by Jill Philby

Here it is—the end of May and June is doing its best to bust out all over! At your home, June may mean ball games or gardening, suddenly having a houseful of children all day, every day instead of at school, or it might just mean spending time in a lawn chair reading and relaxing. But at Ames Public Library, June 1 means our “Find Your Voice!” summer reading challenge has begun!

I like to read! Can I participate? Absolutely! Everyone can sign up to participate—adults, teens, children, and even infants and toddlers. We want everyone to participate because we know that reading is not only fun but a great way to increase brain power, creativity and an understanding of the people and world around us.

Can I read whatever I want?  Yes, yes, you can! Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, newspapers, magazines, cookbooks, the back of the cereal box. It all counts! And don’t forget e-books and audiobooks!  Plus, if you read aloud to someone else, you can track it for yourself AND whoever you are reading to!

Track?  What’s that?  Tracking is counting the number of minutes you read and then recording them.  A paper tracking sheet will be available at the library starting June 1, or you can track using an online app called Beanstack.  Once you have read 100 minutes, you will have completed the first track of the challenge and earned a prize. Complete all four tracks and you will have read the 700 minutes needed to complete the program. 

Wait—you mentioned prizes?  When you finish a track, come to the library or the Bookmobile and pick up a prize.  Earn all four prizes, but still want to keep reading? That’s great! Pick up the bonus reading sheet from the library to count your extra reading.  For every 500 minutes of extra reading you do, you will earn one prize drawing ticket. The more you read, the more tickets you earn, and the better your chances of winning a prize drawing. Since prize drawings are awarded at the end of the summer, you will have plenty of time to read as much as you choose!

This sounds great! Sign me up! You can sign up at either the library or Bookmobile or you can sign up using the Beanstack app.  So, come in soon and let’s get your summer started!