This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 30th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
My daughter's school is officially out for summer vacation—and I am officially in my summer vacation feelings.
One of the memories I associate most with the summer breaks of my childhood is doing our local public library's annual summer reading challenge. I was a bookish kid. This was my sweet spot and my time to shine.
Here's the building that used to house the public library in my hometown:
(Screenshot courtesy of Google Maps...)
This isn't the library anymore. A beautiful new space was constructed nearby in the early 2000s. The new library is fantastic. It's everything you want a public library to be: open, welcoming, filled with light and books and activities and people. But when I think about my summers growing up, remembering the smaller, darker, more old-fashioned space warms my heart.
At the start of each summer, my mom would drive me and my siblings to the library to pick up our summer reading challenge sheets. These weren't just blank reading logs or lists of ideas. These were pirate treasure maps, or wilderness hikes, or city scavenger hunts. They were passport books with pages you had to get stamped. They were adventures.
My childhood librarians were not messing around, is what I'm saying.
Each challenge sheet had a list of types of books you had to read along your quest. Prompts like:
Read a book about an animal.
Read a mystery.
Read a book set in the past.
Read a book about friendship.
Read a nonfiction book.
Read a book of poetry.
And so on. We'd bring in our sheet to get it stamped or stickered by the librarians, who would ask us about what we'd been reading. I usually completed more than one challenge per summer, because I was that kind of kid. (A bookstore in our area also offered a reading challenge for a few summers, and the prize for completing it was a gift certificate! Big motivation.)
I know these challenges weren't only happening in my hometown. Maybe you were doing something similar, wherever you grew up. I hope your summer reading adventures were as exciting as mine.
I also know that these challenges weren't just aimed at bookworms like me. I recall studies being published in the '80s and '90s about learning loss during the summer months. Challenges like these were supposed to make reading fun, so kids wouldn't sit around and watch TV all summer long. It's probably the same now, except the battle is against all sorts of screens.
But regardless of how common my experience was, it was also really formative. I took those challenges seriously. I tried to stick to the letter of the prompt, not forcing books that only kind-of-sort-of fit into each category. If I read a book that fit into more than one category, meanwhile, I'd hold off writing the title onto the challenge map until I knew where I needed it most. I didn't just want to complete the challenge—I wanted to do it right.
I've had this on my mind lately for two reasons:
One, I was wondering if the Brooklyn Public Library offers anything like this for kids my daughter's age. They do, but it's much more open-ended. No specific book prompts, just guidance to read for 20 minutes a day and to log each book you finish. Honestly, that's not nearly as much fun as what I remember from my own youth!
Two, I was kind of feeling the itch to do a summer reading challenge of my own. Here, I have almost too many options. I Googled "Summer Reading Challenge for Adults" and got so many lists and bingo boards and Instagram graphics! So I'll need to do some more strategizing there.
Does your local public library do a summer reading challenge for kids (or adults)? Are you challenging yourself to read in a new way this summer? I want to know! Please give me some ideas!
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne. I've known Lee and Jenn since we all debuted in 2015, and I have been so excited to read the book they wrote together. The Antiquity Affair is a historical adventure about two sisters whose father is a renowned Egyptologist. Lila is about to be presented to society, and hopes to secure a good marriage. Tess wants to follow in their dad's footsteps and study archaeology. This book has secret societies, undecipherable codes, sisters trying to rebuild a broken bond, and a touch of romance. It's wonderful!
Writing: I'm about to jump into drafting the second book in my write-for-hire contract. I've mentioned before that this is always the scariest part: right before diving in. What if I've forgotten how to write?! Wish me luck in July...
Loving: A few weeks ago, I took my three Critters to the beach for a photo shoot. Here they are, enjoying some fun in the sun—and waiting for some kiddos to read and enjoy them! What are your kids reading this summer?
