Royal Oak Public Library invites all to read, explore and have fun this summer

ROYAL OAK — The Royal Oak Public Library is putting on its annual summer reading program with the theme of “Color Our World.”

The program began June 10 and will end on Aug. 11, and it is meant for people of all ages. Participants can register up until the last day, Aug. 11.

Trevor Winn, the head of adult services at the Royal Oak Public Library, said that this program is an inclusive and exciting way to get adults and children to read.

“One of my main goals when creating a summer reading program for adults is to illustrate the wide range of activities, services and opportunities there are for them at their public library,” Winn said. “For as long as I have worked in libraries, there have been summer reading programs for adults. Why should the kids be the only readers earning fun prizes in the summer?”

Leah Kenny, the head of youth services at the library, said that the program is a way to keep kids engaged with reading during the summer.

“Our summer reading program is a fun, free way for families to combat the ‘summer slide.’ All four of our challenges encourage children to keep reading by incentivizing their effort,” she said. “By staying connected with books and reading every day for even a small amount of time, children will not only be able to earn prizes but also maintain their reading skills in preparation for the next school year.”

The summer reading program is through an app called “Beanstack,”  the library’s reading challenge app, and people can register as an individual or as a group.

The app will encourage participants to attend events, read or listen to books, complete activities, and more to earn prizes. Participants are also required to log all their activities and books read throughout the summer on the app.

For the adult readers, there will be prizes related to local businesses, gift cards, certificates, or a grand prize at the end. Youth readers have the chance to win prizes and virtual tickets for a chance to win a grand prize.

The big grand prize is an e-bike, according to Winn, who said that it is sponsored by Vibe  Credit Union. The one winner of the e-bike will be revealed on Aug. 11, when all activities must be completed and logged on the Beanstack app.

For every five entries a person completes, they will earn one entry for the grand prize.

“Completing activities listed in the Beanstack tracker app is the way to earn chances to win a prize for adults, kids or teens,” Kenny said. “Our prizes will be announced after the completion of the program on Aug. 11, so be sure to log all activities by that day. All the prize baskets for younger readers are on display just inside our Centennial Commons entrance.”

Kenny said that reading is an essential part of growing up, and it is detrimental when kids do not read throughout the summer.

“Reading and literacy in general are and will always be important to the health and wellness of our community, and especially so for the children of Michigan. Our reading scores continue to lag nationally and last year ranked 44th in the nation for our fourth graders,” she said. “Creating and surrounding our children in a community of readers, like our summer reading program, helps to support their development and challenges them to grow as a reader. Reading is crucial to a child’s future academically, emotionally and socially.”

Winn said that this is a way for adults to connect with friends and family in a fun and interesting way.

“Several hundred adults participated last year in Royal Oak, and I anticipate that number to grow this year — we’ve pumped up our promotion and marketing to ensure the community is aware of the great things planned. In three days, we’ve had 150 adults register.” he said. “The summer reading program is a great opportunity for adults to earn chances to win gift cards, prize packs or our big grand prize by reading, attending a fun event or visiting a local business around Royal Oak. We really strive to make the program as approachable as possible, and since it can be done at your own pace through Aug. 11, there’s flexibility to earn prize entries when you’re able.’

For more information and to sign up for the summer reading program, visit ropl.org.