Good news for parents. Libraries across the UK are on their marks and getting set to keep children active and reading throughout the school summer holidays with the 2008 Summer Reading Challenge^TM.

The Summer Reading Challenge is an immensely popular and successful reading initiative. Now in its tenth year it reaches 650,000 children annually through the UK library network. The Summer Reading Challenge is created and run by The Reading Agency, the independent charity working to get more people reading more.

Each year the Summer Reading Challenge to children is simple. They're encouraged to read six or more books of their choice during the holidays with collectable incentives and rewards, plus a certificate or medal for every child who completes the Challenge.

Children can sign up at their local library from 12 July (from 27 June in Scotland) and all materials are absolutely free.

In this Olympic year the Challenge has a sports theme: it's called Team Read and offers a range of sporty activities and incentives to spur children on to the finishing line!

An interactive Team Read website launched in June (www.teamread.co.uk), linking children with top authors and illustrators, and giving them space to talk about their favourite books and to share reading ideas.

"Our research shows that children really enjoy taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge," says Lynne Taylor, Summer Reading Challenge project manager for The Reading Agency. "It's a great way to keep them entertained over the holidays, but more importantly, we know that children who take part read more books and read more widely than those who don't, with potentially life-changing results".

Last year Ralph Ellison (aged 7) from Dulwich, London, took part in the Summer Reading Challenge for the first time. This is what his mother Gill Bowles said "I think the Summer Reading Challenge is fabulous. Last year we found out about it too late to get involved, but this year some librarians from our local library came to Ralph's school before the end of term to tell the children about it. Ralph came home telling me about it and that he wanted to do it, so we went along and signed up.

One evening, we were at home and I found Ralph sitting up in bed with a book. I asked him if he was just looking at the pictures, but he said no, he was reading it. It was the first time ever that he'd picked up a book on his own and read it - they tell you it will happen eventually but this was a real milestone moment for us. And the people at the library were great, so enthusiastic. When Ralph went to take a book back, they would ask him about the story and what he thought about it - they were very patient and always had time to listen to him - it meant he was being listened to and that his views were important to them.

It was also great because it was something he could do independently. He'd heard about it and he'd decided that he wanted to be involved, and collecting the stickers really spurred him on to read."

Ralph too agreed on enjoying the Summer Reading Challenge "At school you get given books to read, but what I liked best about the Summer Reading Challenge is that you get to choose which books you want to read and what sorts of stories they have - my favourites are stories about animals. I also liked reading a Just William book because it gave me ideas about how to be naughty!"

To be part of this years Team Read, go along to your local library and join in the fun!