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Story Lab is an official project in the Cultural Olympiad’s London 2012 Festival that is coming to Essex Libraries this Summer in the form of this year’s main Summer Reading Challenge.

The Story Lab is a hi-tech HQ in the centre of a dynamic city. It attracts stories from all over the world and sends them spinning throughout the city – and beyond!

For this year’s Summer Reading Challenge the children of Essex are needed to boost the imagination of the Story Lab by visiting their local library and reading lots of books. When children join they will receive a model Story Lab. Each time they read two books they will collect stickers for their Story Lab (including some scratch and sniff).

Children need to read a total of six books over the summer holidays to complete the challenge and receive a medal. All children who take part will receive a certificate. Children of any age can take part in Story Lab. They can join any time from Saturday 21 July and have until Saturday 8 September to finish and collect their medals.

Children aged 10 and over can taken part in a separate challenge – metropolis. Sponsored by map producers Codair, participants will be given a map featuring some of London’s most iconic landmarks. They need to research six of the landmarks to complete the challenge as well as reading and thinking about books and films. They will receive a DVD voucher and a sports watch on completion.

Councillor Jeremy Lucas, Cabinet Member for Environment and Culture said: “The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest reading event for children in libraries. It’s a great way for children and their families to enjoy books together and it means that children are encouraged to practise their reading skills, helping to prepare them for the start of the new school year.”

Last year 43,000 children participated in the Summer Reading Challenge in Essex.

The official start date is Saturday 21 July 2012. Some libraries will be offering an early joining day on Saturday 14 July.

Children may join the Summer Reading Challenge during normal library hours at any Essex Library or mobile library.

Story Lab is produced by The Reading Agency. Metropolis is produced by Essex County Council and sponsored by Codair.

As part of this Chelmsford Library are holding an “Early Joiners Day” to enable those children who break up early or go away promptly on holiday to sign up and borrow library books to make a start on Saturday July 7th – all day – with London 2012 Games themed activities to tie in with the torch relay through Chelmsford.

The Summer Reading Challenge has also inspired the Essex Reading Relay which is using the Olympic and Paralympic values to encourage Essex children to read books.  Read more about the Essex Reading Relay>>

Read more about the Summer Reading Challenge and Metropolis>>