Tag Archives: Summer Reading

Check it Out:, School Media Specialist

Ideas for Summertime Reading🌞

Even when life is (relatively) more normal, helping keep your students and/or kids current with their reading skills over summer break can be a challenge! We’ll share some ideas here and link to articles with helpful suggestions. When all else fails, maybe suggest a reading picnic, with treats involved! 😊📚🌳

Some favorite ideas:

  • Of course, your local library probably usually has a great summer reading program. Check with them to see if they have made alternative plans for this year.
  • Write a letter to your child, student, or young reader in your life and send it in the mail! Getting mail is exciting!
  • Family reading time (can do this over Zoom, too!) Everyone grab a book or magazine and spend 10-30 minutes reading together. Or, if you have very small readers, let them see you reading. They will probably want to “borrow” the book you are finding so interesting.
  • Build a book nook! Use pillows, blankets, a real tent, whatever you can find, to create a cozy fort just for reading!

Links to helpful articles:

Any great summer reading tips of your own? Share in the comments!

Books, Children's services

Parents can help prevent summer reading slide!

This is a quick excerpt from an article in the Washington Post, written by Karen MacPherson, the children’s and teen services coordinator for the Takoma Park, Md., library.

Yes, parents, there is a magic formula to keep your kids reading through the summer

“Yes, parents, there really is a magic formula to keep your kids reading through the summer and beyond. The secret ingredient? You.

Research shows that reading during the summer helps kids minimize the “summer slide,” the drop-off in reading skills that non-summer readers experience at the start of a new school year. Troublingly, the recent “Kids and Family Reading Report,” a biennial survey done by Scholastic, a publishing and media company, showed that among kids ages 9-11, 14 percent read no books during the summer of 2018, compared with 7 percent in 2016. Among kids ages 15-17, 32 percent read no books last summer, compared with 22 percent in 2016.

But summer reading need not be a hard sell to kids. That same survey found that nearly 60 percent of kids ages 6-17 agreed with the statement: “I really enjoy reading books over the summer.”

You can help them find that joy. In the midst of the craziness of daily life — and the distractions of screens and so much else — it’s a challenge for parents to make reading a pleasurable priority in their family’s life. But summertime actually is a perfect — and crucial — time to experiment with some of the following strategies, recommended by children’s librarians and reading experts.”

  • Let kids choose their own books
  • Expand the definition of reading
  • Make reading a family priority — for everyone
  • Make reading social
  • Make it a game

Click on the link to get all the info!

Books, Programs

The New York Public Library and HBO Kick Off #ReadingIsLit

 

Do you need some incentive to keep reading over the summer?? Check out this press release from the New York Public Library! They are teaming up with HBO to encourage reading!

“The New York Public Library is joining forces with HBO on #ReadingIsLit, a national campaign to celebrate the written word, the power of storytelling and encourage people to read, talk about, and enjoy all things literary.

The campaign will feature writers, performers, and creators from popular HBO programs sharing what they’re reading, what stories inspire them, and what books they recommend. Through videos, interviews, social media interactions and more, they’ll also encourage members of the public to visit their local libraries and sign up for library cards.

Participants in the online component — which will take place across HBO and New York Public Library social media channels — include Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Shailene Woodley from “Big Little Lies;” Thandie Newton from “Westworld;” Mark Duplass, creator of “Room 104;” and Damon Lindelof, co-creator of “The Leftovers.”

The New York Public Library will also share a host of information at nypl.org/readingislit and hbo.com/readingislit, including book recommendations from its team of expert librarians, information about applying for library cards, videos, and more.

Offline, the Library will offer special book displays at its 88 neighborhood branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, featuring titles that have been adapted into HBO television shows and movies — such as the Song of Ice and Fire series (which became “Game of Thrones”), “Sharp Objects,” and “Fahrenheit 451” — as well as “read-alikes” chosen by librarians that should appeal to fans of HBO shows.

As part of the campaign, HBO will also donate a “bookshelf” of featured titles to 25 select libraries across the country.

“Being storytellers, everything we do at HBO begins with the written word.  We have brought to life many phenomenal books over the years on the network, including current projects Fahrenheit 451, Big Little Lies, Sharp Objects and our biggest series ever Game of Thrones so the timing of this partnership with the New York Public Library couldn’t be better,” said Richard Plepler, Chairman & CEO, HBO.  “NYPL is a wonderful institution and to play a role in getting more readers in those doors is a great win.”

“Great stories — no matter how they’re told — hold an almost magical power, captivating audiences and sparking incredible passion and creativity,” said New York Public Library president Anthony W. Marx. “This partnership with HBO is an amazing opportunity to encourage people who love and appreciate wonderful stories in all forms to drop by a library and find their next adventure on one of our shelves.”

#ReadingIsLit is the latest partnership in a longstanding relationship between The New York Public Library and HBO, including HBO’s long-time sponsorship of the Library’s Summer Reading program to keep kids and teens engaged with books and learning while away from school on break. “

Books

Up for a challenge? Pick one of these summer reading challenges

Looking forward to getting some reading done this summer? Want to make your book choices a little more interesting? This list of different summer reading challenges from BookBub Blog has some creative ideas to get you started! Break out of your reading rut and enjoy your summer reading by following one (or more!) of their challenge ideas:

  • Banned Books Reading Challenge 2017: “The reading challenges below offer multitudes of possibility for expanded horizons” and include instructions like:
    • A children’s book from the most frequently challenged children’s book list
    • A non-fiction book that deals with First Amendment issues or intellectual freedom
    • A book whose main character is an adherent of a religion that is not your own
  • 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge: “Reading well doesn’t necessarily mean reading more.” This challenge has two lists to choose from: “Reading for Fun” and “Reading for Growth.” Some of items from each list include:
    • A book set somewhere you’ve never been but would like to visit
    • A book of any genre that addresses current events
  • Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge: “We encourage you to push yourself, to take advantage of this challenge as a way to explore topics or formats or genres that you otherwise wouldn’t try.” This challenge includes:

Will you participate in a reading challenge this summer? We’d love to hear about it!

Books, Children's services

2017 ALSC Summer Reading Lists

Young boy reading manga
From ALA.org:

“ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee has updated our Summer Reading Lists with new and exciting titles!

The lists are full of book titles to keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer. Four Summer Reading book lists are available for Birth-Preschool, K-2nd, 3rd– 5th and 6th-8th grade students.

Each list is available here to download for free. Lists can be customized to include library information, summer hours and summer reading programs for children before making copies available to schools and patrons.

Titles on the 2017 Summer Reading Lists were compiled and annotated by members of ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee.

cover image birth to preschool summer reading listBirth – Preschool

 

cover image k -2 summer reading listKindergarten – 2nd grade

 

 

 

 

 

 

cover image grades 3 to 5 summer reading list3rd through 5th grade

cover image grade 6 to 8 summer reading list

 

 

6th through 8th grade