Summer is known as the season of swimming, going to the beach and relaxation. Every school year students are always looking forward to the glorious last day of finals, when they can put down their pencils, pack up their binders and close their books until September arrives. This time of year has finally arrived, and all anyone can talk about is taking a break from school. However, before you throw your backpack into the bottom of your closet, consider going to the Cherry Hill Library and filling it with books, where they are hosting their annual teen reading program.

Students in grades 6-12 will have a chance to win free prizes from June to August, just by recording the number of hours they read in a log that can be picked up at the library. Prizes include gift cards to restaurants and clothing shops. There is also an option to choose from a selection of books, so that you can log more reading time and win more prizes. Students can also win the prize raffle by attending one of the many events the library hosts over the summer or writing a book review to submit to the library.

East students of all ages participate in the Teen Summer Volunteer Program, and they encourage other students to get involved with the library as well.

“The library makes summer reading enjoyable,” said Maya Shanker (’19) who volunteers at the library. “You can use the gift cards you win with your friends, and reading in the summer makes you better prepared for the upcoming school year.”

A study done by Harvard University revealed that students who read or took academic classes over the summer scored significantly higher on multiple choice tests when returning the following school year. The Washington Post concluded that the knowledge lost during the annual summer vacation is cumulative, and that by middle school it has “accumulated to a two–year lag in reading achievement.”

If you’re striving for a successful school year, and a better GPA, summer reading may be the answer for you.

To sign up for the teen summer reading program visit the Cherry Hill Library’s website, or the Youth Services Department’s Summer Reading Table, located on the second floor of the library. Anyone who signs up before June 19 automatically gets entered in a raffle for a free gift basket.