Kiwi kids can read their local cricket team to victory this summer.

The Super Smash Reading Challenge brings together two favourite Kiwi summer pastimes: cricket and reading.

Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly NZ Book Council) has joined forces with New Zealand Cricket's T20 summer tournament to get kids reading more books over the holidays.

The Super Smash Reading Challenge is a new interactive website. Primary and intermediate-aged children are invited to register for free and choose their local cricket team to 'play' for.

Players log the books they read over the summer, along with a star rating and short review. A leader board keeps track of the Super Smash teams as they move up and down the rankings accordingly.

Launching in late October, the Super Smash Reading Challenge will run until the final T20 cricket game on 19 January.

Paper Plus gift cards are up for grabs every day of the T20 tournament. There are lots of other spot prizes on offer, including books and signed sports gear from NZC, along with double passes to games.

Read NZ Te Pou Muramura CEO Jo Cribb says the reading challenge is a fun new way to address the well-documented 'summer slide' in learning over the holidays.

"Recent research shows primary-aged students can lose more than six months' worth of academic progress over the summer break but reading is a great way to keep young minds active," she says.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with NZC to offer this exciting new competition this summer."

NZC chief executive David White welcomes the initiative, saying it was appropriate for cricket to be involved in a reading programme.

"Helping children recognise the fun of reading is a very worthy exercise and something we're delighted to be aligned with," says Mr White.

"Cricket, perhaps more than any other sport, owes its history to a rich vein of writing and reading and it's important today's generation of kids are encouraged along similar lines."

Read NZ is grateful for the support of Paper Plus and NZ Cricket for the prizes on offer.

Sign up for the Super Smash Reading Challenge by registering at reading-challenge.org.nz .