The 2026 Summer Reading Challenge is Read to the Beat, delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with public libraries and powered by Universal Music Group UK.
The theme inspires children to explore the connection between stories and songs, discovering how reading and music both ignite imagination and creativity.
This year’s Challenge is brought to life with illustrations by award-winning author and illustrator, Harry Woodgate. The characters are: Jade, Ezra, Skye, Akiko, Nadiyaa, Patryk, Albert, Moussa, Cinnamon and Bean.
The challenge started on Saturday 4 July 2026 and will continue until Saturday 12 September 2026.
Because it:
•Prepares children to get back to the classroom in the autumn.
•Supports the move into a new year group or key stage.
•Boosts children’s confidence and self-esteem by supporting independent reading.
•Provides free access to books and fun family activities during the summer.
•Creates buzz and momentum, helping children see libraries as positive fun places to go for reading, but also somewhere which offers free activities, and is a safe space with a warm welcome.
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 free, fun activity for children. Nearly 575,000 children and families took part in the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, with nearly 12 million titles being borrowed.
The Reading Agency is a UK charity that inspires social and personal change through the proven power of reading. They work with individual 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.