Reading challenges offered for all

The 2020 Summer Reading Program is drawing to a close this week. Though we had low participation due to the pandemic, we did have the highest participation rate that we have had to date. We appreciate everyone who participated!

We had 40 readers in total who read over 80,000 minutes this summer. Drawings for prizes will occur at 1 p.m. on Aug. 3 and will be available for pickup Monday through Friday by appointment only.

Since we now have a membership to Beanstack, we will be able to offer reading challenges year-round! We have created easy-to-use and engaging reading challenges for all ages, such as:

• Blackhawks Back-to-School (Aug. 24 - Sept. 30) is open to all Blackhawks first through 12th grades. We've created this challenge to encourage our kids to continue to read during the back-to-school transition.

• 100 Books before College is one of our year-round challenges on Beanstack. This challenge encourages high school students to read and prepare their minds for the trials of college. Students can easily track their reading on their phones.

• 1,000 Books before Kindergarten has been around for a while, but this is the first time we have offered it digitally. It is easy to register and track the many books that are read (and re-read) to your toddler!

• 10 to Try Reading Challenge is for our adult patrons. It challenges them to reach out of their reading comfort zone and explore different genres.

We look forward to participating in these challenges with our patrons. Please contact us if you would like to participate but need help getting started.

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Editor's note: Ashdon Wilson is a clerk of the Pea Ridge Community Library. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. She can be reached at the library at 451-8442.