We're delighted to announce this year's book collection for The Big Friendly Read, Summer Reading Challenge 2016

It's time for libraries to order their 2016 Summer Reading Challenge material. The deadline for orders is Thursday 28 January 2016.

Find out how this year's Summer Reading Challenge unfolded in our Storify.

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.

The Summer Reading Challenge is now running in libraries across the UK. Here's how you can join the fun whatever your age.

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.

Join celebrated Scottish author and illustrator Catherine Rayner today at 3:45pm for a storytelling and interactive draw-along event.

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.

This summer, nine year old Ben worked his way through an incredible six Summer Reading Challenges, in six weeks in six different libraries.

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.

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.

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!

Natalie, 16, loved doing the Summer Reading Challenge herself as a child, and wrote a poem inspired by this year's Mythical Maze theme.

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.

Across the country libraries' radio frequency identification (RFID) powered self-service consoles have been given Mythical Maze-themed makeover.

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!

Award-winning children's author Lari Don helped launch the Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland.

This year's Mythical Maze-themed Summer Reading Challenge will have an extra special new dimension to it, thanks to the hard work and digital magic of SOLUS.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A new year and a new Summer Reading Challenge! Libraries can now order their promotional material for the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge, Mythical Maze

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!

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.

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.

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.

A record 810,089 children took part in the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge in libraries, a 9% increase on participation on 2012.

The theme for the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge will be Mythical Maze created by top illustrator Sarah McIntyre.

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.

We're delighted that Caitlin, aged 10 from Leeds, won our second annual Summer Reading Challenge finish the story competition.

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.

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.

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.

This summer volunteers across the country are creating Creepy House decorations, helping children learn to read and gaining new skills and experiences for themselves.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Frank Lampard will champion The Summer Reading Challenge this year.

Children taking part in both the Summer Reading Challenge and Chatterbooks can now earn Children's University Passport to Learning stamps.

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.

We are delighted to announce the book collections to support the Creepy House Summer Reading Challenge 2013.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

We are delighted to announce that the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge is called Creepy House and that Chris Riddell will be the 2013 illustrator.

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.

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.

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.

The Summer Reading Challenge was proud to join in the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad.

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.

The countdown to the London 2012 Games has begun and the Olympic torch is on its way!

Ensure your pupils return in the autumn term ready for a great start by promoting the Summer Reading Challenge in your school.

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.

These resources are available to library staff who are running the 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.