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Date updated: 3/06/2026

Summer Reading Challenge 2026: Read to the Beat

The Summer Reading Challenge will be back this summer at Barbican and Community Libraries!

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children to keep reading during the summer holidays, ensuring they are ready for a great start to the new term in the autumn. Children set a reading goal and collect rewards for reading anything they enjoy. It’s free to take part.

This year’s challenge, Read to the Beat, will inspire children to explore the rhythm and melody of reading. Read to the Beat will celebrate music and sound – exploring how music and storytelling unite.

The Summer Reading Challenge will run from Saturday 4 July to Saturday 12 September 2026.

Colourful illustrated poster for “Read to the Beat: Summer Reading Challenge 2026,” featuring cartoon children playing musical instruments on a rooftop stage against a city skyline. The design includes bright, playful colours, musical notes, and books, with logos for The Reading Agency and Universal Music Group at the top.

How the Summer Reading Challenge works

Children aged 4 to 11 can sign up at one of the City of London Libraries including Artizan Street Library, Barbican Children’s Library or Shoe Lane Library, to start their challenge.

  • Sign up for fee at the library – join anytime from 4 July 2026.
  • Borrow books and start reading – choose what you love to read and select reading goals. We suggest six books!
  • Come to the library and tell us about them – once you have read your first book, come to the Library and chat to a library staff member or a volunteer about the book you have read. You will get a free starter pack which contains a sticker booklet and Storytime magazine.
  • Collect rewards - for every read book, children can pick up a sticker and a character card.
  • Become a book champion – complete six books, and you will be invited to a ceremony where you are presented with a certificate and a medal.

Children can also take part online to collect digital rewards.

For children aged 3 and under, they can sign up to the Mini Challenge, which is a bite sized version of the Summer Reading Challenge for our younger readers.

How the Mini Challenge works

  • Sign up at your local library for free.
  • Choose any books your child likes.
  • Read and share the stories together.
  • Collect two stickers for each visit to fill up the sticker booklet.
  • Collect six stickers to complete the mini challenge and earn a special gold sticker!

Volunteering opportunities for young people 14-25

Become a Summer Reading Challenge volunteer this summer! We are looking for young people aged between 14 and 25 to support the Summer Reading Challenge in Barbican Children’s Library.

Opportunities may include:

  • Talking to children about the books they’ve read.
  • Signing up new challengers and handing out rewards.
  • Keeping records of challengers’ reading.

If you are interested in taking part, please have a look at the job description below for more information. Pick up an application form at the Barbican Children’s Library desk or apply online.

Application deadline is Saturday 26 June 2026

We'll share more information on other fun library events taking place this summer soon.

Summer Reading Challenge Volunteer Job Description (102 KB)
Description of roles and responsibilities of Summer Reading Challenge volunteer.
Date submitted: 28/05/26

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