Summer bid to get children to pick up books

A reading campaign is aiming to get children to hit the books this summer.
READ ON: Wakefield MP Mary Creagh is supporting  the Summer Reading Challenge, which begins on July 15.READ ON: Wakefield MP Mary Creagh is supporting  the Summer Reading Challenge, which begins on July 15.
READ ON: Wakefield MP Mary Creagh is supporting the Summer Reading Challenge, which begins on July 15.

The Reading Agency is encouraging all primary school children to take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, which launches across England and Wales on Saturday, July 15.

The event is a partnership between The Reading Agency and public libraries across the UK. Last year it got more than 729,000 children borrowing, reading and talking about their favourite books.

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This year’s theme is Animal Agents, based on a detective agency staffed by all kinds of clever animals.

Wakefield MP Mary Creagh is supporting the campaign and went to the launch event in Parliament.

To take part in the Animal Agents Summer Reading Challenge, all children need to do is to head to their local library where they will be given a collector folder to keep a record of their reading journey. As children read at least six library books over the summer, they collect stickers which will help them crack the clues and help the Animal Agents find out what’s really been going on behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Ossett Academy is running a similar event over the summer for high school readers. English teacher Rumana Akudi said: “We are working in partnership with local libraries to encourage students within the area to read over the summer holidays and visit local libraries, in an attempt to promote literacy. The Summer Reading Challenge enables students to pick up a rewards card from our school. For every visit that is made to a local library, the card will be stamped.”

For more on the national campaign see summerreadingchallenge.org.uk.