Libraries NI Launch Big Summer Read

66 days, 66 reading adventures, four library visits - One amazing time travel journey!

Libraries across Northern Ireland are inviting children of primary school age to take part in this year’s Big Summer Read, a 66-day challenge designed to get young people reading for at least 15 minutes a day throughout the school holidays.

The Big Summer Read encourages daily reading and regular library visits from Friday 27 June to the end of August, helping to combat the “summer slide” in literacy while fostering a lasting reading habit. The 66-day timeframe reflects the widely recognised theory that it takes 66 days to form a new habit – giving children the perfect opportunity to establish a regular reading routine before they return to school.

Photo: Lola and Zach blast off on a reading time travel adventure in the Ulster Museum, where dinosaurs, dragons and discoveries from the past set the scene for Libraries NI’s Big Summer Read – 66 days, 66 reading adventures, 4 library visits and one amazing time travel journey!

This year’s theme is Time Travel, transforming books into a passport through time. From prehistoric landscapes to distant futures, enchanted kingdoms to real-world history, each daily reading prompt is linked to a specific topic or era. Children can chart their own course—completing prompts in any order—and tick off each reading adventure as they go.

“We know how important it is to keep children reading over the summer,” said Dr Jim O’Hagan, Chief Executive of Libraries NI. “But this year, we’re going one step further. By focusing on a manageable daily target of 15 minutes, we’re supporting children in building a habit that can last well beyond the summer break—and making the experience imaginative, exciting, and fun.”

Photo: Zach discovers the world of dinosaurs with a roar-some read at the Ulster Museum, helping to launch Libraries NI’s Big Summer Read – a time-travelling reading challenge packed with prehistoric creatures, magical tales and future worlds!

To keep building a love of reading, children are encouraged to make regular visits to their local library, where they’ll discover free events, workshops, and activities inspired by different time periods and story settings as well as book recommendations and displays. All children who take part will receive a certificate at the end of the summer to celebrate their reading achievement.

The challenge launches on Friday 27 June, and children can collect their Big Summer Read Adventure Poster from their local library from that date.