Celebrating Young Readers: our Summer Reading Challenge book review and drawing competition winners!

This summer, Manchester Libraries was busy promoting the national Summer Reading Challenge during the school holidays. As well as encouraging children to join the Challenge and read 6 books, children and young people were also invited to take part in this year’s Book Review & Drawing Competition.

We received over 500 entries from children aged 3 to 16 and were impressed by the creativity and effort that children put into their entries.  Each child was invited to submit a book review or an original drawing and were judged in four different age categories. Winners received a bundle of new books and could choose either a Kindle or art supplies to support their budding talents.

Local author and illustrator Emma Reynolds had the fun, though challenging, task of judging the drawing submissions!  Emma selected four winners from hundreds of colourful and creative drawings, each a testament to the young artists’ love of reading and imagination. For the book review entries, an enthusiastic team of library staff worked diligently to narrow down the final four winners from a wonderful selection of diverse entries.

Manchester-based illustrator Emma Reynolds, who judged the drawing competition, shared her enthusiasm, saying, “I wish I could choose all the finalists!”

The range of books reviewed demonstrated the impressive diversity of titles enjoyed by Manchester’s young readers. From Enid Blyton’s classic “Five Adventures” series to Onjali Q. Raúf’s “The Lion Above the Door,” and popular picks by David Walliams, the young reviewers shared their honest and often eloquent thoughts on their reading experiences. The reviews spanned multiple genres—picture books, fiction, poetry, and non-fiction—showing the wide interests and enthusiasm these children have for all kinds of stories.

Some children decorated their reviews with elaborate, handmade sheets, while others included imaginative illustrations to bring their reviews to life. The dedication and creativity behind each entry made an impression on everyone involved. The library staff and judges were not only entertained but deeply moved by the young readers’ insights, clever critiques, and heartfelt enjoyment of their books.

Congratulations to all the winners and participants in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge competition! We can’t wait to see what stories and creative entries next year will bring. Happy reading, Manchester! 📚