First run in 2020, the campaign encourages children to read for pleasure during the school holidays challenging them to read, rate and review three books for a chance to win books and book tokens.
Readers are invited to select their summer reads from an expertly curated list of 50 books by authors including Benjamin Zephaniah, Patience Agbabi, MG Leonard and Adam Kay. The list features fiction and non-fiction titles and is grouped into ten categories such as Books to Inspire You, Books That Transport You Into the Past, and Books Packed With Superpowers, ensuring there is something for all tastes and interests.
This year’s campaign has the overarching theme of “reading as a superpower”, and authors from the list have been getting involved by telling the magazine just why this is true. Jasminder Bilan, author of Tamarind & the Star of Ishta, said: “I think reading is a superpower because it means you can have a wonderful adventure, live life from a totally different point of view and most importantly do all this from the comfort of your bed, or sofa or even from up a tree!”
Anna Bassi, Editorial Director of The Week Junior said: “Last year’s Summer of Reading campaign was a huge success with more than 1,000 children taking part, and over 3,000 books read. We want to get even more children involved this year, to help them discover the joy of getting lost in a book and encourage them to form a reading habit for life. Reading for pleasure really is a superpower – not only does it transport us to new worlds, it can make us feel more positive, reduce anxiety and help develop empathy and resilience. That is pretty powerful stuff!”
The Week Junior has partnered with National Book Tokens, the Booksellers Association, LoveReading4Kids and the Children’s Book Project on the campaign. Parents are being encouraged to buy books locally via the partnership with National Book Tokens and the Booksellers Association. Once the children are done with their books it’s suggested that they give away what they've already enjoyed through the Children’s Book Project to keep the Summer of Reading alive through Autumn and beyond.
A variety of free Summer of Reading resources can be downloaded from The Week Junior website. These include the book list, entry form and tips for creating a cosy reading den.
All children sending in their reviews to the magazine will be entered into a prize draw, with the winner receiving £50 of book tokens, and a bundle of books, and three runners up each getting £50 of book tokens, say the publishers.
The campaign goes live in issue 290 of The Week Junior, available to subscribers on 2 July and on the newsstand on 3 July.
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