Laura Cain likes learning new words from books. She enjoys reading to dogs at The Library and meeting invited authors. The Upper Dauphin Middle School fifth-grader recently says she’s also favoring borrowing printed books instead of their electronic cousins.

“I like the books that are right in front of you, and you can flip the pages,” Laura says. “With ebooks, you have to keep track of where you were, and you have to charge the electronics every time it gets low. With a book, you don’t need to charge anything unless it’s yourself.”

Laura is a lifelong participant in The Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, a Library summer staple for decades. Since the pandemic upended normal routines, the Summer Reading Challenge is like the comfort food of books, offering a chance for preschoolers, kids and teens, and adults to learn and grow through reading.

The 2022 Summer Reading Challenge, June 1 to August 31, is swimming in “Oceans of Possibilities” – the theme used to introduce the challenge’s programming and activities.

For the first time since 2020, summer lunches return to sit-down affairs inside the libraries (plans subject to safety restrictions). During the pandemic, lunches were delivered curbside, but this year, free lunches or snacks will be offered at all eight locations. Click here for more information.

Everyone can register to participate in the Summer Reading Challenge by visiting dcls.org/src and then start earning points by logging their reading. Participants can read whatever they want. Here’s how it works:

• All ages earn five points for each book read or 10 minutes of reading. Preschoolers can also double-dip and count their reading toward The Library’s 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program.
• Earn five more points for posting a short review of the book. Even picture reviews from kids who can’t write yet earn points.
• Do suggested activities at home, such as an oceanography-related STEM project, and earn one, five, or 10 points. For example, Shark Week activities include learning to draw ocean animals, building a LEGO shark, or conducting an experiment in how sharks float.
• Points levels needed to earn prizes are 100 for preschoolers, 200 for kids aged 5 to 12 and teens 12 to 18, and 30 for adults.
• Friends can cheer each other on and maybe enjoy a bit of competition by sharing their reader codes. 
• On July 1, kids who have eared half of their points can visit The Library and pick up an Explore Your Community Bag that holds tickets and coupons for free stuff from your community.
• Starting August 1, participants who have reached their points earn a free book from The Library. They are also entered for gift cards, with nine awarded in each age group. The more points you earn, the more entries you receive.  

“It looks like a big number at first, but the points pile up quickly,” said Youth Services Manager Samantha Lowe.

Even toddlers hearing the same book read repeatedly earn points each time. For parents of young children, the Summer Reading Challenge offers an opportunity to practice the reading-together skills they see modeled, in person or on Zoom, at The Library’s Stepping Stones to Milestones programs.

“With the little ones, repetition is everything,” says Lowe. “Repeating words, reading books at home over again, singing those songs over and over again – that’s expanding literacy for those kids. They’re soaking it up, and their brains are working through it every day.”

Older kids and teens benefit by expanding their boundaries through reading and exploring the vast resources of The Library for school, work, and independent pursuit of their personal interests.

“As soon as they understand that the world is at their fingertips, nothing can stop them from learning anything they want to learn and growing as people,” Lowe says.

Reading and familiarity with The Library’s resources also teach young people to be educated consumers of media – and it all counts toward the Summer Reading Challenge.

“You have to think about who’s giving this information and why they’re giving that information,” Lowe tells young members of The Library. “We want to show you how to navigate through all that information.”

Points needed for adults to win prizes and enter the raffle are lower in recognition of their time constraints and barriers.

Some adults are hardcore bookworms, and others participate year after year for the nudge, “especially now that we use an app to track,” says Adult Services Director Ashley Famularo. “It’s a good motivator to read and make it a habit consistently.”

Diving into a book can be a challenge for working parents, but The Library reminds them that reading with their kids counts toward their own points. 

“It helps the kids to see that their caregiver is also participating,” says Famularo. “It can make a nice family challenge.”

Summer Reading Challenge pop-up programs continue the “Oceans of Possibilities” theme with fun and STEM activities featuring beach parties, ocean animals, gear for ocean adaptations, and Beanstalk pirates! For locations, dates, and times, pick up the summer edition of Compass or download it to your device. 

Preschoolers, kids, and teens also earn a free Explore Your Community bag full of discount coupons and fun tickets. This year’s bag includes coupons from the Pennsylvania State Museum, Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, the Lykens Valley Children’s Museum, Country Barn Market, ABC North Lanes, the Susquehanna Art Museum, and other attractions.

Laura Cain’s mother, Lykens resident Gretchen Crowe, has been taking her daughter to Northern Dauphin Library since Laura was 1 year old, she is now 11. Laura loved playing in The Library’s “awesome kids’ area,” says her mom.

“It gives me a chance to let her see how important reading is, and just fun,” Gretchen says. “We’ve met so many people. There are other parents to talk to. Laura loves the librarian at Northern Dauphin.”

Gretchen says that the Summer Reading Challenge and other free summer programs help keep Laura reading and active – and allow her daughter to enjoy different experiences. Such as the tarantula that Laura once held when Ryan the Bug Guy held a program. It spurred her to add horror to her Summer Reading Challenge. This year, she is starting chapter books and found her current read, “The Mad Man’s Daughter,” at The Library.

“After that I want to move on to the other book in the series, because it goes along with the book I’m reading now,” Laura says.  

Gretchen and Laura have used the Explore Your Community Bag to find fun things to do.

“I just strongly encourage everyone to use The Library and attend the programs because we need it to stay around,” Gretchen says. “Without our libraries, technology’s going to take over. You can give them something to do without electronics.”             

Laura adds: “The library’s been there since way before I was born, but it was always a place you could go if you needed alone time or just wanted to read a book.”