School may be out, but that doesn’t mean the reading stops. In fact, the Queen Creek Library and others are busier than ever gearing up for the Maricopa County Reads program starting this week.
The theme of this year’s program, which takes place from June 1 to Aug. 1, is “All Together Now,” encouraging readers of all ages to explore stories of unity, kindness and community.
“This year’s summer reading theme is a great reminder of all that we can accomplish when we come together,” said Clint Hickman, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. “Maricopa County Reads brings 19 public, tribal and military library systems together to work towards the same goal of promoting learning and literacy throughout our great county.”
Participating libraries are hoping to hit a community reading goal of 65 million minutes read by the end of the program.
The primary goal of Maricopa County Reads is to interrupt the summer slide, the common term given to the learning loss experienced by children while transitioning between school years. Kids are incentivized to read by earning points which can be redeemed for prizes.
Participants earn one point per minute for reading either physical or electronic books or listening to audiobooks. Additional points can be earned for attending library events, completing summer reading challenges and participating in community experiences to find secret codes while exploring Maricopa County.
Prizes vary based on the amount of points readers achieve and range from a free personal pizza coupon to Phoenix Mercury tickets to a special Musical Instrument Museum prize pack.
Readers who achieve 1,000 points can choose a free book to keep or to donate to a local Head Start classroom.
Registration is required to participate and is open now at maricopacountyreads.org.
Here is a complete list of prizes:
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500 points:
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- Free personal pizza coupon from Peter Piper Pizza (ages 0-11).
- Free lemonade coupon from Raising Cane’s (all ages).
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750 points:
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- Arizona State Park pass (all ages).
- Phoenix Mercury tickets (all ages – up to four tickets).
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1,000 points:
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Free book (all ages).
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Grand prize and weekly drawings:
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- Childsplay Theatre 2-Ticket Bundle
- Childsplay Theatre Prize Pack
- Musical Instrument Museum Prize Packs
The Queen Creek Library, located at 21802 S. Ellsworth Road, is part of the Maricopa County Library District. Find more information about the program online at MaricopaCountyReads.org (English) or CondadoDeMaricopaLee.org (Spanish).
