Summer Reading Challenge 2023: Celebs encourage kids to read

Do you read for fun over the summer holidays? Maybe you take a book or comic to read by the pool or enjoy reading in bed.

Lots of children don't really read outside of school, so charity The Reading Agency is encouraging kids to pick up a book over the break.

The project, which started in 1999, is working with local libraries and the Youth Sport Trust to get kids into reading and this year's theme is Ready, Steady, Read!

Celebs like author Rosie Jones and Olympic medal winning gymnast Beth Tweddle are helping to launch the Summer Reading Challenge.

Rosie Jones who wrote The Edie Eckhart series is one of the authors involved in the Summer Reading Challenge

Last year the Summer Reading Challenge reached 723,184 children and families across the UK.

The charity is hoping to encourage thousands more people to get involved this summer.

It says reading for fun is really important for children and can help them achieve later in life.

Beth Tweddle is a retired gymnast, she won Bronze at the London 2012 Olympics

Children can go to their local library to get involved.

The sporty theme this year involves a fictional summer obstacle course designed to keep young people's minds and bodies active.

The challenge starts in Scotland on 24 June and England and Wales on 8 July.

We want to know if you are taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge this year? Let us know what you are reading and what your favourite book is in the comments below...