Summer Reading Programs

Yay, yay, yay! Our local library has a Summer Reading Program for adults. For every book we read, we drop a slip of paper in a box for a chance to win an unspecified prize at the end of summer. I don't even care what the prize is; I just love library reading programs.

When I was a kid, my mom took us to the library every week. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. At one time, I thought I would methodically read every book on the shelves and started out with that intention by checking out about 10 books at a time. But I quickly discovered that not every book interested me and I was afraid I'd waste valuable reading time on books I didn't like and miss out on ones that might be further down in the shelves; books by authors with last names beginning in "W" or "Z". So I gave up that project.

I loved the summer reading programs. One summer I read 92 books and won the top prize. I would have read more if my mother hadn't forced me to play outside on nice days. (Yes, I'm still bitter, Mom...) I continued participating in summer reading programs for as long as I could.

Now it's my daughter's turn. She's finally excited about reading this summer after many heartbreaking years of not liking to read. And the grand prize in her summer reading program? A bookmobile visit at your house, just for you!

Oh, I would have loved that!!! I hope she wins just so that I can climb aboard a bookmobile in my very own driveway. It doesn't look hopeful. She's a kid who actually likes playing outside more than staying inside to read. She's going to be beat by other bookwormish children like I was. Oh well. It's fun to think about. And maybe I'll get surprised and discover that the prize for the adult reading program is a bookmobile visit, too. Probably not, but I'm holding out hope.