After last year’s success with over 800 children from Hedge End taking part in the national Summer Reading Challenge, Hedge End Library will again be participating in the challenge this year and they’re looking for adult volunteers to help with running the scheme.

The aim of the challenge is to encourage children to read six books from their local library during the summer holidays. It’s free to join the scheme, children receive a poster on which to keep track of their reading and are awarded a certificate of achievement at the end.

This year’s challenge is called Space Hop to tie in with the BBC’s Year of Science and CBBC's Space Hoppers but Challenge books can be on any subject and factual, fiction, or even picture books as the scheme is for children of all reading abilities and ages from 4 to 11 years. Library audio books are also eligible to be counted and there are super-size materials available for visually impaired children.

So the message from Hedge End Library for the adults is:

“Do you like working with children? Do you want to help encourage them to read over the summer? If so, then you might be able to help us! Hedge End Library will be running Space Hop, the Summer Reading Challenge in Libraries, this summer and we need interested people to talk to children about the books they've read. Contact the library for more information and an application pack.

“Telephone: 01489 797142

“Or

“e-mail: hedge.end.library@hants.gov.uk”

Over 725,000 children took part in last year’s Quest Seekers Reading Challenge nationwide, and 24 countries around the world are taking part in this year’s Space Hop.

The Summer Reading Challenge is organised by The Reading Agency.