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Summer Reading

Boy riding one of three blue whales with three accompanying blue fish singing, and the text, "Find your voice"

The 2023 Summer Reading Program is here!

Find Your Voice! Our voices have power, and we can use our voices to share stories, express ourselves, and spark change. The sounds we make, the words we write, the art we create, the movements we perform, and the actions we take each day can make a difference and impact our world.
Boy riding a sea turtle with a "Find Your Voice" flag
In partnership with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) and iREAD Summer Reading, this year’s summer reading program will include a curated list of books, activities, a kickoff event, story time and music, author talks, and prizes- of course!

Summer Reading Events

All registered participants are invited to attend the following virtual events via Zoom:

Here are the Rules:

1. The Summer Reading Program (SRP) will run from June 26 to August 25, 2023 and is for students age 5-18 registered with Talking Books.  If you do not have a Talking Books account. APPLY HERE
2. Registration for the Talking Books Summer Reading Program is FREE and open from May 1 until June 30, 2023.   REGISTER HERE.
3. After you register for the Summer Reading Program, you will receive a packet with some fun sign-up prizes, including a Regal Premiere movie ticket to enjoy a summer blockbuster! You will also receive a recommended reading list, optional activities, information on how to attend the virtual events, and a reading log so you can keep track of the books you read.
4. We challenge you to read at least six books over the summer to help prevent the “summer slide” and keep your mind active until school starts in the fall again.
5. We will have weekly $25 Amazon gift card raffle drawings! Read a book, complete an activity or attend a summer reading event and fill out a Summer Reading Challenge Raffle Ticket each week to be entered.
6. This year’s prizes:
Grand Prize (winner chooses)
Option 1: Apple iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB, 10th Generation)
Option 2: Musical Night Out Package. If the winner chooses this option, we will customize a night out for you with your choice of selecting two options for gift cards from the following options:
  • Ticketmaster gift card for concert ticketsWoman wearing a sparkling dress, holding a microphone and dancing surrounded by musical notes
  • Portland’5 gift card for tickets to a musical
  • Marriot Hotels gift card
  • Gift card to restaurant of your choice

Runner Up Prize

  • Portable Karaoke Machine
7. Submit your completed reading log by August 25 with the total books read to be entered in the Grand Prize and Runner-up Prize drawings. There are three options for submitting your reading log.
  • Submit online HERE
  • Email - send a photo of your completed reading log or email a list of the books read to jennifer.graves@slo.oregon.gov.
  • Mail it in - If you are mailing in your reading log, remember to write your name on it and make sure it is postmarked by August 25.
8. Prize winners will be contacted by email/phone. The Grand Prize winner and Runner-up Prize winner will be announced in the fall issue of the Student Newsletter.

Sign up Now! RIGHT HERETropical bird holding a sign that says "read" in its beak, and text reads, "Find your voice, 2023 iRead Summer Reading"


Why Participate in Summer Reading?

  • Gender neutral person climbing ladder and speaking through a bullhornReading keeps your mind active. Students who do not engage in educational activities over the summer can lose retention of up to two months or roughly 22% of what they learned during their school year. This is called the “Summer Slide”.
  • Children who participate in Summer Reading Programs and read a minimum of six books over the summer score higher in reading AND math when they return to school.
  • Numerous studies show that access to books and magazines and the amount of time children spend reading outside of school is directly related to higher reading achievement. Children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are also more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.

Source: Reading Is Fundamental (www.rif.org); article “Keeping Kids off the Summer Slide.”
Source: Dominican University IMLS-funded research: Public Library Summer Reading Programs Close the Reading Gap (http://bit.ly/dom.edu)



For any inquiries about the Summer Reading Program please contact Jennifer Graves by email at jennifer.graves@slo.oregon.gov.