A CARLISLE dad has started a new craze to get kids reading in the summer holidays.

Mike Denovellis, of Lowry Hill, started North Carlisle Look for a Book at the end of last month.

He bought 10 books and hid them around Lowry Hill and Kingmoor Nature Reserve for children to find.

Mr Denovellis, 33, said: "I was originally invited to join a group on Facebook and I saw this was going on out west and in places like Allonby and Silloth but I couldn't see anything in Carlisle. I thought Carlisle was big enough to have its own little group so I started North Carlisle Look for a Book.

"I bought 10 books with my wife and children and we wrote a note in each one explaining what it was all about and put the books in plastic covers and then hid them.

"One of the books we bought was called For Everyone To Share, which I thought was quite fitting."

At the same time, Mr Denovellis launched a Facebook page - which now has about 400 members.

He said: "I can't believe how quick it has taken off.

"It's great to see kids out there in the summer holidays hunting for books. They don't seem to mind if it's wet they just put their wellies on and off they go."

Children who find a book take it home to read and then re-hide it for someone else to find.

Books have been found all over the city from the North Carlisle group including Crindledyke, Newfield and Houghton.

Mr Denovellis, who works as an operations manager for System IT in Carlisle, said: "We occasionally go book shopping with our children, Leah and Jack, but buying books can be expensive and sometimes you get sick of reading the same old stories over and over again.

"This is a great way for people to share stories for free and it keeps kids reading during the holidays. It can take away the boredom and it's reading at the end of the day."

Similar groups are also operating in North Cumbria and South Carlisle.