Payton Kuffler signed up for the Summer Reading Club at the Harbourfront Library and received her reading record where she can track her daily reading habits. The program runs until August 22. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

learning for life

Summer reading club ‘helps to bridge the gap’ for youth over summer break

Jul 11, 2022 | 4:34 PM

NANAIMO — Local Island libraries are working to keep young minds sharp between semesters with their summer reading club.

It’s a province-wide free literacy program available at public libraries and online. For over 30 years it has encouraged youth between five and 14 to track their daily reading progress throughout the summer for a chance to earn prizes and keep their literacy skills strong.

Eleven-year-old Payton Kuffler has participated in the summer reading club for the past few years and tells everyone she can about the joys of reading.

“I think it’s really important… (reading) is fun and it tells a story. Me and my mom are on the sixth Harry Potter book, and we’re reading the series for the third time.”

Kuffler spoke with NanaimoNewsNOW at the Harbourfront Library in Nanaimo where youth can sign up for the summer reading club.

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Along with being a Potter fan, she is also reading the Babysitters Club series this summer, along with some graphic novels and a popular children’s fantasy series.

“Me and my mom are going to read The Land of Stories. We have the whole series already.”

Kuffler is heading into the fifth grade at Frank J. Ney Elementary this fall.

Children and youth services librarian with the Vancouver Island Regional Library Lee Losell said this program helps promote lifelong learning and a love of reading.

“This helps to bridge the gap between June and September for children in our province who are attending school. And to help them learn how the library works and discover all the things that library has to over them, not only reading, but other resources and the different kinds of ways they engage with their libraries throughout their life.”

Around 6,000 Nanaimo kids have registered this year.

Losell said they also collaborate with local educators, who remind students about the importance of maintaining their literacy skills before the summer break.

“We’re very happy about the kinds of partnerships we have with educators throughout our library system, because they’re really our partners in encouraging students, before the school year ends, to get out to the library and sign up for the Summer Reading Club.”

In 2021, 63,758 kids from over 200 communities registered for the program.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow