More than 10,000 children will be taking part in Buster’s Book Club this year.

The home reading initiative created by the charity department at the KM Group will be used in 40 primary schools in Kent and Medway from January following a successful pilot last academic year.

The announcement that the numbers taking part had passed the 10,000 mark was made through a new blog called Phil and Ted’s Excellent Adventures which details the antics of Phil Gallagher and Ted, the KM Charity Team mascot.

Phil, who is currently playing the role of Wishee Washee in Aladdin at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre and is also Mister Maker in the CBeebies television show, is an Honorary Patron of the KM Charity Team. The blog is written by Ted and so has a child’s perspective on his time with Phil and their work for the charity.

Simon Dolby, chief executive of the KM Charity Team, said: “Everyone in the charity is so excited that so many schools have decided to join Buster’s Book Club for 2015. We are looking forward to improving the reading and literacy skills of a phenomenal number of children this year and could think of no more fitting way to break the news of the number of sign-ups than through the new Phil and Ted’s Excellent Adventures blog.”

Buster’s Book Club is designed to make reading cool and sets children an individual home reading target depending on their year group. Children are then set a series of challenges throughout the year – these include inter-class and inter-school events, all of which culminate with an annual record attempt. The scheme is proving very effective at involving parents and engaging with pupils, particularly boys.

Key partners of Buster’s Book Club include Kent County Council, Medway Council, The Ernest Cook Trust, Specsavers, Golding Homes, Orbit South, Three Rs Teacher Recruitment, Mini Babybel and Leeds Castle.

Schools wanting to join the initiative should visit www.bustersbookclub.co.uk. To read the blog visit the website www.philandted.co.uk.