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2025 Summer Reading Challenge

Our Summer Reading Challenge

starts on

Saturday 5 July 2025

and finishes on

Saturday 13 September 2025

Sheffield Libraries have once again registered us with the Reading Agency to take part in this exciting activity for children up to age 11 - and it is free!

This year the theme is Story Garden. The characters are Jamal, Jess, Sola, Rhys, Priya , Robyn and Jake. Find out more about them in the library and/or at the bottom of this webpage.

What do you have to do to take part?


Meet the Characters:


Why do we have a Summer Reading Challenge?

Stannington Library is inviting 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 invites 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 offers young readers a world of stories, creatures, and nature-based adventures. Children can collect free activity packs, take part in nature-themed events, and borrow specially selected books — all designed to keep them curious, active, and engaged 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.

STAND was formed in 2013 after Sheffield City Council announced its decision to close sixteen libraries (including Stannington) unless volunteers took them on. STAND was registered as a charity in 2014 and is funded by grants, donations and fund-raising activities. The library is run by a team of dedicated volunteers.