Sheffield Libraries once again registered us with the Reading Agency to take part in this exciting activity for children up to age 11 - and it was free!
This year the theme was Story Garden. The characters were Jamal, Jess, Sola, Rhys, Priya , Robyn and Jake. Find out more about them at the bottom of this webpage. There were colouring-in sheets, puzzles and a character hunt in the library and when the challenge was completed we asked children to draw a picture of themselves to put on our Summer Reading Challenge gallery - see picture above.
Stannington Library invited families across Stannington and adjoining districts to take part in The Reading Agency’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, encouraging children to explore the magical connection between storytelling and the natural world with this year’s theme: Story Garden – Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors.
Launching on 5 July in England and Wales, the Summer Reading Challenge invited children up to age 11 to visit their local library, discover new books, and enjoy a summer filled with fun, imagination, and outdoor inspiration.
Featuring beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Dapo Adeola, Story Garden offered young readers a world of stories, creatures, and nature-based adventures. Children could collect a free activity pack that aimed to engage them with reading over the summer holidays.
About the Summer Reading Challenge
The Summer Reading Challenge has been running since 1999 and inspires a passion for reading outside the classroom. With the help of local libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge is accessible to all and provides a fun, free activity for children. Nearly 600,000 children and families across the UK took part in the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge, with over half a million children taking part through their local library service.
About The Reading Agency
The Reading Agency is a UK charity that inspires social and personal change through the proven power of reading. They work with individuals of all ages, communities and trusted partners to share the transformative benefits of reading for happy, healthy and thriving lives. The Reading Agency reaches over two million people a year, but with a UK population of over 67 million that's not nearly enough. They want to get more people fired up about reading because everything changes when you read.