JACKSON, Wyo. — Nice work, summer readers!
The Teton County Library ran its annual summer reading program, challenging the community to read a collective 2 million minutes between June 1 and Aug. 10. A total of 1,469 people participated in the challenge and read a combined 2,164,400 minutes, Adult Programs Coordinator Leah Shlachter told Buckrail.
That literary cadre was composed of 484 adults, 113 high schoolers, 211 middle schoolers, 508 elementary schoolers and 153 pre-schoolers.
“Summer Reading went really well this year!” Schlachter said via email. “Collectively participants surpassed our community goal of reading over 2 million minutes, and we celebrated the end of the season with a foam party for the kids and final raffle drawings for all ages. It’s nice to have a program where everyone and whole families can participate and share a love for reading at their own pace. Also, studies show that children who read through the summer make a smooth transition to the next grade level when school starts back up.”
Raffle prizes included $50 gift cards to local businesses (including book purveyors Valley Bookstore and Jackson Hole Book Trader).
Among the most popular titles for younger readers were “A Tale of Magic” by Chris Colfer, “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins (a prequel in her “Hunger Games” series), “My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things” published by DK, and the first installments in the “Harry Potter” and “Percy Jackson” series by J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan, respectively.
Popular adult fiction titles included “The Other Bennet Sister” by Janice Hadlow, “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon, “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett and “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros.
