Children’s reading can dip during the long summer holidays if they don’t have regular access to books and encouragement to read for pleasure. This can be a problem for schools to put right in the new term. This year the Summer Reading Challenge in Monmouthshire is going digital to ensure children of all ages can access stories during the current circumstances.

Monmouthshire Community Hubs is promoting the Summer Reading Challenge through social media channels and is supporting children taking part through Borrowbox -Monmouthshire’s free eBooks and eAudiobook service, and through the Request and Collect service.

The Summer Reading Challenge 2020 is called ‘The Silly Squad’ and is a celebration of funny books, happiness and laughter.  This summer, children will meet the Silly Squad: a loveable bunch of animals who run a fantastic fun house but beware, a mysterious baddy is waiting to spoil the fun!

Children taking part online will find out more about the fantastic characters and will unlock digital rewards, activities and video content as rewards for their reading. There will also be a host of social media channels for fun activities and more information.

The Summer Reading Challenge takes place over the summer holidays in libraries throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Developed by the charity The Reading Agency, along with the UK public library network, it is now the UK’s biggest annual reading promotion for primary school aged children.

1279 children in Monmouthshire took part in the 2019 Summer Reading Challenge entitled Space Race. According to the National Literacy Trust Report 2012, only 1 in 4 boys read outside class every day, however, in Monmouthshire 46% of participants in Space Race, the Summer Reading Challenge 2019, were boys. To register for the Silly Squad Summer Reading Challenge visit  https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ or https://cymru.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk