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Over 6,000 children's books will be given away in the W H Smith Trust Summer Read and ten books have been highlighted as titles that will get children reading for fun this summer.
The event, now in its fifth year, targets five-14-year-olds in areas of disadvantage, giving children who may have no books at home the opportunity to choose and keep two free titles.
Among a wide range of books on offer at the event, the 10 most popular (see below for the full list) were chosen by play schemes and libraries and include Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry and the Secret Club (Orion) and Jacqueline Wilson's My Sister Jodie (Corgi).
A day of storytelling, fancy dress and arts and crafts will be held in 17 different locations, with a library, play scheme and W H Smith store working together in each case.
Children's Laureate Anthony Browne commented: "If children are not encouraged to read for pure pleasure, we are in danger of creating a generation of non-readers."
He added: "Summer is a perfect time for children to enjoy reading for pleasure—books are easily squeezed into a picnic basket or beach bag, and children have hours on end to dream and share stories."
Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, which organises the initiative, said the summer timing was crucial because it is a period "when children's reading habits can drop off."
W H Smith group chief executive Kate Swann said the project plays "a key role in providing sustainable educational opportunities for young people and is a natural fit with our commitment towards education and lifelong learning".
The 10 selected titles:
Horrid Henry and the Secret Club by Francesca Simon (Orion)
My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson (Corgi)
You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum by Andy Stanton (Egmont)
Top Trumps: Ultimate Cars 2 by Richard Dredge (Haynes)
Where's Wally? The Fantastic Journey by Martin Handford (Walker)
Goosebumps: Terror Trips by R L Stine (Scholastic)
You Choose by Pippa Goodhart & Nick Sharratt (Corgi)
Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman (Simon & Schuster Children's)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
Laugh Out Loud: Funny Poems by Fiona Waters (Macmillan Children's Books)