Library Gears Up for Summer Reading 2014
Durham County Library will celebrate the start of Summer Reading 2014 with a kickoff at Northgate Mall on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dozens of performers and activities will be on tap, including Scrap Exchange, Paint Savvy, North Carolina Zoo, Museum of Natural Sciences, Durham Arts Council, interactive science performances, aerialists, storytelling, face painting, balloon art, crafts, a magician, bounce houses, a video game truck and musicians. The kickoff will take place both indoors and on the outdoor plaza between entrances 2 and 4. It is free and open to the public. Summer Reading is fun for the whole family, but it provides additional advantages for students. According to the State Library of North Carolina, the number of books read during the summer is consistently related to academic gains. Children in every income group who read six or more books over the summer gained more in reading achievement than children who did not. Children who visit the public library during the summer increase their vocabularies even more than those who attend summer school. Plus, there are prizes! Summer Reading participants track their reading online using a point system. Each minute read is worth one Summer Reading point, and points also can be earned for participating in activities such as attending programs and writing book reviews. Redeem up to 1000 points at any time between June 14 and August 9 for a variety of prizes. A minimum of 600 points enters the reader into a drawing for this year’s grand prizes, which include: a Nabi Jr. Tablet and Chrome Book for children; a Kindle Fire and gift certificate for teens; and a Tablet, theatre tickets and restaurant gift certificates for adults. Sign up for Summer Reading today at durhamcountylibrary.org/summerreading.
