sizzlingsecond edition summer reading programs for young adults Katharine L. Kan for the Young Adult Library Services Association SizzlingSecond Edition Summer Reading Programs for Young Adults Katharine L. Kan for the Young Adult Library Services Association American Library Association Chicago 2006 While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing in this book, the publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in this publication. Composition by ALA Editions in Sans Extended and Janson Text using QuarkXPress 5.0 on a PC platform Printed on 50-pound white offset, a pH-neutral stock, and bound in 10-point coated cover stock by McNaughton & Gunn The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. ϱ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kan, Katharine. Sizzling summer reading programs for young adults / Katharine L. Kan for the Young Adult Library Services Association.–– 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8389-3563-X 1. Young adults’ libraries––Activity programs––United States. 2. Teenagers––Books and reading––United States. 3. Reading promotion––United States. I. Young Adult Library Services Association. II. Title. Z718.5.K36 2006 027.62'6––dc22 2005028264 Copyright © 2006 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Printed in the United States of America 1009080706 54321 This book is dedicated to all the hardworking young adult librarians and other library staff who work with teens and continually strive to provide the teens in their communities with the best services and programs they can muster. CONTENTS Introduction 11 Teen Summer Reading Program 18 Boca Raton Public Library Reading Incentive Programs 66 Boca Raton, Florida “Making Waves @ The Library” 7 North Liberty Community Library “Extreme Read” Summer Reading Club 19 North Liberty, Iowa Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Shirley, New York Allen Park Public Library Young Adult Summer Reading Program 8 “Reading Rocks” 21 Allen Park Public Library Allen County Public Library Allen Park, Michigan Fort Wayne, Indiana “Discover New Trails at Your Library” 10 “For the Future” 23 Bettendorf Public Library Sevier County Public Library System Bettendorf, Iowa Sevierville, Tennessee Teen Summer Reading Club— “I Get My Brain Food at The Bob” 24 Montgomery County Public Libraries 10 Robert Cormier Center for Young Adults, Silver Spring Library Leominster Public Library Silver Spring, Maryland Leominster, Massachusetts “Read into Action” 12 “Teens Rock @ your library” 25 Tucson-Pima Public Library Hawaii State Public Library System Tucson, Arizona “Explore Other Worlds @ your library” 13 “LOL (Laugh Out Loud)” 26 Peabody Institute Library, Northbrook Public Library Peabody, Massachusetts Northbrook, Illinois “Time Twister” 14 “’Toon Up the Heat” 27 Kalamazoo Public Library Schaumburg Township District Library Kalamazoo, Michigan Schaumburg, Illinois “Stampede to Read” 16 “Discover New Trails @ your library” 29 Newport Beach Public Library Upper Arlington Public Library Newport Beach, California Upper Arlington, Ohio “It’s All Greek to Me” 17 “Explore the Reading Trail” 29 Orange County Library System Villa Park Public Library Orlando, Florida Villa Park, Illinois v “Get Lost @ your library” 31 “Get Lost @ your library” 47 Natrona County Public Library Plymouth District Library Casper, Wyoming Plymouth, Michigan “Teens, Get Out of the Dark Ages: Read” 32 “Stampede to Read” 49 Danbury Library Upland Public Library Danbury, Connecticut Upland, California “Retro Reads” 33 Teen Summer Reading Program 50 Nashville Public Library, Hermitage Branch Benicia Public Library Hermitage, Tennessee Benicia, California “New York Is Read, White and Blue” 35 “Discover New Trails @ your library” 50 Town of Ballston Community Library Boise Public Library Burnt Hills, New York Boise, Idaho “Get the Arts in Your Smarts” 36 “Discover New Trails” 52 Southfield Public Library St. Louis County Library Southfield, Michigan St. Louis, Missouri “Exploring Other Worlds” 38 Teen Summer Reading Program 53 Amesbury Public Library West Bend Community Memorial Library Amesbury, Massachusetts West Bend, Wisconsin “A Century of Stories: One Hundred Years, “Get Lost @ your library!” 53 Hundreds of Books” 39 Ada Community Library Carmel Clay Public Library Boise, Idaho Carmel, Indiana “New York Is Read, White and Blue” 41 “Teen Treasures” Summer Reading Club 54 Saugerties Public Library Vigo County Public Library Saugerties, New York Terre Haute, Indiana “Say What?” 42 “Step into Reading . Step into Life” 56 Howard County Library, Glenwood Branch Fresno County Public Library Cooksville, Maryland Fresno, California “Book Your Summer!” 44 “Cinema Summer” 57 Washington Public Library Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library Washington, Missouri Broomfield, Colorado Young Adult Reading Club 45 “Journeys: Every Book’s a Trip!” 58 Gail Borden Public Library South Kingstown Public Library Elgin, Illinois Peace Dale, Rhode Island “Read around . Florida” 46 “Get Wired at the Library” 60 New Port Richey Public Library Livingston Parish Library New Port Richey, Florida Livingston, Louisiana Contents vi “New York Is Read, White and Blue” 61 Outreach to Rogers Memorial Library Special Populations 8888 Southampton, New York Summer Reading for Teen Parents 90 Public Libraries of Saginaw, Michigan Teen Summer Reading Club 62 Patchogue-Medford Library Summer Reading for Teens Living Patchogue, New York on a Reservation 91 Sinte Gleska University Library “Make It Fly!” 63 Mission, South Dakota Middle Country Public Library Centereach, New York Summer Reading for Homeless Teens 92 Akron-Summit County Public Library “Discover! Explore! Read!” 64 Akron, Ohio Herrick District Library Holland, Michigan Summer Reading Initiative @ The Parmadale School: “Reading Is the Ticket” 93 Cuyahoga County Public Library, Special Programs 6677 Parma Regional Library Cultural Events 67 Parma, Ohio Informational Events 68 Summer Reading for Incarcerated Fun and Games 68 Teen Boys 94 C. A. Dillon Youth Development Center Crafts 71 Butner, North Carolina Stage and Screen 73 “Read-Iculous” Teen Summer Reading Books 74 Program 2005 at the Chesterfield Detention Home 95 Food 75 Chesterfield County Public Library Art 77 Chesterfield, Virginia Music 79 Summer Reading for Health and Beauty 80 Incarcerated Teens 97 Austin Public Library Volunteers and Teen Austin, Texas Participation in Libraries 8811 CONTRIBUTORS 99 Teen Advisory Boards 81 INDEX 107 Teen Volunteers 82 Contents vii INTRODUCTION n 1998 YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) published Sizzling ISummer Reading Programs for Young Adults, which showcased a number of programs for young adults offered by public libraries across the country. Libraries of all sizes, from small municipal libraries to large metropolitan systems, offered reading pro- grams, special programming, and volunteer opportunities for young adults. So why do we need another book on summer reading programs for teens? In the years since 1998, research has shown that reading skill levels among teens have remained about the same, yet our growing and ever-improving technology demands higher skills. As Stephen Krashen states in The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research, Nearly everyone in the United States can read and write. They just don’t read and write well enough. Although basic literacy has been on the increase for the last century, the demands for literacy have been rising faster. Many people clearly don’t read and write well enough to handle the complex literacy demands of modern society.1 Patrick Jones and Joel Shoemaker note that nearly one-quarter of library patrons are teens, but less than 15 percent of public libraries have young adult librarians.2 READING SCORES RESEARCH Just how well do American young adults read? The National Assessment of Edu- cational Progress (NAEP) published The Nation’s Report Card: Reading Highlights 2003, which reported on reading scores of fourth graders and eighth graders.3 The report compared scores from 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2003 for both grade levels across the country. In 2003, 26 percent of students assessed performed below the Basic level, while 74 percent performed at or above the Basic level. Of the eighth graders tested, 32 percent performed at or above the Proficient level, and 3 percent performed at the Advanced level. In comparison, in 1992, 31 percent of eighth graders assessed per- formed below the Basic level, while 69 percent performed at or above the Basic level. Of the eighth graders assessed in 1992, 29 percent performed at or above the Proficient level, and 3 percent performed at the Advanced level. Performance at the Basic and Proficient levels increased slightly between 1992 and 2003, but only by a few percent- age points. The NAEP reading assessment measures students’ comprehension of grade- appropriate reading materials that are drawn from sources available to them inside and outside their schools. The students read the selections and answer the questions, some multiple choice and some requiring a written response, to test their understanding.