Summer is one of our busiest -- and most favorite -- times of year here at the Library. Because summer is, of course, when we kick off what may be our biggest event of the year: MPL's Summer Reading program.
In recent years, this has become a program for people of every age, from our Read to Me Club for the youngest children to our Adult Summer Reading program. And of course there's our Summer Reading Club for older children and Teen Summer Reading for all our junior high and high school students.
Why do libraries hold summer reading programs? For kids, this is a no-brainer: studies have shown that student achievement test scores tend to decline over summer vacation. Good news, though: studies also show that reading over the summer break combats what some call the "summer learning loss" -- and even reading books that are pure recreational "entertainment," and not "educational," do the job.
For adults, summer can be a chance to catch up on your reading. Take a book with you on vacation to the beach or camping. Or, if you find yourself (as so many of us do!) only busier during the summer months, check out our brand-new Playaways -- portable, lightweight audiobooks about the size of half a deck of cards. (You just plug in your earbuds and go -- check out our last post for more information.)
Why else do Summer Reading? Well, it's a great chance to become eligible for some great prizes! From sticker sheets to free books to t-shirts to gift cards to an iPod Nano (that last one is featured in the Adult Summer Reading program), we've got a great line-up of prizes this year -- including a special Family Prize for one lucky family (your family will be eligible if at least one parent and one child have signed up for the programs).
There's no "assigned" reading -- you can read whatever you best like (and audiobooks count)! Science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, historical fiction, romance, non-fiction, and even graphic novels and manga all count for the program.
So please stop by the Library or our website. Happy Reading this summer!
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