Book success makes a great read

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge on the theme of Mischief Makers to celebrate 80 years of The Beano has attracted thousands of young readers.

The reading for pleasure initiative – organised by the Reading Agency and sponsored by Tesco Bank in Scotland – has enjoyed one of its most successful years ever in Fife libraries with upwards of 6,000 Fife school children registering to take part.

Over the course of three months, more than 3,000 children completed the challenge, reading six books of their choice and collecting prizes along the way.

A total of 74,000 books were also issued to participating children across 35 Fife libraries over the summer holidays.

Sabrina Maguire, young people’s service development officer for ONFife Libraries, said: “We couldn’t be happier with the unbelievable response to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.

“The Mischief Makers theme and the Beano celebration really captured the imagination of readers – and our whoopee cushion prizes helped too.

“The success of the challenge is down to the brilliant efforts of library colleagues across Fife and we can all share in the amazing fact that more than 74,000 books were read as part of the challenge this year – proof of the immense importance of libraries and the continued joy of reading.”

An early sign-up competition was included to win one of two comic-themed beanbags and winners Caitlyn Eadie, nine, from Auchtermuchty Primary and Dylan Swanson, six, from Masterton Primary, collected their prizes.

Caitlyn Eadie with her comic-themed beanbag.