Meet the Gadgeteers in libraries this summer
Posted on 24 Jun 2022
Summer Reading Challenge 2022 gets youngsters excited about science.
Children across Devon and Torbay are being invited to switch on to the fascination and fun of science in their local libraries this summer.
This year’s Summer Reading Challenge is called ‘Gadgeteers’ and will encourage young readers to discover the science that’s around them every day during their school holidays.
The Summer Reading Challenge is produced by The Reading Agency and staged every summer by Libraries Unlimited, the charity that runs the 54 libraries across Devon and Torbay. Its aim is to help children keep up their reading skills throughout the long holidays.
Lucy Banks, Reading Development Manager with Libraries Unlimited, said: “Each year’s Summer Reading Challenge has a theme and this year’s is a really exciting one. Gadgeteers promises to present science in a way that children can relate to and explore. It’s been developed in partnership with the Science Museum Group and is aimed at igniting children’s imaginations, encouraging curiosity and instilling a love of reading.”
“We know from the success of our year-round Libraries Unlimited Secret Book Quest challenge that children love the structure of setting reading goals and receiving incentives as they go along. The pandemic took a toll on some youngsters’ literacy skills, and at Libraries Unlimited we’ve redoubled our efforts since libraries reopened to help them catch up in a fun way. The summer holidays often marks a dip in their reading skills, and libraries are here to offer free access to books and the encouragement to read for pleasure.”
The Gadgeteers pack that youngster receive when they sign up will introduce them to six fictional Gadgeteers, characters who use their curiosity and wonder to understand the science behind a whole range of interests from fashion and technology to cooking and music.
Last year over 7,000 children took part in the Summer Reading Challenge across Devon and Torbay, with over 700,000 young readers signing up across the UK. This year libraries are hoping to bring participation back up to pre-pandemic levels by encouraging as many children as possible to join in and rediscover a love of reading.
Children and parents should visit their local library to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge, where they will be given their Gadgeteers poster and set their personal goal for how many books they will read. They can choose from any books including fiction, fact books, poetry, picture books and audiobooks. They get a sticker for every book they read from the library, and once they reach their goal they will receive a certificate.
The Summer Reading Challenge runs from Saturday 9th July to Saturday 10th September in all libraries. There will be a main launch event at Newton Abbot Library on Saturday 9th July which will showcase the famous Railway Studies Collection with a railway recycling challenge and the chance to dress up as a train driver for a special selfie The day will be action packed with a wide range of science and invention activities including an interactive treasure trail, gadget wall and more! Most activities are completely free, except for a Compressed Air Car Workshop with a 50p charge to take part.
Newton Abbot library hosts one of the largest archives of railway history in the world with 80,000 books, photographs and documents, making it the perfect place to celebrate inventions this summer with the Gadgeteers
More on the Railway Studies Collection here: newtonabbotrailwaystudies.co.uk
The Summer Reading Challenge is completely free and open to all ages and abilities. More on the Challenge at summereadingchallenge.org.uk