For the second year in a row the Cayman Islands Public Library Service is launching the Summer Reading Challenge.  This challenge aims at encouraging children between the ages of 6 and 17 to read throughout their summer holidays.

This year’s theme for the challenge is “Survive with a Book” and to tie into the theme, many books in the reading list are all about survival such as The Jungle Book, The Hunger Games and Swiss Family Robinson.  The recommended reading list can be found in the Summer Reading Challenge Brochure which can be collected at all library locations or downloaded from the Library Service’s website.

This year’s challenge will run from August 5th to 30th, 2013.  There are three age groups children can compete in: 6-9 years, 10-14 years and 15-17 years.  Rules for participation are:

•          All participants must have a Cayman Islands Public Library Service Card which can easily be obtained at any district library if a person doesn’t already have one

•          Participants must read the minimum number of minutes each week (40 minutes for children ages 6-9 and 80 minutes a week for pre-teens and teens ages 10-17)

•          Participants must read at least 4 days a week and read a minimum of 5 books during the challenge

•          Participants must record minutes and books read in the reading log and submit to their district library at the end of the challenge.  The reading log can be found in the Summer Reading Challenge 2013 Brochure.

By taking part, participants will be eligible for exciting prizes including a Kindle Fire.

The Summer Reading Challenge began because research in reading shows that during the summer children can actually lose what progress was made during the school year, or they can actually advance and begin the school year at a higher reading level than the level at which they ended it.  This growth, or lack thereof, can be attributed to the amount of reading that children do throughout the summer.  To that end, the Public Library Service is proud to host the Summer Reading Challenge which aims at keeping children reading throughout the summer, to maintain their skills, and even to improve them.

For more information on the Summer Reading Challenge please contact your district library or visit www.cipl.gov.ky