Heat up summer with reading challenge

Each year, the library brings the community together for the annual Summer Reading Challenge.

The initiative usually includes special events that correspond to the unique theme chosen for that year. It is comforting to know that, despite the wild ride that 2020 has been, the library’s Summer Reading program will go on with the theme “Imagine Your Story.”

While the library is not currently scheduling in-person events, ReadSquared, the new online platform for logging summer reading, includes all kinds of fun extras for all ages and reading levels. Click on “Fun Stuff” to discover missions to accomplish, family activities, and reading bingo for prizes. You’ll find reading recommendations tailored to your preferences and you will earn badges for reaching benchmarks (including when you first register!).

As always, reading is rewarded with goodies along the way and a T-shirt at the end of the season.

Why do we make such a big deal about summer reading? This year in particular, many organizations have reduced programs due to the pandemic. We have eliminated all of our in-person programs for the time being. But, Summer Reading has to go on. It is important. It is even more important in 2020.

The purpose of the Summer Reading Chal-lenge is to prevent the “summer slide;” the tendency for students to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year. For many families in our area, the library is the one place they can go during summer vacation for reading and learning experiences at no cost. For that reason, we offer enticing reasons for kids to read and families to read together during the summer.

Since formal schooling was abruptly interrupted more than three months before the end of the 2020 school year, many students are faced with beginning the fall quarter at a severe disadvantage.

Kids whose families participate in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge will be positioned to succeed when school resumes — however that ends up looking. Teachers, already concerned about adapting to the “new normal,” could return in the fall to classrooms of kids who don’t need to relearn the last few months of education from the previous school year. That is the impact of the library’s Summer Reading Challenge.

You can sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge at ebonnerlibrary.readsquared.com or register at the Sandpoint or Clark Fork Library with assistance from library staff. There are levels for kids, teens, and adults. Pre-readers can log read-to-me books too! You can also sign your child up for our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program there.

Let’s come together as a community to support Summer Reading 2020 and have the most participation ever!

The Sandpoint and Clark Fork Libraries are now open at regular hours, 6 days a week. For more information about the current status of the Sandpoint and Clark Fork Libraries and Bookmobile, visit our updates page at www.ebonnerlibrary.org.

EVENTS: Check our website Events Calendar for our schedule of digital events at www.ebonnerlibrary.org.

StoryWalk™ - July titles: at Dover City Park enjoy “Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads” by Bob Shea and “I Love My Pirate Papa” by Laura Leuck at McNearney Park in Ponderay. Titles are updated monthly and posted at facebook.com/BonnerStoryWalk.

Marcy Timblin is in charge of public relations, marketing & community development for the East Bonner County Library District. She can be reached at 208-208- 208-208-263-6930, ext. 1204.