Shropshire libraries getting children set to read with fun and games in summer challenge

Children aged from 4 to 12 across Shropshire are being encouraged to join in the fun and games of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge happening across at libraries in the county.

Young readers can join a superstar team and their marvellous mascots, and get involved in the Ready Set Read Summer Reading Challenge which is themed around the power of play, sport, games and physical activity.

Summer Reading Challenge 2023

Through taking part in the challenge, with free materials from Shropshire Council’s libraries and online via the challenge website, children will be encouraged to keep their minds and bodies active over the summer break.

The characters – brought to life by children’s author and illustrator Loretta Schauer – navigate a fictional summer obstacle course and track their reading as they go, rewarded by free incentives including stickers.

Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and digital, said:-

“Our libraries are an excellent resource for people looking of ways to keep children entertained, especially during the school holidays.

“The Ready Set Read Summer Reading Challenge is a fun and engaging way to keep children interested in reading, especially when they can suffer a ‘dip’ in reading skills, and the theme will also help keep them active.

“It looks like it’s going to be another fun project and it would be great to see if we could beat the record number of 3, 300 Shropshire readers who signed up last year.”

Shropshire Council’s libraries service will be running Summer Reading Challenge activities and events at all its branches from Saturday 8 July until Friday 15 September 2023.

The Summer Reading Challenge has been running since 1999 and helps to improve children’s reading skills and confidence over the summer holidays, ensuring they are ready for their return to school.

In 2022, the Summer Reading Challenge reached 723,184 children and families across the UK, with 608,015 children taking part through their local library service, a 31% increase compared to 2021. The challenge also drove 132,223 new children’s library memberships which is 40% higher than the 2019 pre-pandemic total.

Karen Napier, CEO, The Reading Agency, said:-

“We’re delighted to see how library partners across the country are organising their own events and activities to support this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. We are really looking forward to working closely with them to help get children reading, imagining, and staying active this summer.”

Alongside the Summer Reading Challenge, Shropshire libraries staff and volunteers will be running family-friendly activities throughout the summer. To find out how you can get involved or visit: https://shropshire.gov.uk/libraries/library-events/