The Summer Reading Challenge and the Winter Mini Challenge encourage children aged 4 to 11 to enjoy the benefits of reading for pleasure.

Reading for fun helps children develop a love of books, learn new words, understand how stories are structured and practice their imagination. It can also help them with their spelling, writing and speaking skills.

Reading is important at every stage of your child’s development: they need it when they are learning a language; they need it when they are learning about the world around them; and they need it when they are learning how to make sense of what they see, hear and feel.

There are two ways to sign up to the challenge. You can use your local library where they will provide you with a booklet and stickers to help complete the challenge or you can also sign up online here - https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/join-in and you can get certificates to print off to celebrate the successes as you go through the challenge.

The Summer Reading Challenge is now on! And you take part online or you can also use your local library. For this year the theme of the reading challenge is sports and games and there is a handy list of books they have collected to help celebrate this theme. The reading challenge starts on the 8th July this year in England and the 24th June in Scotland.
Each year, the Challenge motivates over 700,000 children to keep reading to build their skills and confidence. The Challenge is presented by The Reading Agency, funded by Arts Council England, and delivered with the support of public libraries.

Visit a bookshop, explore books online or go to your local library with them.
Choose 5 books together to explore a bit further.
Do they like the look of the covers does it interest them? Read the description of the books together is it a subject story they like the sound off?
Try one of the books together and read parts of it together, can they read the words or are there to many tricky words for them? If there are try a different book. If it is a comfortable level for them, once they finished order or borrow the rest in the series.
Finally enjoy reading.

The categories for the Summer Reading Challenge have been broken down in to Picture, Early Readers and Middle Grade Fiction. Here is some of the books from the selection which we highly recommend:

You're so Amazing by James & Lucy Catchpole
One-legged Joe is often told that he's Amazing Joe or Poor Joe, but what if he'd rather just be . Joe? One-legged Joe is "amazing". Amazing for sliding down the slide, for kicking a ball. Of course, being Amazing Joe is better than being Poor Joe. But Joe doesn't want to be Amazing Joe OR Poor Joe. He's happiest when he's just Joe. The great picture book follow up from What Happened to you?

Call The Puffins by Cath Howe
First in a delightful new series about puffins and teamwork - for readers aged 5+. Welcome to the island of Egg where a group of young puffins are in training to join a search and rescue team. Meet Muffin who is following in her dad's footsteps and anxious not to let him down.
Everything is new. There is so much to learn and new friends to be made. And how amazing to rescue birds and eggs in danger!Muffin and the other puffins can't wait to get started.

Team Pom: Squid Happens ​by Isabel Roxas
Graphic novel – When oddballs Agnes, Roberta and Ruby discover a mutual passion for synchronised swimming, the trio form Team Pom. But between snack time, their favourite TV show and raising pigeons, it can be hard to find time to practice. Tired of their last place, loser status, a crew of self-proclaimed weirdos start their own synchronised swimming club. But on their way to gain the respect and free snacks they deserve, they stumble upon a lonely giant squid in their local pool. Will he be the secret weapon they need to propel them into synchronised swimming super stardom? Or will they end up with ink on their faces? Who are the villainous strangers in bowler hats? And, most importantly, what’s for lunch?