Each year, the Summer Reading Challenge has a new theme. This year, The Reading Agency have teamed up with the Youth Sport Trust to create ‘Ready, Set, Read!’, a Challenge that’s all about sports and games. Children will join a fictional team and their animal mascots as they use their skills to weave their way through a summer obstacle course. 

The Challenge will celebrate play and participation, encouraging children to engage in games and sports in any way that best suits them. It will showcase how reading can be active and engaging, and can itself involve teamwork and community. 

Ready, Set, Read! is brought to life by children’s writer and illustrator, Loretta Schauer

With exclusive incentives to collect and plenty of brilliant books to enjoy, the Challenge is the perfect summer activity to build young readers’ skills and confidence during the long break from school. The Challenge is available in all libraries across Worcestershire this summer. Children can also take part online through the official digital Challenge platform. 

The ‘Ready, Set, Read!’ Summer Reading Challenge launches on 8 July and runs until September 2023. Our library staff are on hand throughout the summer to help with book selection, provide encouragement and host events for children based on the Sports and Games theme.

Visit your local library page to find out what’s happening and when.

Here’s how to take part:

1. visit your local Worcestershire library and sign up to the Challenge for free (participants receive a Ready, Set, Read! pack when registering)
2. set a personal reading goal for the summer (we recommend six books)
3. borrow and read books, eBooks and audiobooks of your choice, library staff are on hand to help with your selection
4. come back to the library and tell us what you’ve been reading
5. collect special incentives from the library each time you finish a book
6. receive a certificate and/or medal for taking part, or for reaching your Challenge goal

At the heart of the Summer Reading Challenge is children choosing and sharing books of their choice, in any format. Novels, fact books, picture books, graphic novels, joke books, eBooks and audiobooks all count towards completing the Challenge and can be accessed for free from Worcestershire libraries!

Find out all you need to know about library membership and access our online library!

Please note: Worcestershire libraries advise parental supervision when Junior library members access the digital library to download ebooks and audio. All library members have access to all content. It is the responsibility of parents and carers to ensure that any content downloaded for use by children is appropriate for the age of their child.

More information about The Reading Agency

The Summer Reading Challenge is open to all primary school-aged children. By introducing the Ready, Set, Read! Challenge in your classroom, you can help us engage children in the Challenge ahead of the summer holidays. There are lots of ways to get involved!

The Summer Reading Challenge can: 

• help to prevent the summer reading ‘dip’ for pupils 
• ensure your pupils are ready for their return to school in the autumn 
• support the transition between year groups and key stages 
• improve language skills, especially for those for whom English is a second language

To help you engage your pupils around reading and the Challenge, there are lots of free resources available on the website: Summer Reading Challenge.

Please visit the Schools Info Pack 2023 to download the resources for your school.

Worcestershire Libraries are on the lookout for enthusiastic young volunteers, aged 13 and above, to embark on an exciting journey this summer.

We have a number of interesting and exciting opportunities for our volunteers to get involved in:

General role - tasks include

Helping libraries prepare for the SRC by designing and putting up displays and special collections of books, helping register children to the challenge, engaging in conversations about their reading choices, assisting in the selection of new books, distributing stickers and incentives, photocopying and organizing activity sheets and aiding children in accessing the SRC website.

Book specialist - tasks include

Developing and maintaining well-stocked displays using library stock, creating a "Who Writes Like" display, providing recommendations for children's reading choices, conducting interviews with library staff for their recommended reads and display suggestions. Promoting reading for pleasure.

Event Planner - roles include

Developing and overseeing competitions and events and planning and helping to facilitate special activities to encourage participation in the SRC.

You can sign up by completing our online form, contacting Worcestershire Libraries or visiting your local library.