Gavin Newlands MP encourages kids to get involved in the Summer Reading Challenge

Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, is supporting a campaign run by Scottish libraries, Tesco Bank and The Reading Agency to encourage children to take part in this year’s Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland.

The annual Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland, run by national charity The Reading Agency in partnership with Scotland’s libraries and Tesco Bank, encourages children to read at least six books of their choosing over the summer holidays.

Research shows that reading for pleasure is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background,^[1] and that children who use libraries are twice as likely to be above average readers.^[2]

The Challenge is a unique partnership between The Reading Agency and public libraries across the UK which last year got over three quarters of a million children borrowing, reading and talking about their favourite books.

This year’s challenge theme is Animal Agents, based on a detective agency staffed by all kinds of clever animals – furry, scaly and slippery – who are out to crack a case with a little help from their friends.

To take part, all children need to do is to head to their local library where they will be given a collector folder to keep a record of their reading journey.  Children that read at least six library books over the summer, will collect stickers which will give them helpful clues to crack the case and help the Animal Agents find out what’s really been going on!

Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said:

“The Tesco Reading Challenge is a great campaign which encourages children to read at least six books of their choosing over the summer holidays, a time when children’s literacy skills traditionally dip. The challenge is free, inclusive and makes reading fun.

“I know parents and grandparents are always looking for activities to keep the kids entertained during the summer and this reading challenge is a great way to do this whilst still helping then to build-up their literacy levels.

Sue Wilkinson, CEO of The Reading Agency said:

“At The Reading Agency, we believe that everything changes when we read and we know from our research how much fun families and children have when taking part in the Challenge. This year we hope the wonderful characters created for us by Tony Ross will inspire more children than ever to take part and make use of their local library throughout the summer and beyond.”