Westerly Sun Column | Summer Reading Program Time is Here!

What a difference a week can make. In just the past seven days the school year has come to a close, temperatures have practically doubled, and my kids stopped complaining about being cold and going to school, just to start griping about being bored and suffering from “heat stroke.” Summer is in full swing! Thankfully, our 94th annual Summer Reading Program is about to kick off at the library, providing fun, distractions, and prizes for all ages. Yes, that means for the adults, too!

Each year, the library adopts a theme for our Summer Reading Program, which helps guide our program planning. We’re all thrilled that the theme for this year is “Level Up at Your Library,” which embraces games and puzzles as both recreational AND educational activities. Truly, it brings me straight back to my adolescent summers, spending my days playing tag, Uno, and — of course — Super Mario Bros. on our NES. Well, I’m here to tell you that the good ol’ days are back, and we’re excited to celebrate them with all of you from June 28 to Aug. 31!

The Summer Reading Program is a fantastic way to engage your kids in learning over the summer, both by participating in library programs and by logging their reading. Little ones ages birth through eight will have an exclusively paper-based packet this year, in which they can track reading in 15-minute increments, log summer activities, and even submit book reviews to earn tickets toward great prizes. The programs for Tweens (grades 4-6) and Teens (grades 7-12) work similarly, but they will also have the option to log reading either on paper or online through the Beanstack app. For every 30 minutes a Tween reads, or hour a Teen reads, they will be awarded one ticket toward the end of summer drawing and the chance to win some great prizes.

As I mentioned before, our Summer Reading Programs aren’t just for the younger generations! Those over the age of 18 can sign up for our Adult Summer Reading Program, through which they can also log reading through Beanstack or in person at the library. Each book will earn you a ticket, and we’ll have a drawing at the end of each week for a chance to win a gift certificate to a local business, including the United and Junk & Java!

All of this begins on Saturday, June 28, at our Summer Reading Kickoff Event in Wilcox Park. You can drop in between 12 and 2 p.m. to sign up for your age-appropriate Summer Reading Challenge and pick out a free book, but we encourage you to bring a blanket or lawn chair and stay the whole time, as there will be plenty to do! You can play BINGO between 12:30 and 1:30, enjoy a free scoop from Pompelmo Gelato, take part in a park-wide scavenger hunt, and even leave with some video game-themed (temporary) tattoos. If you can’t make it, don’t fret … you can still sign up any time before Aug. 31!

by Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian