The Summer Reading Challenge, presented by The Reading Agency and funded by Arts Council England, is the UK’s biggest reading for pleasure programme for primary school aged children. Each year the Challenge motivates children to read for pleasure over the summer holidays. Children can sign up for free at a participating library or take part online on the official Summer Reading Challenge website!

From Saturday 8 July children aged 4 – 11 can come and collect their Summer Reading Challenge free fun collector pack, stickers and goodies at a Coventry Library.  At two further visits to libraries through the summer children can collect more stickers to complete their Challenge.  Children don’t need to be big readers to enter the Challenge.

This year, The Reading Agency is partnering with national children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust for Ready, Set, Read!, a sports and games themed Challenge that aims to keep children’s minds and bodies active over the summer break. Find out more here.

I have chosen some of my favourites from this year’s collection.

You’re So Amazing by James & Lucy Catchpole and Karen George is a groundbreaking picture book exploring how we respond to disability.

When people meet Joe, they often treat him as Amazing Joe or Poor Joe. But can’t he just be … Joe?

One-legged Joe is ‘amazing’. He knows this because wherever he goes people always tell him he’s amazing. Amazing for sliding down the slide, for kicking a ball … even walking to get an ice cream, or even just eating an ice cream. Of course, being Amazing Joe is better than being Poor Joe…

Call The Puffins by Cath Howe is a wonderfully warm, witty book to kick off this gorgeous series for younger readers, whether reading at bedtime with a grown up or as an early independent chapter book. Teamwork, resilience and playing to your strengths are all key themes as Muffin gets to grips with life in the colony.

Welcome to the island of Egg where a group of young puffins are training to join a search and rescue team. Meet Muffin who is following in her dad’s footsteps and anxious not to let him down. Meet Tiny whose eyesight is a challenge which won’t stop him for long. And meet Forti who seems so over-confident but is really desperate to impress. Along with their fellow recruits, the puffins must work together to help all the birds on the island.

Johnny Ball Accidental Football Genius by Matt Oldfield is a laugh out loud, relatable tale from kick off to the final whistle.

Johnny Ball LOVES football. He loves reading about it, talking about it, watching it – and he loves playing it too. He’s a good player, but not quite good enough to make the Tissbury Primary School team for the super-huge Under-11s County Cup. But never mind, because their clueless coach, Mr Mann, has a special role for Johnny: ASSISTANT MANAGER! With only Grandpa George’s old scarf, a ‘pocket’ notebook and his brilliant football brain, can Johnny lead the Tissbury Primary team all the way to County Cup glory?

And finally, I was delighted to see Sunny by Jason Reynolds on the list – I am a huge fan of the whole Track Series, which starts with Ghost, about four children from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school running team – a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose and a lot to prove. Not only to each other, but to themselves. Sunny is my favourite of the four books with a rhythmic quality that at times reads like a verse novel.

When Sunny stops running in the middle of a race, Coach asks him what he wants to do instead. His answer is dance, but you can’t be on a track team and dance… can you? With his dad’s expectations weighing down on him, Sunny finally finds a track event that feels like dancing. But as he practices for this new event, can he let go of everything that’s been eating him up inside?

Happy reading!

Reading for pleasure has been shown to reduce stress and improve the mental health and well-being of children and young people in a number of studies, so as it’s healthy schools week, we are celebrating the amazing work children have been doing in their lunchtime book clubs.

Children from Year 5 and 6 have edited manuscripts through Barrington Stokes Young Editors Scheme. We have been lucky enough to work on Calling The Whales by Jasbinder Bilan, and Marvin And The Book Of Magic by Coventry Inspiration Book Award runner-up, Jenny Pearson.

This is a fantastic opportunity for children to not only read books before they are published, but to help ensure they are readable, exciting and entice children to read them. Thank you to all of the children who have chosen to come along at lunchtime to do this, and here’s a message from Jasbinder: “I feel honoured to have this thoughtful and intelligent feedback ! Thank you!”

Until now, Young Editors has only been available to our older children, but having spoken to them about how brilliant it is, they have agreed to put on a manuscript for our Year 3 and 4 readers. I am really looking forward to working with them on Lisa Thompson’s new book due out later this year.

Some of our children in Year 3 and 4 have been working extremely hard to put together a presentation for the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards Celebration Event. We were honoured to be asked to present the award for the Telling Tales Category to Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey for their hilarious book, Bad Panda. You can watch them perform here. I think you can agree that not only are they wonderful ambassadors for Reading For Pleasure, but also for our school.

Unfortunately, neither could make it to the ceremony, but both had sent through lovely messages for the awards ceremony, and Swapna sent through this message after watching the video:

“Oh my goodness!! Your brilliant, brilliant kids!! My heart is so full right now. You must be so proud of them. “

Lily Bailey, who won the Year 5&6 age group – Hooked on Books – said, “The Bad Panda presentation was amazing, so entertaining and I kept thinking “Swapna needs to see this!!” They were brilliant, true pros!!”

Our ambassadors were also presented with the trophies for our Year 5 & 6 Hooked on Books Quiz Team who came third in the schools quiz back on World Book Day. They worked incredibly hard reading all eight titles shortlisted in preparation for the quiz. Although none of us could remember Twitch’s real name until the round was over, I don’t think any of us will ever forget it!

And finally, if you are after some tips on how to encourage your child to read for pleasure, please take a look at this article written by author, S.F. Said, for BookTrust, featuring tips by school librarians who inspire me daily, and one you may recognise.

Happy reading!

Grab your cushions of comfort and get ready to for a grisly selection of books based on Year 1s theme: Monsters!

First, it’s important that we know what we are facing… An A to Z Of Monsters And Magical Beings by Rob Hodgson & Aidan Onn is a cornucopia of monstrous information to satisfy the most curious appetites!

Do you know how to escape from a stalking werewolf? Have you always wanted to learn the difference between a hobgoblin and an imp, and do you know the secret to avoiding the sharp claws of the ancient Eloko monster? Learn all these brilliant facts and more with this guide to the strange, scary and wonderful world of monsters and ancient mythical beings!

Spark meaningful discussions about loneliness, friendship, community and coping with loss with this enchantingly illustrated story about a girl who befriends a monster in The Thing At 52 by Ross Montgomery & Richard Johnson, which publishes next month

He was big and lumbering and a wore a tiny top hat perched on top of his rather large head. She didn’t think he had any friends, so she brought him a flower. It wasn’t long before their friendship bloomed… the Thing was gentle and kind and the adventures they went on were the best she could ever imagine. The girl soon discovered that there were many Things, living all over the place… which gave her an idea. She invited them all to a party, and the Things danced till midnight. Thing had never felt so happy. But one day the Thing had to go and their adventures came to an end. All Things have to go sometime…

In this poignant story, discover how small acts of kindness can grow into great friendships, and how the community you build from those friendships can provide comfort and companionship when you need it most.

Small! by Hannah Moffatt is a brilliantly funny book about finding your feet in a new school, friendship, and foul food.

Harvey is a small boy in a giant world. On stilts! When Harvey accidentally sets fire to his headteacher’s trousers, Mum decides it’s time for a BIG change and packs him off to Madame Bogbrush’s School for Gifted Giants.But Harvey’s not a giant. He’s a boy on stilts. And if his classmates find out, they’ll stomp him into a sandwich

21% Monster by P.J. Canning is a fun, fast-paced, high-octane action adventure, – the perfect page-turning new series for fans of Alex Rider, Percy Jackson and Marvel.

When Darren Devlin is arrested for destroying his school with his bare hands, it’s not just the police who are after him. Enter Marek Masters, 14 years old, 19% alien, and the most intelligent, most wanted “almost human” alive. Marek is here to tell Darren the truth – he is 21% monster, and together they must take down the secret organisation that created them.

Darren and Marek are wanted, powerful and dangerous. And now it’s payback time.

And finally, I’m sneaking in another book that publishes next month. Buy tissues – you’ll need them from laughing and crying! The Boy Who Made Monsters is utterly, heartbreakingly beautiful storytelling, with Jenny Pearson’s trademark laugh out loud humour.

Benji McLaughlin is a visionary. He believes in things that other people think are impossible, like that he and his brother Stanley will be happy in their new home in Scotland, and that the Loch Lochy monster exists, and that his parents will come home safely one day, even though they’ve been missing for months.

When he finds out that his Uncle Hamish’s Loch Lochy tourist business is struggling, and it looks like Benji and Stanley might lose another home, Benji’s not worried. He has a plan. If he can show everyone that the Loch Lochy monster exists, people will flock to come and see it, and the business will flourish again.

Together with his new friend Murdy and Mr Dog, the best dog in the world, Benji sets off to capture evidence of the monster, even if he has to get a little creative. But Benji might end up confronting more monsters than he expects.

Happy reading!

What a fabulous theme Year 2 have chosen – Our Planet! This has been really tricky to narrow down so I’ve gone with illustrated non-fiction to help reduce my options (it didn’t really help)!

Our World: A First Book of Geography by Sue Lowell Gallion, illustrated by Lisk Feng

A read-aloud introduction to geography for young children that, when opened and folded back, creates a freestanding globe.

Children are invited to identify and experience the Earth’s amazing geography through rhyming verse and lush illustrations: from rivers, lakes, and oceans deep, to valleys, hills, and mountains steep. Secondary text offers more detailed, curriculum-focused facts and encourages readers to consider their own living environments, making the reading experience personal yet set within a global backdrop. This informative homage to Earth is sure to inspire readers to learn more about their planet – and to engage with the world around them.

There are a whole host of atlases to explore, so I’ve chosen two that allow us to explore more than just our planet.

Lift-The-Flap Transport Atlas by Christina Webb and Andy Mansfield

Buckle up! This interactive and colourful atlas takes young readers on a hands-on journey all around the world. Discover the stories behind the world’s most iconic vehicles, including the countries where they were invented and the places that they’re strongly associated with.

Each page turned brings a new continent and its famous forms of transport to life. Discover how the first aeroplane took flight in America, the speed at which Japan’s shinkansen bullet trains travel, and when the first hot air balloon floated into the sky of France. Plus we’ll set sail to learn about the longships rowed by Scandinavia’s vikings and the icebreakers that are used to plough through Antarctica’s sea ice.

Featuring over 100 flaps that lift to reveal fun facts and the inner workings of vehicles, this beautifully illustrated atlas will turbocharge kids’ interest in the world of transport and travel.

Atlas Of Dogs by Frances Evans, illustrated by Kelsey Heaton

Explore the paw-some world of pooches in this definitive guide to dogs that’s packed with fun facts and illustrations.

Large continent maps show the origin of 150 weird and wonderful breeds like the Greenland Dog with wicked sledging skills. Plus amazing Pooch Profiles provide size, coat and personality stats. Kids will love this who’s who of dogs!

Wild In The City by Kate Baker, illustrated by Gianluca Foli

Discover the secret lives of more than 30 extraordinary creatures that share our cities. From red foxes sneaking rides on London buses to leopards prowling the backstreets of Mumbai, this book explores the clever ways animals have adapted to the urban environment and explains how you can help protect your wild neighbors.

Crammed with buildings, traffic, and people, urban spaces are the last place you’d expect to see wildlife. But all kinds of animals live alongside us in the hidden corners of our towns and cities-from ants living under pavement cracks to monkeys and spotted hyenas living among locals.

Travel from city to city across six different continents to meet some of these amazing animals. There are tips on where and when you might see them, what signs to look for, and how you can help make our cities more nature-friendly places. You’ll also see the conservation status of each animal, from the species of least concern to those that are endangered.

The Magnificent Book Of The Abyss by Bethanie and Josh Hestermann, illustrated by Val Walerczuk

This book takes us on a journey to a part of our planet that has barely been explored. Dive into the deep to meet its weird and wonderful residents. Get up close to some of the extraordinary creatures that live thousands of feet beneath the ocean surface – from the barreleye fish with a transparent head to the seaworm that drops ‘bombs’ on its enemies.

Intriguing facts accompany every illustration, so you can find out why the gulper eel has an inflatable mouth, how the dumbo octopus got its name and why the vampire squid turns itself inside out.

Happy reading!