THOUSANDS of children across Cumbria have taken part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.

With a Guinness Book of Records theme, it has encouraged youngsters to sign up and become a member of their local library.

Whitehaven pupils from St James School and Monkwray School also took part in a national record breaking attempt for the most pledges received for a reading campaign. Unfortunately, despite the nationwide total of 80,000, it wasn’t enough to break the record.

Coun Ian Stewart, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet member for libraries, said: “It’s very pleasing to see so many young people yet again taking part in the annual Summer Reading Challenge, which is a fun way to get young people into libraries and keeping up their reading skills during the long summer holidays.”

Sue Wilkinson, CEO of The Reading Agency, said: “This nationwide celebration brought almost 80,000 people into local libraries to pledge to read this summer. It’s a fantastic achievement and I hope you feel as proud as we do about this.

“It was brilliant to see photos and hear stories from libraries across the country as they launched the Challenge and to see how the record attempt galvanised families, authors, celebrities and MPs to celebrate their local libraries, spread awareness and sign up to the Challenge.’’

And she added: “Guinness World Records have told us how impressed they are with the response to the record attempt,which shows how much commitment libraries have to the cause and how much excitement there is among families about the Summer Reading Challenge.’’

Tiger’s tale in line for book award

A BIOGRAPHY by a Cumbrian climber has been shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize for mountain literature.

One Day as a Tiger , written by John Porter from Caldbeck, is one of five books shortlisted for the prestigious prize. It tells the story of Mr Porter’s former climbing partner, Alex MacIntyre, who was killed when the pair were attempting a new route on the south face of Annapurna in the Himalaya in 1982.

MacIntyre was one of an elite group of British climbers who were pushing the boundaries of Alpinism in the mid to late 1970s, and extending the ‘light and fast’ method of mountaineering to the Himalayan peaks.

The biography won the Grand Prize at the 2014 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and was also shortlisted for this year’s British Sports Book Awards. The winner of the £3,000 Boardman Tasker Prize will be announced at the Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday November 20.

Now you’re eight... join the library

EVERY eight-year-old in England should be enrolled at their local library, education secretary Nicky Morgan has stated.

She has launched a mission to create at least 200 new book clubs across the nation’s primary schools.

However, Lauren Smith, from the group Voices for the Library, said: “Libraries have been massively underfunded for a very long time, which is the result of the government refusing to acknowledge the educational role of libraries,” she said. “It does stagger me that politicians are placing responsibility for literacy away from themselves and local authorities and on to parents – who are trying their best for their children – and on to library services which have been trying to do this for years without enough money.”

The Department for Education will support the Reading Agency to work with schools and get more Year 3 pupils (aged 7-8) enrolled at their local library. Mrs Morgan said: “No matter where they live or what their background, every single child in this country deserves the opportunity to read, to read widely, and to read well – it’s a simple matter of social justice.’’

Book reviews for teenagers

Emily Taylor, 16, of Drigg, chooses some favourite current reads:

n THE Maze Runner by James Dashner.

Last year the hit movie The Maze Runner was released in cinemas proving almost as much as a hit as the novel by James Dashner, published five years earlier. The novel is part of a series including two sequels and two prequels, one of which is due to be released next year.

It is an exhilarating read for lovers of science fiction and the post apocalyptic genre. James is the main character, who wakes up in a box being lifted into a new world – The Glade – inhabited by only teenage boys. What makes The Glade different is that it is situated in the centre of a giant maze.

The walls of the maze move every night and is prowled by giant, deadly beasts known as Grievers. The boys – known as Gladers – all work to keep each other alive, providing everything for themselves except a few supplies sent from The Creators, who send a new boy every month.

Day after day some of the boys enter the maze and try to find a way out. James feels destined to become one of these runners and eventually does. Everything changes when something crazy happens: the Creators send a... girl.

A girl who is possessed and tells them that she is the last new person and that everything is going to end. The girl and James have a connection that leads them to try and save the other Gladers and figure out how to crack the Maze. Fast paced and brilliantly written I highly recommend this novel for teenagers and young adults.

n PAPER Towns by John Green

In anticipation of the forthcoming movie it seems like an ideal time to read the critically-acclaimed novel Paper Towns. Paper Towns is the fourth novel by John Green, the author of the popular book, The Fault in our Stars . Green has also written other great novels such as Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines .

The protagonist Quentin, also known as Q, has been hopelessly in love with Margo Roth Spiegelman since he was a young child. Margo was reckless, whereas Q was sensible. Q tried hard at school, whereas Margo often ran away, missing school and going on adventures.

They hadn’t spoken for many years until what Q calls the Longest Day. Margo appears in Q’s bedroom in the dead of night needing his help with 11 daring tasks, after she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her and her friends deceiving her.

Q finally thinks that Margo needs him, maybe his life might change now and school tomorrow might be bearable.

But the next day Margo has disappeared and after several days she doesn’t reappear. Q starts finding clues that seem to have been left just for him.

He embarks on a journey with his best friends in the hope to find and solve the mystery that is Margo Roth Spiegelman. Like many of Green’s novels, Paper Towns is humorous, yet moving and feels like a breath of fresh air from the usual teen novels. Definitely worth a read before seeing the film.

Library enrols its youngest member

WHILE libraries now offer their members more than a quiet place to read – one librarian was shocked to find herself helping to deliver a baby in the public toilets.

Sheila Jolley, was on hand to play midwife after a visitor to Kettering Library went into labour last month.

She said: “We heard her screaming. I was just on the library floor when she arrived and it was completely out of the blue – I’ve never done something like that before!”