Bookmark the Holidays: The Story Garden Reading Adventure Starts Now

Summer holidays are here - cue the cries of “I’m bored!” echoing through the house before breakfast. But fear not, weary grown-ups, because the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge has arrived to save the day (and your sanity). Best bit? It’s completely FREE.

Open to all bookworms-in-training aged 4 to 11, this annual adventure turns reading into a full-on holiday quest. Whether your child’s into fairy tales, facts about frogs, or graphic novels featuring farting aliens (no judgement), anything goes - if it’s got words, it counts.

So, what’s the deal?

This year’s theme is Story Garden - Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors, and it’s blooming brilliant. Think magical creatures lurking in hedgerows, secret stories under stones, and wild tales blowing in the wind. It’s all about sparking imaginations, making reading fun, and giving children a reason to swap screens for stories.

What do kids get?

Aside from an escape into new worlds? There are free rewards! Every book they read earns them goodies like:

• A colourful bookmark

• A snazzy pop badge

• And a proudly-earned wooden medal for completing the challenge

  
  

Why get involved?

It’s a chance for children to grow in confidence, keep their reading skills ticking over during the holidays, and discover just how brilliant stories can be. Whether your child is already a book lover or just starting to find their reading feet, this Challenge makes it fun and pressure-free.

They can dive into books at their own pace, in their own way - curled up on the sofa, perched under a tree, or reading by torchlight under a blanket. It’s reading, but with a sense of adventure.

Sign up today at your local library and let the summer adventures begin. Click here to find your local library.