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Kids And Dads Show
The Joy Of Reading Together

23rd April 2009

Children throughout the UK have taken their fathers on a mad reading adventure this spring – an Extreme Reading Challenge! Kids were tasked to get a photo of themselves reading with their parents in an unusual location and the photographs have been amazing.

Thousands of kids entered the challenge, run by The National Literacy Trust in partnership with bestselling author of the Women’s Murder Club, the Alex Cross novels, Maximum Ride, and a new young adult series Daniel X, James Patterson.

13-year-old James Andrews from Cheshire won the challenge with his ‘Life in the Freezer’ photo.

James Patterson says of the winning photo: “I love James and David’s photo. It’s a clever idea and it looks like they had an interesting time setting it up. The great thing about the Extreme Reading challenge is it shows that you can read a book anywhere…in the bath, up a tree, or even in the freezer...and it's great fun!”

The initiative was set up to make reading and books fun, and also to show that reading is an activity the whole family can enjoy.

Recent research¹ found that only 23 per cent of boys read stories or novels every day or nearly every day, compared with 41 per cent of girls. Initiatives like the James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge play a key part in encouraging boys to enjoy reading from an early age. As children who read for pleasure have better life chances than those who don’t, inspiring a love of books has the potential to dramatically improve children’s lives.

The ‘James Patterson Extreme Reading Challenge’ was designed to encourage children to read with their dads / male carers. It is run in partnership with the National Literacy Trust’s Reading Champions initiative which works with over 3000 schools across the UK to promote reading. Patterson wanted to work with the National Literacy Trust because he is passionate about getting boys hooked on books from a young age.

¹The 2007 international Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) study.

Daniel X Books By James Patterson

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