Avoid the summer slide by keeping kids reading this summer. Do your kiddos need some outside motivation to crack open that book? Check out these summer reading programs with incentives to read -- enter one, or all!
Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Journal
The reward: Kids going into grades 1 to 6 can earn a free book from Barnes & Noble (limit one per child).
How it works:
- Read any eight books this summer and record them in Barnes & Noble's Summer Reading Journal. Kids have to write a sentence or so to explain which part of the book is their favorite, and why.
- Bring your completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store by August 31 to receive a free book.
Download the Barnes & Noble book log.
Pizza Hut's Camp BOOK IT
The reward: Kids can receive free personal pan pizza.
How it works:
- Parents set and track reading goals throughout the summer.
- Children earn a personal pan pizza when goals are met.
BAM! Books-A-Million Summer Reading Adventure
The reward: Children can receive a free Eragon Water Bottle.
How it works:
- Kids need to read 4 books from the Summer Reading Adventure section online or inside BAM! Books-A-Million
- Record Books in the Summer Reading Adventure Log Book
- Get a prize when you show the completed Summer Reading Adventure Notebook to a store employee
Learn more and Download the Summer Reading Adventure Log Book.
New York Times Summer Reading Contest
The reward: Your child's writing could appear in the New York Times.
How it works:
- Every Friday June 9 through Aug. 18 the New York Times will publish a post asking the same two questions: What interested you most in the New York Times this week? Why?
- Anyone 13 to 19 years old can post an answer until Friday, Aug. 18. Contestants can choose from any Times article, essay, video, interactive, podcast, or photograph published in 2020, on any topic they like.
- The New York Times will announce winners every Tuesday and publish their writing.
Curious about past winners? Read 2017 winners' work, ranging from refugees and “post-truth politics” to power napping and junk food.
Find the more info and weekly writing prompts here.
Gibson's Bookstore's Young Reviewers Club- (Ongoing)
The reward: $2 Gift Certificate for each book read and reviewed.
How it works:
- Children ages 11-17 choose one of the Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) that publishers send before publishing
- They then read and write a review for the book
- When it gets published, the review will be on display at the bookstore
Local Libraries with Summer Reading Programs
- Baker Free Library (Bow)
- Boscawen Public Library
- Concord Public Library
- Dunbarton Public Library
- Hooksett Library
- Hopkinton Town Library
- Maxfield Public Library (Loudon)
- Pembroke Town Library
- Webster Free Public Library
Sometimes an incentive -- even a small one! -- is all a kid needs in order to find the motivation to read. We hope these summer reading programs give your child an extra push toward reading this summer!
