Home › Children › Summer Reading Challenge

Summer Reading Challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge, presented by The Reading Agency and funded by Arts Council England, encourages children aged 4 to 11 to set themselves a reading challenge to help prevent the summer reading 'dip'.

Each year the Challenge, delivered with the support of public libraries, motivates over 700,000 children to keep reading to build their skills and conﬁdence.

For 2021, the Summer Reading Challenge theme was Wild World Heroes, created in partnership with WWF and illustrated by award-winning children's author and illustrator Heath McKenzie.

This year, The Reading Agency is partnering with Science Museum Group for Gadgeteers, a science and innovation themed Challenge that will spark children's curiosity about the world around them. Find out more about Gadgeteers here.

The Challenge will launch in libraries in Scotland and N.I. on Saturday 25 June and in England and Wales on Saturday 9 July.

Children can also join in the fun online, here on the official Challenge website. Finish dates and reward items vary by location, so we recommend getting in touch with your local library service to find out more about the Challenge in your area.

Visit the Summer Reading Challenge website to find out more about this year's programme.

How the Summer Reading Challenge works

Children can read whatever they like in their chosen format - fiction, fact books, poetry, joke books, picture books, graphic novels, audio books and eBooks can all be used to complete the Challenge.

Children receive special rewards each time they finish a book and there's a certificate for everyone who completes the Challenge.

The Summer Reading Challenge is open to all primary school aged children and is designed for all reading abilities. Children can sign up for free at a participating library during the summer holidays.

Throughout the Challenge, library staff and teenage and adult volunteers support children, helping them to explore a wide range of different types of books and enjoy a range of creative activities and events.

RNIB

RNIB Library makes a selection of Summer Reading Challenge books available in accessible formats for blind or partially sighted children, and for children with a print disability who cannot read standard print.

Audio books can be sent on DAISY CD, memory stick or downloaded via www.rniboverdrive.com. Their Kids and Teen page has a list of some of their most popular titles if you're not sure what to read next.

Contact RNIB Library for help choosing books at 01733 375333 or by email at LibraryInfo@rnib.org.uk

Not yet registered with RNIB Library? Find further information and an application form here.

Get involved

Libraries can find more information about running the Challenge in our Library Zone.
If you're a parent or carer, join us on our Facebook page for all the latest news and visit our Home Zone for more info.
If you're a teacher, visit our Resources page to download free materials to help you support children's reading for pleasure and visit our Schools Zone.
Measure the impact of the Summer Reading Challenge where you are, using the Reading Outcomes Framework Toolkit.

Children

Reading for pleasure is more important to children’s successes than education or social class. The Summer Reading Challenge gets three quarters of a million children into libraries to keep up their reading skills and confidence during the long holidays while Chatterbooks reading groups help build a lifelong reading habit. Because everything changes when we read.