Hello Short Ave community!

Summer vacation is just around the corner. It is so important that you help your kids keep reading over the summer. Here are some of my tried and true tips: 

1. CHOICE: Please let your kids choose the books that they want read. This is very important if you want your kids becoming life-long readers, and associate reading with pleasure. And yes, graphic novels, audiobooks, and magazines count as reading too! 

2. BOUNTY: Fill your house with lots of books. More books = more chances for your children to find a fantastic, amazing, very good book that they can’t put down. This can get expensive quickly, so weekly library visits make this much more economical.

3. PUBLIC LIBRARIES: Los Angeles's public libraries are amazing! Let your kids go WILD and check out lots of books! If you don't like visiting them in person, they also have a lot to offer online (e-books, audiobooks and movies!). Don't miss out on all they have available for you and your kids, all for FREE! Write me if you have any questions, I love talking about libraries.

4. TECHNOLOGY: Don’t forget about audiobooks, Epic!, Kindles, iPads, and Nook reading. Audiobooks are great for commutes to school or road trips, and totally count as reading too. LAUSD also now offers access to a huge digital library (that is also connected to LAPL's collection) through an app called SORA via schoology or directly through the app. 

5. DOWN-TIME: We all need unscheduled time to rest and relax. Kids especially. Remember to make time during the day for rest and reading. 

6. SUMMER READING PROGRAMS:  The Los Angeles Public Library  and LA County Library have wonderful summer reading programs. Sign up at any branch, get some library swag (if you sign up early), track your reading and get a free book, and a chance to win some bigger prizes. Barnes and Noble also has a great summer reading program as well. Read some books, fill out their journal and choose a free book from their list. 

7. BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: Sometimes it's hard to know what to read when there are so many options out there. Check out our very own reading recommendation booklists. They cover a wide variety of reading levels and interests. Print them out, fold them up, and take them with you to the public library or your favorite bookstore. Another highly recommended resource for book recommendations is imaginationsoup.com .