Summer reading program for kids

The St. Louis County Library's "Laugh It Up" summer reading program for kids starts this month. There are three outdoor sign-up parties for younger kids and a bowling party for older kids.

* On Saturday, June 7, registration parties for kids to 12 years of age will be held at three locations. They are the North County Recreation Complex; the Kennedy Recreation Complex in South County and Faust Park in West County.

The outdoor parties have lots of fun activities and special performances during the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. period.

* On Friday, June 13, older kids, ages 12-17, can attend their kickoff at AMF Strike 'n' Spare Lanes, 1309 N. Lindbergh at Schuetz Road.

The Teen Summer Reading Club kick-off includes two hours of free XTREME! bowling as well as door prizes. Hours are 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Registration for all of the summer reading clubs also can be done at any SLCL branch libraries. For details, you can call the library headquarters at (314) 994-3300 or visit the library's website at www.slcl.org.

Or you can stop at one of the 20 branch libraries to pick up a colorful "Laugh It Up" brochure. There are maps to give directions to the three outdoor parities.

All participants who sign up at kick-off parties or a branch library receive a "goody" bag.

Participation in the parties and the summer-long reading clubs is free and open to all. Kids who live outside of St. Louis County also can take part.

In addition to the kick-off parties, the library's summer reading clubs allow kids to win participation prizes. They are based on how much reading you do during the summer.

There are three participation levels for younger kids. They are based on the number of minutes you read. The reading is between June 7 and August 9. The levels involve (1) 224 minutes, (2) 560 minutes and (3) 1,040 minutes.

When signing up for the reading club, you get a logbook in which you jot down the minutes each time you read.

After you read 224 minutes, you can go to the library and claim a Dairy Queen coupon, a "laugh" theme sticker and a "smiley face" notebook.

At 560 minutes, the prizes include a chance to win baseball Cardinals tickets, a St. Louis Science Center coupon and a "smiley face" punch-ball balloon.

At 1,040 minutes, prizes include a certificate of completion, an invitation to the season-ending party, a coupon for a meal at Old Country Buffet and a "glow-in-the-dark" yo-yo.

For older teens, the participation prizes are based on completing three items of reading. Every time three items are read, you can draw for a mystery gift. Drawings are held at each branch library. Prizes will be a T-shirt or a $25 gift certificate to a Westfield Shopping Center.

At the end of the summer reading program, all coupons are put into a big drawing where a larger prize will be awarded. The prize hasn't been selected as yet, according to Bianca Roberts, youth services director for SLCL.

Over 18,000 kids participated in last year's Summer Reading Program.