.45pm – It’s time to hear the official ‘Let’s Get Silly!’ theme song! Written and performed by Harry Baker and Chris Read
6:50pm – Closing the Launch Party with a bedtime story, actor Charlie Condou (Holby City, Coronation Street) reads This is Gus from the official Summer Reading Challenge book collection
7pm – End
Head to www.sillysquad.org.uk to sign up to the Challenge!- and keep an eye on the Summer Reading Challenge Facebook page throughout the summer to catch even more fantastic videos from our wonderful ambassadors and book collection authors!
