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SOMERS, N.Y. - Five dozen young readers, plus their parents, turned out earlier this month for the grand finale of the Somers Library Summer Reading Program. By tradition, it is an ice cream extravaganza. This year the ice cream was donated by the Cold Stone Creamery at Baldwin Place. Six gallons were consumed.
At the beginning of the summer each of the 150 registrants received a log, in which to track his or her reading progress. Anyone who managed to read 1,000 pages was rewarded at the Ice Cream Social with a gift certificate to Chilis and a candy bar. Over 60 readers qualified. All children, no matter how many pages they read, received a certificate.
Book Buddies (older children, usually teens, who volunteer to come in about once a week and read together with a child) were recognized for their service. This year had a big turnout of volunteer buddies. In fact, there were more buddies than kids, said Childrens Librarian Betsy Bishop.
Theres been a summer reading program here forever, Bishop explained. Its a wonderful incentive for kids to keep reading through the summer. Kids love the Ice Cream Social. They really look forward to it.
Kate Bilosi, who accompanied her six-year-old daughter, Olivia, said, Its a wonderful opportunity. Going for a thousand pages has really given Olivia a goal. She even worked with her Nana in Virginia. Olivia read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda, all written by Roald Dahl.
The eight-year old DelVecchio twins made different choices. One read the Nancy Drew series. Her sister preferred Geronimo Stilton and his various adventures in Mouse City. It was a real incentive when they got close to six or seven hundred pages, said their mother, Tamara. Last year they didnt get to a thousand, so this is a real achievement.
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