Whether you're spending your holidays lying on a beach or just hanging out at home, working your way through a tottering tower of books is the perfect way of ensuring that your summer doesn't get dull. After all, back at school, how many people can claim that in just one month, they've scaled mountains, fought in battles and befriended fantastical creatures?

The Reading Agency's Summer Reading Challenge might be just the thing to kick start your reading. To complete it, all you have to do is read six or more books of your choice – from the most dazzling of fairytales to the horriblest of horrors – that you've borrowed from a library.

The challenge is aimed at anyone aged between four and eleven. 99% of libraries across the UK are taking part, so drag your parents out of bed and march them down to your local library so you can get started.

It's completely free – so don't worry about parting with your pocket money – and anyone can sign up.

And if you're bursting to tell the world about what you've just read, you can visit the Summer Reading Challenge website to chat with fellow bibliophiles, take part in competitions and get reading recommendations. You're sure to be in good company – last year, more than 800,000 children got involved. Of course site members can also send their reviews of the books into us by emailing childrens.books@theguardian.com. If you're not a member here's how to join in.

The theme of the challenge this year is Mythical Maze. It was illustrated by Sarah McIntyre who was inspired by some budding bookworms.

She says: "A group of young library users brainstormed some hilarious, often outrageous, ideas for how to draw our mythical creatures, and I was able to bring some of their ideas into the drawings."

Eight-year old Levent Yasinoglu has taken part in previous challenges. He says: "You get more time to read during the school holidays – I really like reading and getting more information. I'm going to do the Summer Reading Challenge again in the summer, it is fun and exciting."

Author of the Adventure Island series Helen Moss is one of the authors supporting the challenge. You can watch her short video about it here.