Inspire, which delivers libraries on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council,  has launched its annual free Summer Reading Challenge, hoping to top last year’s figure of 10,000 children taking part. 

 This year’s challenge has been created in collaboration with arts charity Create and celebrates creativity, imagination, and the power of reading.    

With free packs from public libraries, children will be able to join six fictional characters – the Marvellous Makers – who are busy getting creative for a big festival, but the objects they need have mysteriously disappeared. By reading library books, children will help the friends find the objects they need to complete their creations. 

To take part, all children need to do is to head to their local library where they will be given a collector poster to keep a record of their reading journey. Children choose the books they want to read on their challenge; stories, fact books, joke books – all reading counts! There’s a certificate and medal for every child who completes the challenge by reading six books, plus a pack of colouring pencils, funded by Arc Partnership.  

Peter Gaw, Inspire chief executive, said: “The Summer Reading Challenge is a great scheme to encourage children to keep up the reading habit over the summer. We are delighted to be able to deliver it again this year from our libraries. We know from the feedback we receive from children and families that the challenge can inspire and enhance a love of reading which can support children through their school years and beyond.”

Dan Maher, managing director at Arc Partnership, added: “As a Nottinghamshire-based business working across the region, Arc Partnership is proud to work closely with Inspire to support initiatives like the Summer Reading Challenge, which provides unique benefits to the local community and opportunities across the region. The Summer Reading Challenge is an excellent initiative which, in a digital age, highlights the benefits of picking up a book and getting lost in a story. It encourages thousands of children each year to read more, develop literacy skills and have fun while doing so.”

Marvellous Makers will be running in Inspire libraries until 1st September.