Skip to content

2,086,821 books read so far

Challenge Check-In #3

Challenge Check-In #3

Welcome to the Summer Reading Challenge check-in!

Lots of Roald Dahl’s stories are about children who do very special things, and that’s why we’re celebrating CHAMPIONS as one of our Big Friendly Read themes.

Perhaps you’re just getting started on your Summer Reading Challenge books, or maybe you’ve managed six (or more!) already…

Whatever stage you’re at, you are a champion for taking part in The Big Friendly Read!

Congratulations to everyone who has completed their Challenge so far,
and a BFG-sized GOOD LUCK to everyone who is still reading!

Sometimes being a champion is about being brave and following your passions, or dealing with a difficult situation.

Here are some books featuring ordinary characters doing the most extraordinary things that you might like to borrow from your library this summer…


How to be a Viking by Cressida Cowell
Unlike his dad, Stoick the Vast, Hiccup is tiny, thoughtful and polite and scared of almost everything – especially of going to sea for the very first time. But go he must… So who will save the day when everything goes wrong aboard ship and all the big Vikings lose their cool?

Judge Rip Toothpaste said:Great story about hiccup when he was a little boy, great if you like “how to train your dragon”

Bilal’s Brilliant Bee by Michael Rosen & Tony Ross
Bilal is terrified of The Test. He can’t answer any of the questions! But then Bumble the bee comes along, and he can answer any question you ask, even the really tricky ones. Then Bilal’s granny suggests they go on the wildly popular TV quiz show, What’s What? Win the Lot! But what will happen if Bilal and Bumble do win the lot…?

Doctor Ursula Armchair said: Bilal’s brilliant bee is a wonderful book which tells you to be confident in yourself. It is very funny and amusing.Also a real page turner.


Elspeth Hart and the School for Show-Offs by Sarah Forbes & James Brown
Ever since her parents were tragically washed away in a flood, Elspeth has been forced to live in the attic of the Pandora Pants School for Show-offs with her disgusting aunt, Miss Crabb. When Elspeth begins to suspect that Miss Crabb is lying to her, she hatches a daring escape plan.

Viscountess Bijou Chipperfield said: The book has got lots of interesting lessons to learn from. It shows you how to be courageous and determined.

The Bubble Boy by Stewart Foster
Eleven-year-old Joe can’t remember a life outside of his hospital room, with its beeping machines and view of London’s rooftops. His condition means he’s not allowed outside, not even for a moment, and his few visitors risk bringing life-threatening germs inside his ‘bubble’. But then someone new enters his world and changes it for ever.

Queen Ariel Pudding-Basin said: This is an amazing book! I couldn’t put it down. I think everyone should read this fantastic book. Although it is sad the ending makes you feel warm inside.


Have you been taking part in any Big Friendly Read activities at your library?
Let everyone know what you’ve been up to in Chat

Can’t decide what to read next?
Try out the Book Sorter

Information for adults

Schools

Visit our School Zone to access free resources and Challenge ideas for your class.

Families

Visit our Home Zone, full of useful Challenge information for parents, grandparents and carers. For information about supporting reading in the early years visit our Pre-School Zone.

Libraries

Visit our Library Zone to find libraries near you running the challenge, and how to take part.
https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/news/general/roundup3
summerreadingchallenge.org.uk
CC-MAIN-2024-30
25153
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:37ZJ7MNJ5PWDEBCAVXABCQMETKEHVPE5
<urn:uuid:9e67ee23-e755-46af-99ea-72d48243fee5>
2024-07-15T15:25:23Z
104.21.77.65
text/html
sha1:SZBYVF7K6HZEOXOKM4RKUIGN3DCXJ7PM
<urn:uuid:fd8621d2-3ba6-420a-8906-e80438478161>
https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/news/general/roundup3
response
<urn:uuid:b422afa5-2001-4391-b536-2ce633a5ea63>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2024-30
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for July 2024
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-173
software: Apache Nutch 1.20 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.5-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/