by Kitty Felde
Libraries all over the DMV are launching their summer reading programs. The DC Public Library offers prizes from the Washington Nationals, DC United, and Nando’s for completing a reading bingo card. But I rather like the Choose Your Own Adventure summer reading challenge created by a pair of educators from Charlottesville, Virginia.
Mrs. Walton, the Reading Specialist at St. Anne’s-Belfield School, and school librarian Ms. Robinson came up with two lists and invited students to choose something from column A and one from column B. Then, do it over and over again. The rules let you read alone, with a partner, or listen to an audiobook or a book read aloud.
WHAT KIND OF BOOK AND WHERE TO READ
A book that takes place during summertime A book set in a different time period
A book recommended by a friend
A newly published book
A poetry book
A mystery
A book a parent loved when they were little
A how-to book
A realistic fiction book
An autobiography or biography
A wordless picture book
A book with the character’s name in the title
A book with characters who are animals
A fantasy, folktale, or fairy tale
A nonfiction book
A book about a place you have never been
An award winner
A book that’s part of a series
A book recommended by a librarian
A graphic novel or comic book
Read wearing a costume
Read to a pet or stuffed animal
Read at a park
Read in your backyard
Read in your favorite chair
Read with a relative
Read at a picnic
Read after breakfast
Read under a tree
Read in bed
Read at a friend’s house
Read at a library
Read under a blanket fort
Read at a playground
Read in your pajamas
Read wearing sunglasses
Read on a rainy day
Read in a closet
Read by the pool, ocean, or lake.
Read in the dark with a flashlight
Give it a try. Challenge your young reader to tackle summer reading with a twist!
Kitty Felde hosts the Book Club for Kids podcast, celebrating its 10th anniversary. Her newest Fina Mendoza Mystery is called Snake in the Grass, set on Capitol Hill.
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BookClubforKids.org