Summer Reading Challenge 2022

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge is all about science and innovation! The Gadgeteers love creating new inventions and working together to solve problems. Using curiosity, creativity and innovation, they come up with awesome inventions and plan an epic summer party. Children taking part uncover clues about the party as they read their books, collect stickers and add them to a foldout poster.

Gadgeteers starts in your library on Saturday 9th July 2022. It’s free for any child with a library card and a great way to encourage children to read during the summer holidays. There are fun rewards to collect but, best of all, children can choose whichever books they like - story books; comic books; audio books; and information books on every topic.

Register for the challenge online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/src and then children receive a Gadgeteers goody bag at their library. They have all summer to read as many books as they choose. As they read, they add colourful, smelly stickers to the fold-out poster and gradually reveal what the Gadgeteers have been planning for their party. Everyone who reaches their target number of books will be rewarded with a Gadgeteers certificate and medal.

The main challenge is for children aged 4-11 years, but younger children can take part in the Gadgeteers Mini Challenge and collect stickers for sharing

library books. They receive a ‘gold medal sticker’ and certificate when they complete. Grown-ups can choose books for themselves as well. Research shows that children enjoy and improve reading more when adults around them read.

We recruit volunteers aged 14+ to help with the challenge. The volunteers explain how things work, chat with the children about their books, give out rewards and encourage them to come back to the library. This offers young people the opportunity to develop communication and interpersonal skills and give something back to their community.

Visit your local library or www.westsussex.gov.uk/src to find out more.