Summer Reading Challenge 2025

Grow your adventures with Bradford Libraries as we kick start the summer with our ever-popular Summer Reading Challenge. This year the theme is Story Garden and there will be lots of events and activities to support children’s reading skills. Children aged 4 to 12 years can sign up and receive incentives along the way as they read books throughout the summer.

Bradford Libraries will be launching the challenge on 5 July and children can call in to any library across the district to register.

The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest reading for pleasure programme for children, presented by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with libraries. The Challenge encourages children to keep reading during the school summer holidays. They set a reading goal and can read anything they enjoy!

Each child will receive a Story Garden folder at their local library with stickers to collect; pop badges, and if 6 books are read; a Story Garden Certificate and Medal (all subject to availability). You can register free at any library within the Bradford district.

A full list of events and activities can be found in our online Summer Reading Challenge brochure (PDF). We know that the brochure is not fully accessible. If you have problems accessing the information in the brochure please contact [email protected]. 

The official Story Garden Book Collection available in Bradford Libraries was created with the help of reading specialists and book industry experts, who reviewed over 200 publisher submissions and selected the final titles. The booklist features brilliantly diverse titles, encompassing picture books, early readers and middle grade titles and includes several dyslexia-friendly books. The books were chosen to resonate with our story garden theme. With a mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and graphic novels, the collection has been carefully curated to engage young minds with the wonders of the great outdoors.