08 August 2011

Summer Reading- it's not over yet!

Northfield kids are reading like crazy this summer!  Maybe it’s the rainy, hot and stormy weather. Something is making kids ages pre-school to high school read a lot this summer and I have been thrilled to watch it happen!  While it is my job at the library to encourage reading and library skills, this summer’s group of readers has been a bumper crop! 

The Teen Advisory Board created the library’s teen summer reading program. TAB members used money they earned from earlier fund-raising events to purchase to e-readers. They offered 2 Nooks as grand prizes and as a result, an average of 50 entry slips were put in the drawing every week.  To get an entry slip teens had to read 3 books with 150 pages or more.  The summer reading program was 7 weeks long. You do the math -  7 times 50 equals 350, 350 X 3 equals 1050 books!  Those kids are so smart! 

The younger children filled out a slip for every book they read , or if they were preschool age, they counted books that were read to them.  The volunteer Library Pages stapled the slips together every week and no one could believe how long the chains have been!

Before the chains went up we pulled one slip and honored a child as “Reader of the Week.”  We hung the slips from the ceiling as a testament to all the books kids read over the summer. Most years these slips have enough room in the children’s area of the library but this year they crossed in front of the circulation desk, around the video area, back behind the circulation desk, and over to the new- items room!

Reward coupons to local merchants were awarded to children who met their reading goals. The Friends of the Library, with some matching donations from the Senior Center’s popcorn wagon, Monkey See, Monkey Read Bookstore and Hogan Brothers gave out over $750 worth of coupons along with other prizes including punch balls, games, cards, cookies and magnet bookmarks. 


No matter how you add this up it means Northfield kids did a lot of reading. Children and parents know it’s important to keep up their reading skills over the summer and our official Summer Reading Program is over BUT we are continuing the Reader of the Week drawings, in fact we are expanding it to all ages, so any child can be the “Reader of the Week!” 


I invite you to come check out the library, it’s a hopping place!









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