The Summer Library Club kicks off with a special performance from circus troupe Clan Tynker at 6 p.m. Monday at Ashley Pond. Courtesy/MPL
MPL News:
“Every Hero Has a Story” this summer at the Los Alamos County Library System!
As school lets out for summer, it’s the perfect time for children, teens, parents, and caregivers to come to the Los Alamos County Library System and get involved in all the fun of our Summer Library Club.
“One thing we’re really excited about is how we’ve revamped our summer programming,” says Angie Manfredi, head of Youth Services. “We want to make the program engaging and active so we’re expanding beyond reading. This year the Summer Library Club will encourage participants to write reviews, visit museums, attend library programs, and stop by to visit the library every week to participate in challenges.
“And reading is still part of the program because we encourage parents and kids to think of summer as a time for kids to be empowered by the ability to choose their own reading. No more reading for tests or points, summer is all about books kids wants. Library staff is here to recommend and share the fun stuff! It’s going to be an amazing time!”
The summer reading program theme is Every Hero has a Story. The program begins June 1 and runs through July 26 and is available for all children, from birth to age 18. Children and teens are encouraged to read for pleasure across a wide variety of formats from comic books and magazines to listening to audiobooks.
There are programs designed for all ages of readers, including a special program for 0-3 year olds focused on developing early literacy skills for developing baby bookworms. Kids 6 to 12 will have a tailor-made program, and there is a separate program for older kids in 7th grade and up.
Everyone can join up by stopping by Mesa Public Library or the White Rock Branch library beginning Monday, June 1 and picking up a game piece. All children and teens who complete the program will receive a free book as well as fun prizes throughout the summer, from pencils and bookmarks to a free one-time admission to the Aquatic Center.
The program kicks off with a special performance from circus troupe Clan Tynker at 6 p.m. Monday, June 1 at Ashley Pond.
Studies show that students who do not read during the summer can experience “summer set-back,” losing ground in learning and returning to school less ready for the next year than when they began their summer break. The best – and most fun – way to stem summer set-back is to make sure kids and teens stay engaged with reading and learning all summer long.
Another highlight of summer is the special programming. Comix Club is new this year, giving kids 7 to 12 a place for talking about favorite comics and graphic novels. Meet the Music, also for kids 7 to 12, is a weekly program that presents biographies of famous musicians from Johnny Cash to Duke Ellington and includes listening to their performances. Summer favorites like the American Girl program and Ready, Set, Read are also returning to the library this year. Ready, Set, Read is a weekly storytime for children ages 4-8 years old. Regular storytimes and Music and Movement continue as well. There will be single day events celebrating favorite characters like the Rainbow Fairy Magic books and Scooby Doo.
For teens there are programs celebrating fandom, anime, and the newest young adult books, and two special book clubs that will include live Skype sessions with authors.
So take a book along to the park, an audio book along on a long car trip, and break out all the fun reading as you spend the summer discovering the hero inside every great story!
For more information, including a full summer calendar of events, visit our website http://www.losalamosnm.us/library/ and click on the button that says “Kids”, and you can like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LosAlamosLibraries, or call Youth Services at 662-8258
(All programs are free of charge and do not require registration.)
