By Nina Marie Rosenberg
Amp writer

You have probably heard it about a thousand times already – it is important to study over the summer. But that can be difficult when studying is not entertaining.

The St. Charles City-County library is offering a free teen summer reading program called Metamorphosis. Teens can earn prizes based on the number of hours they read. They turn in a form for every 12 hours of reading, up to 36 hours.

To sign up, go to the information desk at the nearest library branch and ask for a form. Or log on to www.youranswerplace.org/information/.
Participants will receive a pen and a coupon for a free shake. They will also be entered into a drawing for larger prizes every time they turn in a form.

An avid reader, Sammi Ackerman, 14, plans to sign up for the program. Ackerman has participated in similar programs, and found they did help when she returned to school.

“It will refresh your brain and you won’t forget what you learned before,” she said.

It also helps teens “build friendships by interacting with people who read the same books as you,” she said.

Ackerman does not set a summer reading goal. “After I read one book, I just start reading another,” she said.

When asked what her favorite part about the program was, Ackerman said, “I get prizes for something I already do, and it’s a great way to spend your free time.”
Emily Molitor, 14, said she believes it is good for people to read over the summer because, “you have to know how to read for all careers, and this will help raise your reading level.”

Molitor said that she did not have time to read during the school year because she always had so much homework. But now that she has more free time, she is able to read the books she wanted to read during the past year.

Molitor said she finds reading over the summer beneficial because, if someone does not study, “they will have to relearn everything at the beginning of the next school year, and that will just waste our time.”

Apart from the idea of reading challenging books, Molitor’s goal is to read for 72 hours.

Kelly Hauquitz, Francis Howell Middle School librarian, introduced the program to the school’s students as a way to keep their brains active. She has also created a blog for students to write comments about Mark Twain award nominees.

Hauquitz said it is important to get involved in a reading program because school library media centers and services account for 10.6 percent of the variation in student achievement as measured by the MAP standardized test.

In other words, the services offered in the library help students perform better on the MAP.

Many people think students do not read as much in the summer as they do during school, but this is untrue.

“I think that students don’t realize how much they read during the summer,” Hauquitz said. “Web sites, text messages, video games, magazines – all of these require some type of reading. Students forget that non-fiction reading counts. In school, students usually associate reading with fiction. I beg to differ!”
For bookworms, summer is a blessing, Hauquitz said.

“So much time and so little gas money to go to the public library and bookstore,” she said. “Summer gives us the luxury of time – time to sit back, relax and read everything we wanted to read during the school year, but didn’t have the time!”

The Mark Twain and Truman awards can give teens suggestions for summer reading. For more information on the state programs, visit http://www.maslonline.org/awards/.

The St.Charles City-County library also offers a great list of recommendations for all levels, even a teen book list. To sign up for the monthly newsletter and to see the current suggestions, visit http://www.supportlibrary.com.

And to participate in the Francis Howell Middle School reading blog, visit http://fhmlibrary.blogspot.com.

While going to the mall or playing sports, don’t forget the importance of reading over the summer!