Summer Reading Challenge
Marvellous Makers
This year's Summer Reading Challenge for children, Marvellous Makers, is back!
The Summer Reading Challenge is free, open to all primary school aged children and is designed for all reading abilities.
Children have until Saturday 7 September to sign up at the library, and to work towards earning their free rewards, medal and certificate. They can join up and borrow books from any of our libraries in Kent, including our mobile library stops
They can also choose to join in with the online Challenge, setting their own reading targets via the Marvellous Makers website
We'll be adding updates, book recommendations and new activities to this page all summer and we'll also be holding a load of free children's activities across Kent in our libraries! Explore what's on and book your place now
Not a member of the library yet? You can sign your family up the library online today
Clare & Sarah Introduce Marvellous Makers!
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The Summer Reading Challenge, presented by The Reading Agency and funded by Arts Council England, encourages children to read for pleasure during the summer holidays, which helps prevent the summer reading 'dip' while out of school.
Each year the Challenge motivates over 700,000 children across the UK to keep reading to build their skills and confidence. All children aged 4 to 11 can take part!
Children can read whatever they like: fiction, fact books, poetry, joke books, picture books, graphic novels, audiobooks, e-Magazines and e-Books, all free to borrow with a library card. Check out our recommended reads below, and start ordering their favourite titles to collect from your local library.
You can reserve items from our online catalogue for free with a child's library card! Order in titles from any of our libraries in Kent and we'll get it to your chosen library asap! If you've confirmed your home address with us at a library, you can borrow up to 30 titles on each library card plus even more via our eLibrary apps.
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Children can join the Summer Reading Challenge at their local library from Saturday 6 July, and there are amazing rewards on offer as they complete each stage (while stocks last)!
- When they sign up children will receive their free Marvellous Makers booklet where they can record all the books that they read for the Summer Reading Challenge.
- Stage one is completed when they have read at least two books. When they complete this stage and visit us at the library, children will receive scratch and sniff stickers to put into their booklet, and a reward!
- Stage two is completed when they have read at least four books. When they complete this stage children will receive a different set of stickers for their booklet, and another prize!
- Stage three is completed when they have read at least six books. This is the final stage, where children will receive the last set of stickers to complete their booklet, a medal and a certificate of completion!
If children have finished their Summer Reading Challenge at the library and would like to read more books, why not also join in online? There are lots of games, rewards and activities to discover and no limit to the amount of books children can record.
Children can visit any library in Kent to collect a certificate and medal when they have completed the Summer Reading Challenge. Please note, we are only able to give out one medal and certificate per child even if they have completed the Summer Reading Challenge both at the library, and online.
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Recommended Reads | Explore our eLibrary
Did you know that you have FREE access to thousands of eBooks, Audiobooks, eComics and more with your library card?
Read or listen on your PC, laptop, tablet and smartphone, plus some smart speakers and eReaders including Kobo, Nooks and Kindle Fire!
Download the Libby app, the uLibrary app and the BorrowBox app for free from the App Store or Google Play Store and log in with your library card details.
Forgotten your PIN? You can easily reset your PIN online.
Events and Activities
Libraries will be hosting loads of free children's activities across Kent throughout the summer!
Check our events listings to see what's on near you
More family fun with Kent Libraries
Looking for more free activities to keep little ones entertained this summer? Search our website
Take a look below at some of our online events and activities from past Summer Reading Challenges!
Don’t forget to like Kent Libraries on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and X (Twitter) and subscribe to the Kent Libraries YouTube channel to be notified of our new activities and events.
You can also pop into your local library and ask to be signed up to our newsletter and marketing so we can let you know how to get the most out of your library membership, and be the first to know about new offers and services!
The Body Coach Joe Wicks shares his love of reading and exercise in this free virtual event for pre-schoolers and lower primary aged children!
With a fun workout and a reading of Joe's new book, Burpee Bears, this is a great opportunity to discover the incredible impact that reading, and exercise can have on a child's wellbeing.
Keep kids entertained and explore the science of forces and motion at the same time – game on!
Have fun making this funky pinball machine with the Science Museum.
Make your own instant ice cream with just ice, salt, zip-lock bags and flavoured milk (you can also try it with dairy-free milk)!
Believe it or not, you can make a non-Newtonian fluid of your own - it's called oobleck!
Make your own oozing oobleck with this fun (and messy) activity from our amazing partner the Science Museum Group
These events were held as part of our Wild World Heroes online activities and tickets were offered to families across Kent with support from Reconnect Kent.