Summer Reading Programs

Adult Summer Reading

This year, the Leach Library will launch a new Adult Summer Reading Program, run in conjunction with the Children’s and Young Adult Summer Reading Programs. The 2010 Adult Summer Reading Program theme is Water Your Mind – Read! Registration for the program will begin Tuesday, June 1 and run through Saturday, August 28. Participants may register at any time at the Reference Desk where they will receive a bookmark and an informational sheet. Those who register early will also receive a seed packet to grow beautiful, butterfly-attracting Texas bluebonnets available while supplies last.

For every book read, participants will receive one raffle ticket. These tickets can be completed for entry into weekly raffle drawings. Prizes for the weekly raffle drawings include a variety of gardening themed items. Additionally, gift certificates will be raffled off that have been generously donated by Giovanni’s, Vincenzo’s, Shady Hill Greenhouses, and an item from the Home Depot of Londonderry. The participant who reads the most books over the summer will receive a Grand Prize gift basket.

The library will also be offering two gardening-themed evening programs. The first will be held on Thursday, July 15 at 7:00 p.m. when University of New Hampshire Professor Cathy Neal will present a program on “The Best Plants for New Hampshire Landscapes.” On Thursday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m., Cheryl Smith of the University of New Hampshire will present the program “Tips for Growing Healthy Indoor Plants.” These events are free and open to the public and will be held in the library’s meeting room. A gardening themed door prize will be raffled off at each program. Light refreshments will be served.

Young Adult Summer Reading

The 2010 Young Adult Summer Reading Program theme is You Are Here, and the program explores the impact of a person’s carbon footprint on the world. It is open to any student entering grades 6-12 with registration ongoing from June 1 through August 16 at the Circulation Desk. Weekly meetings will be held in the lower level meeting room on Tuesday nights from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted. The first meeting is Tuesday, June 29, and the theme is poetry. Other meetings include Movie Night, Games Nights, Did You Know?, Music and Crafts Night, and a book discussion. The book discussion will feature City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau, with paperback copies available to the first thirty participants who sign up for this discussion. Snacks and drinks are served at each meeting, and all attendees will receive a raffle ticket for one of various door prizes, including a $20.00 gift certificate.

Participants who sign up and read will receive a raffle slip for every book of more than 80 pages read or every group of 3 magazines read. These slips must be turned in by no later than 8:00 p.m. on Monday, August 16. Raffle slips will be drawn at the wrap-up pizza party on Tuesday, August 17 for the following Grand Prizes: passes to Canobie Lake, passes to Water Country in Portsmouth, a free 18-hole round of golf from the Londonderry Country Club, and gift certificates to Cinema 12, American Eagle, Barnes and Noble, and Newbury Comics. Attendance at the pizza party is not required to win the Grand Prizes.

Participants are also asked to keep a reading log of all books read from June 1 through Saturday, September 4. Every student entering grades 6-8 who turns in a reading log with 12 titles or more listed will receive a certificate that entitles them to an extra credit or homework pass in English. Also, every participant grades 6-12 who turns in a reading log by September 4 will be eligible to win the Janice Anagnos Memorial Certificate and a very special prize. This prize is awarded, in memory of a former library trustee, Janice Anagnos, to the student who reads the most books during the Young Adult Summer Reading Program.

Children’s Summer Reading

The 2010 Children’s Summer Reading Program theme is Make a Splash – Read, with the library-wide goal of reading enough books to splash the coast from New Hampshire to Alaska and back again. The program is open to all children from birth through grade 6. Participants may register in the Children’s Room beginning June 1 where they will receive a packet containing calendars noting the dates and times of all programs.

A kick off show will take place on Wednesday, June 30 at 10:00 a.m. at the Londonderry Middle School with a performance by Debbie and Friends. Everyone who attends the program will have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win a gift certificate donated by local restaurants that will be drawn immediately following the show.

Weekly activities include Guess It and Trivia Contests. Regular programs include Game Day Monday, Story Time Tuesday, Craft Time Thursdays, and a Saturday Scavenger Hunt. A variety of special programs on Wednesdays include a visit with Tacky the Penguin, A World of Tales with storyteller Simon Brooks, Martha Dana and her puppet friends, Junior Zookeeper Encounter with the Wildlife Encounters Zoo, Campfire Stories, and Reptiles on the Move. These programs require prior registration on the Monday before the event.

The finale show will take place in two sessions on Wednesday, August 18 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., at the Londonderry Town Common. The featured performer will be Todd Wellington, The King of Silly. Participants at both performances will have the chance to enter a raffle to win a gift certificate donated by local restaurants that will be drawn immediately following each show. Children who reach their reading goal may pick up prize bags at this event or at any time in the Children’s Room from August 9 through 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 11.

For more information on the 2010 Summer Reading Programs, please visit the library’s website at www.londonderrynh.org/library/library.htm, or call the library at 432-1132 or the children’s room at 432-1127.