If your child has spent most of the summer saying they are bored, there is still time to give them a reading challenge with a proper finish line.

Norfolk families can join the

2026 Read to the Beat Summer Reading Challenge until Saturday 12 September.

Children do not need to have signed up at the start of the summer. They can join at any point while the challenge is running.

The challenge is open to children aged four to 11 and is available through the Norfolk Libraries network.

Two confirmed local venues are Wymondham Library and the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library in Norwich, but families can start by checking their nearest participating branch.

How to sign up

Take your child to a participating library and ask staff or a volunteer for a Read to the Beat challenge pack. The child then sets a reading goal and chooses books to read.

The books do not have to come from one particular list.

The official challenge format is built around children reading books of their choice, collecting stickers as they go and working towards rewards.

The pack includes a collector folder. Once children have completed the challenge, they can receive a certificate and medal, subject to the arrangements at their local branch.

So the short version is:

- Take part if your child is aged four to 11.
- Visit a participating Norfolk library.
- Ask for a challenge pack.
- Set a reading goal.
- Read books and collect the stickers.
- Return to the library for the completion certificate and medal.

What are the final dates?

The Norfolk challenge runs from Saturday 4 July to Saturday 12 September 2026.

That means a family joining on Thursday 27 August still has more than two weeks to take part.

There is also a Read to the Beat activity programme linked to the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library.

The final listed activity date for that programme is Thursday 27 August.

That date is not the end of the reading challenge itself, so missing the activity should not stop your child joining the wider scheme.

The reading challenge continues until 12 September.

That distinction is easy to miss.

 A special event can finish before the reading programme does.

 If your child mainly wants the stickers, certificate and medal, the later September closing date is the one to keep any eye on.

Which Norfolk libraries are involved?

The challenge is being run through libraries across Norfolk rather than at one central venue.

Wymondham Library has confirmed that children can still sign up by speaking to staff or a volunteer.

The Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library is also a confirmed venue, with the wider Read to the Beat programme taking place there in partnership with Norfolk Libraries, The Reading Agency and the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub.

A complete, current branch-by-branch list was not available in one public page. 

So the sensible first step checking the branch your family normally uses before setting off.

Opening hours and local arrangements can vary, and a branch may need to confirm that challenge packs are still available.

What should families do now?

Pick a library near home, check its opening hours and ask staff about the challenge pack when you arrive.

If you are planning to collect the final certificate and medal, ask how that branch handles completions too.

It is also worth agreeing a reading goal that feels achievable. #

A child who is joining late does not need a heroic target.

A handful of books, read regularly, can turn the challenge from a summer chore into something they can actually finish.

The Read to the Beat theme gives children room to choose books that suit them, so graphic novels, funny stories, fact books and rereads can all help keep the momentum going.

The main thing is getting started before the 12 September closing date.

If you are in Norwich, Wymondham or another part of Norfolk and have checked a branch’s sign-up or medal collection arrangements, tell us which library you used.

Those local details would help us build a clearer branch guide for families before the challenge closes.