Miranda McKearney writes about our Summer Reading Challenge donations campaign.

Helping children to love reading

Children who struggle with reading have a hard time - it's vital the problem is tackled in their formative years.

As a charity we specialise in interventions that help children really love reading, because time after time research shows how important reading for pleasure is for developing the literacy skills that can help children break out of a disadvantaged start in life. Reading for pleasure is strongly linked to social mobility. And yet a deeply alarming 40% of our young people say they don't enjoy reading.

Make a difference

We're asking for donations to ensure all children, whatever their circumstances, get the chance to join the Summer Reading Challenge, a crucial reading for pleasure intervention from librarians, the people who really know how to turn children on to reading.

The Summer Reading Challenge has a simple magic - it makes reading really really fun by challenging children to join the library and read six books in the long break from school, a time when literacy levels dip and disadvantaged children can drop further behind. This year's theme is Creepy House and hundreds of thousands of children are taking part.

Research from the United KIngdom Literacy Association shows that taking part in the Challenge increases children's reading skills and confidence and helps combat the summer dip.

Make a donation

Your donation will help ensure the Summer Reading Challenge's impact reaches the children who need it most -

• £3.00 could help three disadvantaged children complete the Summer Reading Challenge
• £15 could help pay for the resources needed to reach children in disadvantaged areas
• £50 could help five young people become volunteers to inspire disadvantaged children to participate.

You can donate £3 by texting READ06 £3 to 70070 and you can donate any value by visiting our JustGiving page.

Changing attitudes

You can imagine that with so many children taking part in the Challenge we're flooded with excited messages on the Summer Reading Challenge website. Recently we had one from a nine year old who said: "This is my first time I've done the Summer Reading Challenge. I used to hate books but now I love them. Thank you."

Here was a child who'd got to all the way to nine and hated books. Books, with all the glorious richness so many of us take for granted - a source of joy, inspiration, learning, comfort, escape...imagine hating them.

Get involved

Please help us ensure every single child gets the chance to fall in love with reading. Because everything changes when we read.