INDIANAPOLIS — Children of all ages and families are invited to experience the joy of reading during The Indianapolis Public Library’s 2013 Summer Reading Program, “Read Together Right Now!” June 3 – July 27 at all Indy Library locations as well as the Beech Grove Public Library.
Inspired by the pop culture of the 1960’s and the iconic imagery associated with The Beatles, this year’s theme promotes the ideas that reading together as a family builds a community of readers and that coming together as a community raises the level of reading around the world.
Along with Presenting Sponsor Indiana Members Credit Union, the Library is providing numerous opportunities to become involved in summer reading. Not only can participants earn points for their reading activity that can be exchanged for great prizes, they can support literacy efforts to help students in India, South Africa and Mexico by using their reading points to select and donate prize books to Christel House International Learning Centers and to Indiana Members Foundation to support local children in need of books. This “Book Aid” campaign also will allow local children to decorate and personalize bookplates for the gift books as a show of friendship.
Points are earned based on the degree of a book’s difficulty, but additional points can be accumulated by selecting from the Bonus Booklist that features titles representing cultures of different countries. The program also allows adults to earn points by reading aloud to young children. An added component, “Earn and Learn,” provides an opportunity for young ones under the age of 18 with Library card debts of $5 or more to reduce or eliminate their debts through reading.
The Summer Reading Program will kick off on Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m. at Central Library with a free performance by the popular Beatles tribute band, BritBeat. Many Library locations will kick off the campaign with fun-filled IMCU Read Together Happenings. The Summer Reading Program, which attracted nearly 58,000 children and families in 2012, will conclude with a celebration of reading achievement during Library Night at Victory Field, sponsored by the Indiana Blood Center, on Monday, July 29 at 7 p.m. Readers can earn buy one, get-one-free tickets to attend.
Register to receive a Summer Reading Program Points Card at any Indianapolis Public Library branch, Central Library or the Bookmobile, as well as the Beech Grove Public Library. For more information, call 275-4099 or visit www.indypl.org.
