Get a “Strange…but True?” Summer Reading List and Join the Club!

Summer vacation is almost here, and it’s a time when school-aged children can fall victim to the dreaded “summer slide” by losing part of the literacy skills they’ve learned over the year. The Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) branches are ready to help combat this trend in a couple of ways – through customized booklists and the annual Summer Reading Club (SRC).

SRC is a tradition throughout libraries in BC, reaching over 85,000 students, and made possible thanks to sponsorship from the BC Library Association and the Ministry of Education, and with help from local Friends of the Library groups. This year’s Summer Reading Club theme is “Strange…but True?”, encouraging students to explore myths, monsters, and mysteries of science. Each of the ORL’s 29 branches will be holding a multitude of special activities, events, and contests. Registration is free; visit the webpage of your local branch at www.orl.bc.ca/branches to find out about their events and registration dates.

Summer is also a time when school-aged children have an opportunity to read whatever they want for fun and entertainment. Series like “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” have sparked a whole new generation of readers, but these popular titles are only the tip of the literary iceberg for kids. ORL librarians are ready to help them discover new reads by creating customized booklists for children. Simply visit www.orl.bc.ca/kids/booklist , fill in information about interests and favourite reads, and within a week, a customized booklist will be sent with five suggested titles to read over the summer.

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ON A SIDE NOTE:

SRC Artist – Mike Deas

This year’s illustrator is Mike Deas.

Mike is an author/illustrator of graphic novels. His love for illustrative storytelling comes from an early love of reading and drawing while growing up on Saltspring Island, British Columbia.

Capilano College’s Commercial Animation Program in Vancouver helped Mike fine-tune his drawing skills and imagination. Work as a concept artist, texture artist and art director in the video game industry took Mike to England and California. Mike and his wife, Nancy, live in sunny Victoria, BC.

Mike has illustrated many graphic novels, including the Graphic Guide Adventures Series written by Liam O’Donnell and recently wrote and illustrated Dalen and Gole: Scandal in Port Angus.