
Big Friendly Read book collections announced
29 February 2016 • News
We're delighted to announce this year's book collection for The Big Friendly Read, Summer Reading Challenge 2016
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29 February 2016 • News
We're delighted to announce this year's book collection for The Big Friendly Read, Summer Reading Challenge 2016
Read more15 January 2016 • News
It's time for libraries to order their 2016 Summer Reading Challenge material. The deadline for orders is Thursday 28 January 2016.
Read more09 July 2015 • News
MPs from across the Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland joined us at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday (9 July) to pledge to encourage children to read over the summer, as part of our world record attempt for this year's Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more07 July 2015 • News
The Summer Reading Challenge is now running in libraries across the UK. Here's how you can join the fun whatever your age.
Read more18 June 2015 • News
Find out more about the partners who are supporting this year's Summer Reading Challenge, helping us start even more children on their reading journey. We couldn't do it without them.
Read more02 June 2015 • News
Join celebrated Scottish author and illustrator Catherine Rayner today at 3:45pm for a storytelling and interactive draw-along event.
Read more27 February 2015 • News
We're happy to announce this year's book collection for the Summer Reading Challenge 2015, Record Breakers. There are two lists - one for younger children and one for older children - with 71 titles between them.
Read more19 November 2014 • Impact • Case studies
This summer, nine year old Ben worked his way through an incredible six Summer Reading Challenges, in six weeks in six different libraries.
Read more14 November 2014 • News
Once again we're working with the fantastic Cressida Cowell to challenge children to read any three library books between 12 December 2014 and 6 January 2015.
Read more14 November 2014 • Impact
It's been another great year for the Summer Reading Challenge with 839,622 children taking part, a 3.6% increase in overall participation on 2013.
Read more29 September 2014 • News
The Bad News: All good things must come to an end. The Good News: Some things end with lovely medal ceremonies, prize givings and cake!
Read more12 September 2014 • News
Natalie, 16, loved doing the Summer Reading Challenge herself as a child, and wrote a poem inspired by this year's Mythical Maze theme.
Read more26 August 2014 • News
In Scotland the Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge starts and finishes a little bit earlier than it does in the rest of the UK, so we are already hearing some great stories from Scottish Challenge completers.
Read more15 August 2014 • News
Across the country libraries' radio frequency identification (RFID) powered self-service consoles have been given Mythical Maze-themed makeover.
Read more24 June 2014 • News
Mythical Maze, Summer Reading Challenge 2014 is drawing to a close - look back at some of the best events, workshops and stories from the Challenge so far!
Read more24 June 2014 • News
Award-winning children's author Lari Don helped launch the Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland.
Read more02 June 2014 • News
We're delighted to introduce the fantastical creatures from the world of legend and mythology who are the stars of Mythical Maze, Summer Reading Challenge 2014, in our trailer video.
Read more20 April 2014 • News
Over on the Summer Reading Challenge website we have a great new competition to keep children busy over the Easter holidays - we are proud to present the Spring Finish the Comic competition!
Read more19 March 2014 • Impact
In 2013, we worked in partnership with Arts Council England's 10 regional Bridge organisations to pilot Arts Award Discover alongside the Summer Reading Challenge in a library setting.
Read more20 February 2014 • Impact • Case studies
The British Council have been running the Summer Reading Challenge in Bangkok for the last six years and the children look forward to it each year.
Read more06 February 2014 • Impact • Case studies
According to Vice Principal of KiiT International School in Bhubaneswar, East India, children no longer sleep on the bus, they read. And it's all thanks to the Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more07 February 2014 • News
We're proud to announce this year's book collection for the Summer Reading Challenge 2014. The theme for this year's Challenge is Mythical Maze and is illustrated by Sarah MacIntyre.
Read more27 January 2014 • News
Hundreds of children completed the first-ever Christmas Mini-Challenge by visiting their library, reading three books and logging them on the Summer Reading Challenge website over the Christmas holidays.
Read more16 January 2014 • Impact • Case studies
James, 9, from Congelton in Cheshire, had never really been a reader; he was a typical boy who would rather play football. But in 2013 he heard about the Summer Reading Challenge at school.
Read more07 January 2014 • News
A new year and a new Summer Reading Challenge! Libraries can now order their promotional material for the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge, Mythical Maze
Read more13 December 2013 • News
Over on the Summer Reading Challenge website the Christmas Mini-Challenge is just kicking off. Children are invited to read three library books between 12 December 2013 and 6 January 2014 in order to earn a special badge and a secret reward video!
Read more28 November 2013 • Impact • Case studies
This summer, thirteen library authorities in the South West worked together to produce a Creepy House inspired dance tour. The aim of the project was to try out a new and innovative approach to enrich children's connection with the Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more27 November 2013 • News
After the success of this year's Summer Reading Challenge we want to encourage children to visit their local library and keep reading over the Christmas holidays.
Read more21 November 2013 • News
We've been looking back at this year's Summer Reading Challenge, Creepy House. It was a fantastic challenge, with record levels of participation and rave reviews from children and parents all over the country.
Read more07 February 2014 • Impact • Research
A record 810,089 children took part in the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge in libraries, a 9% increase on participation on 2012.
Read more14 November 2013 • News
The theme for the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge will be Mythical Maze created by top illustrator Sarah McIntyre.
Read more01 November 2013 • Impact
Some amazing news has been reported by Denbighshire Library Service in Wales. All of the pupils at two schools in the area took part in the Summer Reading Challenge and completed it.
Read more25 October 2013 • News
We're delighted that Caitlin, aged 10 from Leeds, won our second annual Summer Reading Challenge finish the story competition.
Read more30 September 2013 • News
During the summer we asked children to finish short stories started by six well-known authors, including Chris Riddell, illustrator the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more27 September 2013 • News
This year's Challenge has come to an end but that doesn't mean the end of the Summer Reading Challenge website. It's still live and there's loads of fun to be had for children aged four to eleven.
Read more27 September 2013 • News
The Summer Reading Challenge has come to an end for another year and children all over the country have been rewarded for their brilliant efforts with medal ceremonies and parties that will be remembered for a long time.
Read more05 August 2013 • News
This summer volunteers across the country are creating Creepy House decorations, helping children learn to read and gaining new skills and experiences for themselves.
Read more29 July 2013 • News
This year some library services are running Arts Award Discover alongside Creepy House, using 'The House and the Mouse' booklet. Here's Chris Riddell telling you all about it.
Read more18 July 2013 • News
On 18 July The Welsh Government's Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths, officially launched the Summer Reading Challenge whilst visiting Bethesda Library in Gwynedd.
Read more13 July 2013 • News
On Saturday 13 July the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge was officially launched in England and Wales with an explosion of fun, free and motivating reading opportunities for children.
Read more10 July 2013 • News
We're very pleased to announce that D-Tech International Ltd, a leading supplier of multi-media detection and dispensing technology, have become a Reading Agency sponsor.
Read more31 July 2013 • News
In a significant new development, we are delighted to be working with Arts Council England's 10 regional Bridge organisations to pilot Arts Award Discover alongside the Summer Reading Challenge in a library setting.
Read more20 June 2013 • News
The Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland launches today (Thursday 20 June), aimed at inspiring children aged 4-11 throughout Scotland to read more. The theme for this year's Challenge is Creepy House.
Read more13 June 2013 • News
This year's The Summer Reading Challenge is just around the corner. We're very excited about Creepy House and our trailer is just the thing to get you in the spooky mood.
Read more31 May 2013 • News
Frank Lampard will champion The Summer Reading Challenge this year.
Read more06 May 2013 • Resources
Children taking part in both the Summer Reading Challenge and Chatterbooks can now earn Children's University Passport to Learning stamps.
Read more04 March 2014 • News
We are delighted that we will be working with Tesco Bank in 2014 to increase the reach of Mythical Maze Summer Reading Challenge north of the border.
Read more11 March 2013 • News
We are delighted to announce the book collections to support the Creepy House Summer Reading Challenge 2013.
Read more27 February 2013 • Impact • Research
We are pleased that even in these challenging times 750,000 children took part in Story Lab. 427,500 children completed the Summer Reading Challenge, too, earning medals for reading 6 books.
Read more26 February 2013 • News
Each year we select a collection of books linked to the Summer Reading Challenge theme. The book collections contain 'must-have' new reads for 4 - 11 year olds.
Read more22 January 2013 • News
We're all about promoting reading for pleasure to children to help improve their reading skills and confidence and to support initiatives that do this.
Read more05 December 2012 • News
Results of the 2012 Summer Reading Challenge are now all in. We are pleased that even in these challenging times 750,000 children took part in Story Lab
Read more29 November 2012 • Impact • Case studies
Norfolk Libraries set out this summer to help more children take part in the Summer Reading Challenge in isolated communities and where families aren't already library users.
Read more15 November 2012 • News
During the summer we asked children to finish short stories started by six well-known authors in the Summer Reading Challenge's Story Lab Finish the Story (Share the Glory!) competition.
Read more18 October 2012 • News
We're delighted to announce that Emily, aged 9 from Crewe is the overall winner of the Story Lab 'Finish the Story (Share the Glory!)' competition!
Read more18 October 2012 • Impact • Case studies
At Ysgol Esgob Morgan in St Asaph, North Wales, 100% of the children took part in the Summer Reading Challenge and completed it. They were encouraged and supported by Head Teacher Tim Redgrave and their Patron of Reading, Helena Pielichaty.
Read more09 October 2012 • Impact • Case studies
Children taking part in this year's Summer Reading Challenge could count their reading towards Children's University Awards. Find out more about our partnership.
Read more09 February 2013 • News
We are delighted to announce that the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge is called Creepy House and that Chris Riddell will be the 2013 illustrator.
Read more27 September 2012 • News
The Olympics and Paralympics may now be over, but not the medal ceremonies as children celebrate their success in the 2012 Summer Reading Challenge in libraries and schools across the country.
Read more24 September 2012 • Impact • Case studies
Holly (aged 9) and her mum have a joint online blog where they talk about what they have read, both now and in the past. Holly took part in the Summer Reading Challenge this year and wrote this post about how much she enjoyed the experience.
Read more17 October 2012 • News
During the summer we asked children to finish short stories started by six well-known authors, including Jacqueline Wilson and Julia Donaldson. We've announced one winner each week over the past six weeks.
Read more03 October 2012 • News
The Summer Reading Challenge was proud to join in the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad.
Read more30 August 2012 • Research
The 2011 Summer Reading Challenge reached a record breaking 780,000 children aged 4 to 12. Young people aged 11 and over support the children doing the Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more11 May 2012 • News
The countdown to the London 2012 Games has begun and the Olympic torch is on its way!
Read more28 July 2012 • Practitioners Guides
Ensure your pupils return in the autumn term ready for a great start by promoting the Summer Reading Challenge in your school.
Read more11 May 2012 • News
Have you heard about this year's Summer Reading Challenge yet? Well you're in for a treat. It's called Story Lab, and it's all about the power of the imagination.
Read more29 July 2012 • Practitioners Guides
Key information for library staff running the Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more31 July 2012 • Quick Guides • Summer Reading Challenge
Children's reading can 'dip' during the long holidays. The Summer Reading Challenge helps get three quarters of a million children into libraries to keep up their reading skills.
Read more09 March 2018 • News
Discover the books that Reading Hackers will be recommending to their fellow volunteers this summer.
Read more22 February 2017 • News
We're excited to announce the Reading Hack Top Ten Volunteer Reads 2017 These are the books we'll be recommending to the young volunteers supporting the Summer Reading Challenge this year.
Read more18 November 2016 • Showcase • Case studies
Libraries in York made close links with the University of York to recruit older volunteers who were looking for work experience.
Read more09 September 2016 • News
This year around 9,000 young people volunteered in libraries across the country during the summer holidays. Here's what they got up to...
Read more02 April 2015 • Skills and training
Libraries all around the UK are starting to advertise for Summer Reading Challenge volunteers. So, it's time to get moving, head down to your local library, and sign up.
Read more04 February 2015 • News
Read the findings from a study into the impact of volunteering on young people, libraries and the children they support.
Read more13 November 2014 • Showcase
The Summer Reading Challenge has been a huge success this year. Thousands of young volunteers across the country helped out and they are now celebrating in their local libraries.
Read more20 October 2014 • Showcase
North Yorkshire libraries have been working with volunteers since 2010. This year, they worked with lots of fantastic young people, but it was sixteen year-old Katy who really stood out.
Read more15 September 2014 • News • Showcase
Natalie Cotterill is the official Young Poet Laureate for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. She chatted to us about reading, libraries, and her advice for young people interested in writing.
Read more14 August 2014 • Showcase
Involving young volunteers in the Summer Reading Challenge is something more and more libraries are doing and it proves to have fantastic results.
Read more19 June 2014 • Skills and training
The Summer Reading Challenge is fast approaching and soon hundreds of volunteers will be on the lookout for fun activities to do in the library. Share your Mythical Maze activity with us and be in with the chance to win a prize.
Read more05 March 2014 • News
This year as part of the Mythical Maze Summer Reading Challenge 2014 we've decided to provide a list of top reads for the young people who spend their summer holidays as Summer Reading Challenge volunteers.
Read more26 September 2013 • Resources for librarians • Showcase
Reading Activist in Swansea made great use of social media to promote the Summer Reading Challenge. Volunteer Coordinator, Laura Cornish, gave us an insight into how they went about promoting the event online.
Read more25 April 2013 • Resources for librarians
Lewisham Libraries' Service Development Manager Jo Moulton gave us an insight into her experiences of the Summer Reading Challenge and the benefits that it has brought to children, volunteers and librarians.
Read more03 June 2014 • Resources for librarians • Practitioners Guides • Get involved • Summer Reading Challenge volunteering
Find out about the benefits to libraries and young people from taking part in Summer Reading Challenge volunteering.
Read more21 January 2013 • News
Reading Activists from Gateshead, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Warrington and Westminster were invited to a celebration of Summer Reading Challenge volunteering at 11 Downing Street.
Read more02 October 2012 • Showcase
Since summer 2010 Samuel has been a Summer Reading Challenge volunteer at Horsham Library in West Sussex. Here he tells us about his experiences as a volunteer, and explains how the project has helped him improve his CV and boost his confidence.
Read more24 September 2012 • Showcase
Jodie was a second year student at the University of Birmingham when she applied to be a Summer Reading Challenge volunteer at Dudley Libraries. Little did she know that her volunteering would help her secure a paid job.
Read more17 September 2012 • News
On Monday 10 September four young Summer Reading Challenge volunteers met with Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society at Canada Water Library in Southwark.
Read more30 August 2012 • Social reporters
Aparajita, a Summer Reading Challenge StoryLab volunteer, says participating in events like these helps children gain confidence to express their views about the books that they have read.
Read more30 August 2012 • Social reporters
Autumn, a StoryLab volunteer, says forget London 2012, the real sporting event of the summer was the Story Lab Summer Reading Challenge sports day!
Read more30 August 2012 • Skills and training • Knowledge
This summer young people all around the UK have been helping with StoryLab activities in their local public libraries as part of the Summer Reading Challenge. Katie from Redhill has sent us some great new tips for StoryLab volunteers about different ways to get the most out of volunteering!
Read more30 August 2012 • Showcase
Katie, a StoryLab Reporter who has been volunteering in Redhill Library, tells us about her summer.
Read more30 August 2016 • Impact • Reading Ahead case studies
Books had never been Mike's thing but thanks to Plymouth Libraries, Reading Ahead and the Summer Reading Challenge, he now regularly reads with his six year-old son Carlton and developed a reading habit of his own.
Read more17 March 2014 • News
Families will discover the life-changing benefits of reading together thanks to our new partnership with Barrington Stoke.
Read more02 October 2013 • News
Award-winning Irish writer John Connolly has pledged his support for public libraries. He said: "When libraries start closing, something is very wrong with our culture, and I think that in this time of cuts, we as authors we have a duty to support libraries".
Read more16 July 2012 • News
Familes are doing the Summer Reading Challenge and Six Book Challenge together.
Read more25 November 2016 • Media releases
We are delighted to announce today that Animal Agents, illustrated by Tony Ross, will be the theme for the 2017 Summer Reading Challenge. Find out more and read the participation figures for The Big Friendly Read, Summer Reading Challenge 2016.
Read more13 July 2015 • Media releases
This weekend thousands of children and families pledged to use their local library over the summer and help libraries set a new Guinness World Records™ title, as well as celebrating the official launch of the Summer Reading Challenge in England and Wales.
Read more29 June 2015 • Our blog
The latest Read On. Get On. report shows we urgently need to take action to help the youngest children in society to read well. Our CEO, Sue Wilkinson, writes on the importance of working with libraries as well as parents and carers to make this happen.
Read more25 June 2015 • Media releases
The MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning described how programmes like the Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland are helping children and families keep up their literacy skills and read for pleasure in the long break from school.
Read more27 February 2015 • Media releases
We have released our book collection titles for the 2015 Record Breakers Summer Reading Challenge. The two lists, for younger and older readers, feature 71 titles between them.
Read more11 December 2014 • Media releases
After the record-breaking success of this year's Summer Reading Challenge, Cressida Cowell, bestselling author of the How To Train Your Dragon books, today launches our second Christmas Mini Challenge.
Read more20 November 2014 • Media releases
14 November 2014 • Media releases
2014 has been another record year for the Summer Reading Challenge, with 839,622 children taking part.
Read more10 November 2014 • Media releases
We've been working with PTFS Europe to provide a new service which delivers reading lists to your library web site.
Read more17 July 2014 • Media releases
Minister for Culture and Sport John Griffiths A.M and storyteller Michael Harvey have officially launched the Summer Reading Challenge in Wales.
Read more15 July 2014 • Media releases
The Summer Reading Challenge got underway at Exeter Library today with a special event for local primary school children at the official reopening of the library by the Duchess of Cornwall.
Read more12 July 2014 • Our blog
Having joined us in January 2014, Sue Wilkinson is about to experience her first Summer Reading Challenge as CEO of The Reading Agency. Here she writes about her hopes for children to find new books and gain confidence in recommending reads to others.
Read more27 June 2014 • Media releases
Libraries are getting ready to introduce children to an epic adventure that will keep them reading throughout the school summer holidays with Mythical Maze, the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge.
Read more13 December 2013 • Our blog
It's been a tremendously exciting and eventful year for us here at the Reading Agency. As the year comes to an end, we thought it was a good time to look back and remember some of those special moments. Here are our highlights.
Read more12 August 2013 • Our blog
This summer we're running a Summer Reading Challenge donations campaign. Miranda McKearney explains why.
Read more08 July 2013 • Our blog
On 8 July we held an event Number 11 Downing Street to celebrate the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge with key partners. This is an extract from Miranda McKearney's speech at the event.
Read more08 July 2013 • Media releases
We are thrilled to be able to announce that we have been gifted £1m by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Read more20 June 2013 • Our blog
On 19 June an event was hosted by Fiona McLeod MSP at the Scottish Parliament to raise awareness of the Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland, which we deliver with Scotland's libraries. Miranda McKearney gave the following speech at the event.
Read more22 May 2013 • Media releases
On 23 May we were very excited to announce a new partnership with Hay Festival. The opening day of the festival featured a special Summer Reading Challenge event attended by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and 3,000 primary school children.
Read more15 April 2013 • Our blog
Recently our Director, Miranda McKearney chaired a discussion at Capita's Moving English Forward conference for teachers. Here is an extract from her introductory remarks on reading for pleasure in schools.
Read more16 January 2013 • Media releases
The number of young people aged 11 to 24 volunteering in their local library as part of the Summer Reading Challenge has risen by almost half.
Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd joined inspirational young volunteers at a reception at No. 11 Downing Street on 15 January, to celebrate this achievement and to encourage even more young people to share in the benefits of volunteering.
Read more03 October 2012 • Media releases
Parents who want to encourage their children to read more will be relieved to hear that it needn't cost them a penny.
In a Reading Agency survey of 1,110 children aged 4-11 over a fifth (22%) selected visiting the library as the action most likely to make them want to read, compared to less than 2% saying that reading a book on an ipad or kindle was the thing most likely to make them want to read.
Read more10 September 2012 • Media releases
The Reading Agency has today announced that it is working with local authority library services across the UK to create a "Youth Innovation Network" of librarians who together will generate thousands of new volunteering opportunities in public libraries for young people aged 11-25 years.
Read more18 December 2013 • HID History
The Reading Agency was formed in 2002 by Miranda McKearney OBE, Anne Sarrag and Debbie Hicks. Here are just some of the things the charity has achieved since then.
Read more01 November 2003 • Our staff
(Maternity leave) I run the Adult Reading Partners Programme which is a unique partnership between The Reading Agency and publishers.
Read moreSearch for reading groups in your area with this brilliant Reading Groups for Everyone tool, then join one!
Our Reading Ahead Find a Read tool is designed for you to filter the type of book you want, at the reading level you are comfortable with.
Use our Summer Reading Challenge Book Sorter to find brilliant books recommended by other children.