The Winter Mini Challenge encourages children to keep up their reading habits over the winter holidays, with a free-to-access website featuring rewards and incentives for reading and reviewing books.

UPDATE: We're delighted to announce we have decided to extend the Winter Mini Challenge! The Challenge will now run until Friday 19 February 2021. Read on to find out more about this year's Challenge!

Over the school holidays children can experience a 'dip' in reading skills and learning, and due to the disruption to education caused by Covid-19, this year is set to have an even greater impact on learning loss.

This winter we are very excited to team up with award-winning inclusive publisher Knights Of  to run an Everyone Is A Hero themed Mini Challenge to celebrate heroes in all their forms and keep children reading this winter.

The Winter Mini Challenge starts on Tuesday 1 December 2020 and finishes on Friday 19 February 2021.

Everyone Is A Hero!

This year's Mini Challenge features characters from books published by Knights Of, including those from Knights and Bikes (written by Gabrielle Kent; illustrated by Rex Crowle), High-Rise Mystery (written by Sharna Jackson; illustrated by Wumzum), and the Run series (written by Jason Reynolds; illustrated by Selom Sunu).

Knights Of have also created a special booklist of their favourite titles to try during the Challenge. The list is full of heroes that inspire, challenge and push the definition of what it means to be a hero. There is something for every age - from early years to middle grade - and even some recommendations for teens and young adults who'd like to get heroic too!

How can children take part in the Winter Mini Challenge?

The Winter Mini Challenge is run through our year-round children's website.

To take part, children simply read three or more books - these can be any books of their choice. Every time they finish a book, they add it to their Challenge website profile and leave a short book review.

Reaching their online reading goal will unlock a virtual badge and a special Everyone Is A Hero certificate to print off and keep!

We'll also have a whole host of fun activities, videos and reading recommendations, plus an exciting competition.

Children can visit the Winter Mini Challenge website at  www.wintermini.org.uk  from 1 December 2020 to start rating and reviewing their books and enjoying the online activities.

Get involved

Visit our Shop to download your free Winter Mini Challenge resources pack (also available in Welsh). The pack includes promotional posters, social media assets and a communications toolkit so you can start building the excitement amongst your young readers! It also includes a Winter Mini Challenge completer's certificate, so you can prepare to join in the fun in your library, school, reading group, activity club, or at home. Check back again soon for a themed reading record and activity sheets.

You can keep up to date with all of The Reading Agency's latest children's activities and offers by following us on Facebook or following the hashtag #WMC2020.

Artwork credit: Marssaié Jordan, Rex Crowle, Wumzum and Selom Sunu