MARYSVILLE The local library is hoping to keep kids and adults in good shape this summer by helping them maintain their reading habits during the school vacation months.
To that end librarians have several programs in place to keep people reading this summer. Teens can win a iPod Shuffle or a free limousine ride to their first day of school by reading two books each month until Aug. 31.
They earn eligibility by completing entry forms, and each entry form must include reviews of two books, so the more books a person reads the more chances they have to win one of several weekly prizes that include movie tickets and gift certificates. The patrons can count audio and electronic books toward their total, according to librarian Pat Timko.
They can read what they want, when they want, where they want, she said.
Younger kids can pick up a reading log to track their progress over the summer and win weekly prizes. Then they can challenge themselves with an eight-point activity plan that culminates duringAugust. Students who complete the entire reading course can win two books, one for themselves, the other to be sent to school students in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans, La., where Hurricane Katrina devastated wreaked havoc.
The adult summer reading program also includes a chance to win an MP3 player by also writing reviews of books for each entry. The deadline for that program is Aug. 31.
Harry Potters latest installment will break for public sale on midnight, July 20 and apparently this is a big deal with pre-teens. The Marysville Library will host a midnight release party for the new tome and kids have already started decorating the Grove Street facility with a castle theme. During the release party the non-fiction section will be turned into a maze to serve as a gauntlet at the beginning of a scavenger hunt around the entire library. There will also be sorting hat cookies, Acid Pops, potion demonstrations, wizard dueling and a trivia contest, among other events, according to teen librarian Laura Tillman.
The book will go on sale at local bookstores like Bookworks on Third Street, but the library will have five copies to give away along with other prizes.
For more information call the Marysville Pubic Library at 360-658-5000.