This month's column is the one in which Summer Reading wrap-up information is presented and the young people who took part in summer reading are bragged upon for a bit. It has been mentioned in this column in the past that young people do lose skills over the summer if they are not exercised in some manner. The parents of our young participants realize this fact and get their children involved in a fun way to keep up reading skills for at least five weeks of each summer.

One hundred forty-one youngsters will receive Get a Clue tee shirts and 13 teens will receive You Never Know tee shirts as rewards for reaching their individual reading goals. The shirts will be available at our final program or at the library any time after August 18.

Of those 154 young people who reached their reading goals, 31 qualified as high readers, meaning they had to read 35 hours or more during the program. The high readers then took part in a special event at the library entitled Anyone's Guess. As part of Anyone's Guess, participants were given a mystery to solve, complete with a crime scene, clues, and evidence. Everyone in attendance had a great time, even the parents who were drafted as suspects!

Participants read 3,116 hours. A very commendable feat, indeed, especially for our teens who have very busy schedules and often have reached the point in their lives when they need to be more self-motivated than the younger readers.

Youngsters this summer had the opportunity to get a clue about a number of fascinating things through weekly sessions for their age groups, as well as special presenters. The library was always alive with activity.

To keep that liveliness going, Thad Beach will be the presenter at our final program on Saturday, August 18, at 2:30 p.m., at the library. The program is entitled "The Mixed-Up Mystery of Song City" and our audience of 'detectives' will help sort out the clues to solve the mystery. Beach uses a variety of musical instruments in his presentation and showcases some tunes he has written himself. Come to the library for a fun time that afternoon.

With school starting and fall routines about to set in, those of you with younger children might want to add storytimes to your schedule. We will be starting our first fall session on August 23. Our sessions run for six weeks with a short break before the start of the next one. Parents and sometime grandparents bring children to story times which afford youngsters and adults alike a chance to make new friends and enjoy some great books. The weekly sessions feature stories, songs, finger plays, and other activities which are age appropriate and are divided into three age groups. Preschool Storytime begins at 9:15 and lasts 45 minutes for children 3 to 5 years old. This group does a simple craft following their stories. Toddle-In Storytime begins at 10:20 and lasts for 20 minutes for children 19 to 36 months old. This group requires a lot of 'wiggle time', so singing is interspersed throughout. The Lapsit Storytime is geared to little ones birth to 19 months and begins at 10:55 and lasts 20 minutes. Please call the library if you would like to enroll your child.

Looking ahead, the library plans to once again promote Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign on September 20. This is a nationwide endeavor aimed at reading a selected book to as many preschoolers as possible. The Jumpstart organization is also engaged in pairing up underprivileged children in bigger cities throughout the nation with adult volunteers who will help the youngsters with reading skills to insure success in school. Jumpstart makes a very worthwhile contribution through these programs.

So that parents know, Children's Book Week is November 11 - 17. Teachers in our schools assist the library in selecting students to read and review William Allen White nominated books at each grade level from third through eighth. Some times parents don't feel informed and the note that goes home with their student about this may not answer all of their questions. Parents, please feel free to call the library because you also become a partner with the library in this project. The reviews written by the young people chosen are featured throughout that week in the newspaper. What a wonderful way to showcase our young people, and some great literature as well!

That same week is the Kansas Reads to Preschoolers event. This initiative is in its third year, with Governor Sebelius acting once again as honorary chairperson. This year rather than selecting one title, the committee selected a theme and several books centering on that theme. It should be a fun event. Library staff will make the rounds to preschools and daycare centers during that week. Private home daycares are encouraged set up a time for us to visit also, so that their little ones may join in on the fun. Watch for more information about our special program to be held at the library as well.

Lots of new titles have been added to the children's area throughout the summer to entice our readers. Come on in and check out what we have. Make sure the library is a regular part of your routine, even though the school year often gets really hectic. See you at Memorial Library!