The Warwick Public Library (WPL) on Sandy Lane, whose reading programs run from infancy to adulthood, is abuzz with the Summer Reading Challenge.
Split into three age groups, participants have to log 16 hours of reading time by August 23 to earn their prizes. They also get a halfway prize after reading for eight hours, to keep them going.
“We’ve definitely got good swag this year,” says Jen Linton, Coordinator of Adult Services at the Library.
The halfway prize for the kids group, babies and youngsters (who’ll be read to by a parent or caregiver) to grade 5, and the teens group, grades 6-12, is a free paperback book.
For the young children, the completion prize is an eraser, wacky pen, video game pencil case, deck of playing cards, Summer Reading Challenge magnet, McDermott Pool pass, and a raffle ticket for a chance to win a Kids Grand Prize.
For the middle- and high-schoolers, the completion prize is an axolotl mini, fuzzy pen, box of Airheads, a raffle ticket for a chance to win a Teen Grand Prize, and more.
For the Adults group, age 18 and above, the halfway prize is a Library logo LED keychain. The completion prize is a Library logo mug, puzzle book, Friends of the Library book sale coupon, $2 printing coupon, and a virtual raffle ticket for one of three prizes.
In addition, the teens and adults can complete their activities in Beanstack to earn virtual activity badges and extra raffle tickets.
Like other reading programs throughout the year, the Summer Challenge is meant to instill a love and appreciation of books in toddlers and young children, according to Pam Miech, Coordinator of Youth Services at WPL. And for the student readers, the goal is to continue what they learned during the school year.
“We have a broad range of books on offer for the challenge. They can be chapter books (fiction), or nonfiction like books about animals, and graphic novels for the upper grades,” Miech explains.
Teen readers get a chance to double-dip, she adds. “They have to fulfill their summer reading requirements for the public schools. They can use books from their school lists to meet the Summer Challenge.”
For adults, the Summer Challenge is akin to book clubs that focus on fiction or nonfiction and meet monthly throughout the year.
“We want to keep adults engaged in reading,” Linton says. “We try to connect people with titles that may interest them. It could be a book set in Rhode Island, for example.”
A popular book right now is Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, in which one of the main characters is an octopus that knows the relationship between two other characters, whom it tries to bring together. Another novel is James by Percival Everett, which reimagines Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck’s companion, Jim, who’s escaping enslavement.
“We try to push reading as much as possible,” Linton concludes, adding, “We try not to let people leave here empty-handed.”
As Miech puts it, “We’re here to support literacy.”