Novel idea to get the holiday covered

'Amazing' Alex Arthur, 31 today, is a super-featherweight boxer.

"My favourite book was The History of World Boxing, which I bought in a book shop on Drummond Street when I was about 10-years-old. It told the story of every fighter, from every class and I loved finding out about what they did in their careers.

"It probably inspired me to go into boxing myself.

"I loved the stories about Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, and how they came from humble beginnings.

"I also loved reading about all the old Mexican fighters whose fathers worked on the railways, and they had to fight to buy proper houses for their mothers."

Ian Rankin, 49, is an author best known for his Rebus series of detective novels. He is a member of Scottish Labour's Literacy Commission to improve child literacy.

"When I was a kid I had an insatiable liking for Ladybird books, Enid Blyton books, and Christmas annuals.

"There'd be Oor Wullie and The Broons, but also the Rupert the Bear annual and other annuals from boys' comics such as the Victor, Hotspur, Lion, Tiger, and so on.

"I read and re-read these books, and would also borrow as many books as allowed from the library. No one book in particular stands out in my memory – I just loved to be surrounded by stories!"

Miles Jupp, 29, is a stand-up comic and actor best known for his role as Miles in Balamory.

His favourite book as a child was The Tiger Who Came To Tea, by Judith Kerr.

"It's about a child and her mother who get a surprise one day when a tiger unexpectedly comes for tea, and how they cope with it despite having no food.

"They do their best and the tiger heads off, and they vow never to be caught short if the tiger decides to come back, but he never does.

"The ending is quite sad in that respect, but really captures the essence of childhood as they've just had this really amazing adventure but have no evidence to show for it.

"The thing that inspired me was the idea that if you put yourself in their shoes how would you cope.

"I don't think I would cope very well if a tiger turned up at my door demanding food..

"The tiger that came to tea in the book was a perfect gentleman, of course. Anthropomorphism (ascribing human traits to non-human things] is a great way to fire up children's imagination as it compels you to wonder what the animals' personalities are really like."

Gordon Kennedy, 51, is an actor most recently seen playing Little John in the BBC adaptation of Robin Hood.

"I was a big Famous Five (Enid Blyton] fan. I liked the independence of the children and the fact that there were no adults around, so they had to sort out all of their own problems themselves.

"Also, because there were no adults, they were free to have all these adventures.

"I read a few to my children when they were growing up and they just laughed at them. I think the stories are a bit dated.

"When I was reading them though I thought they were great fun. My children all grew up on Harry Potter, which I started reading to them and eventually they took to reading themselves.

"Only time will tell whether future generations of children find the Harry Potter storylines as laughable as my children found the Famous Five."

Katrina Bryan, 28, is an actress best known as Nina from children's programme Nina and the Neurons.

"The first book that made me really love reading was The Fantastic Mr Fox, by Roald Dahl.

"It was the first time I connected with a book and really got it. Even thinking back to it now I can actually see the action in my mind as clearly as I did when I was reading it.

"It had a really old fashioned theme of goodies versus baddies – the foxes versus the bad farmers.

"One thing that really sticks in my mind is the fantastic feasts the foxes used to have, and the thought of all that food was just great for a small girl. I also remember being captivated by the suspense that one of the foxes could be shot.

"When I got a bit older I got into Judy Bloom and The Famous Five, which I took me into a really idealistic world where all of these 'jolly hockeysticks' kids having adventures, and 'doing the right thing' all the time.

"I still read children's book's like Harry Potter and the Northern Lights trilogy, which are just amazing to read even as an adult."

Richard Holloway, 75, former Bishop of Edinburgh and guest director of the Edinburgh Book Festival

"I probably started my reading career with those lovely annuals, like The Broons and The Beano, but my first passion as a child was the Just William stories by Richmal Crompton which was a bit odd for a boy from the Vale of Leven given they were about a young anarchiac schoolboy from the Home Counties but I guess he has a universal appeal.

"I used to bunk off school quite a bit, I don't know if that was inspired by the stories or just boredom but I do remember being severely belted for leading a group of boys out of two periods of art and up into the hills."

And he says his own children also loved the Just William tales along with classics such as Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome – and his grandchildren, aged six and four are also book-lovers. "They have to be rationed for bedtime stories," he laughs. "Their bedrooms are jam-packed with books."

Mary Contini, 48, is an author and co-owner of Valvona and Crolla

"I remember loving Little Women, The Secret Garden, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and all those kinds of books when I was around 14, the age my daughter Olivia is now. They were such good reads – you were immediately pulled into the story.

"My daughter and her friends read huge amounts of books, but they are fixated with the Twilight books (teenage vampire romance novels written by Stephenie Meyer]. I would love her to read more classics but they are just not keen, although she is now reading Dracula and she's very immersed in it, so a modern cult book has pulled led her to a classic."

Sue Palmer, 60, is author of the book Toxic Childhood about the impact of modern life on children.

"I didn't read this book myself but I remember my primary four teacher reading Courage in the Dark, a biography of (deafblind author and activist] Helen Keller, and being absolutely mesmerised. The whole class just sat with their mouths open.

"When I was a teacher the last 20 minutes of class were always devoted to reading, and I think reading to children is a great way to get them into reading themselves.

"When I was a child we were also read Wind in the Willows and Robert Louis Stevenson, and at the time there were always contraband copies of the book circulating through the classroom amongst the children who wanted to read on further than the class reading time would allow."

JOIN THE BIG READING QUEST

CHILDREN in Edinburgh are being challenged to read six books over the summer holidays – and win a range of prizes.

The Summer Reading Challenge, being run by Edinburgh City Council's libraries, is open to children aged between four and 11. By signing up at a library, children can become "Quest Seekers" – and take part in three tasks: Firebird Rising, Mountain Mission and Dragon's Lair. Each task involves reading two books – any books, not just novels.

By completing the "quest" youngsters win stickers, a pen, a medal and a bookmark – and the chance to enter competitions for a range of prizes, including passes to the Camera Obscura, Our Dynamic Earth, Deep Sea World and Leith Waterworld.

Children can join up at any city library or at the Book Bus, which will be visiting Edinburgh Leisure's Activator camps during the summer holidays as follows:

7 July: Drumbrae, 1:30pm-3:30pm

9 July: Gracemount, 1.15pm-3:30pm

14 July: South Queensferry, 10:15am-12pm

15 July: Meadowbank, 1:15pm-3:30pm

16 July: Drumbrae, 10:15am-12pm, and Gracemount, 1:30pm-3:30pm

21 July: South Queensferry, 10:15am-noon

24 July: Meadowbank, 10:15am-12pm

And they can visit www.questseekers.org.uk for the chance to join in games, jokes and Summer Reading Challenge activities – there's even a dragon ride.

For more info on what's happening in Edinburgh, see snipurl.com/wildread