Top 10 Summer Reading Programs 2009
By Sun Kyu Bae |
Published June 5, 2009 |
Articles |
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Your child could receive over $84 worth of goodies just by reading over this summer!
With summer already upon us, ProntoLessons scoured the Internet to find the top 10 summer reading programs. Now, we looked far and wide and I think this really is the most comprehensive summer reading programs list that you will find out on the good ole 'Net.
But before you get to the goodies, we want to share our approach in selecting the best programs. Namely, we followed 2 main criteria in our search: 1) Total freedom in selecting the reading list (so that the child can read whatever he/she wants) and 2) maximum incentives for completing the reading list.
The incentives you and your child can earn by fulfilling the reading programs below are: 1) a free book from Barnes & Noble, 2) $24 worth of gift cards to buy (what else?) more books at Half Price Books, 3) one 50% off (at least) coupon good for selected items at Borders, 4) $10 in cash deposited to your local TD Bank, 5) a free Kid's Meal at the Old Spaghetti Factory, 6) 10 free tokens at Chuck E. Cheese, 7) a free t-shirt at HE Buddy, 8) free admission to six 10AM showings of select movies on Wednesdays at participating movie theaters, and 9) much more.
Whew! I don't know about you but just off the top of my head, the bounty above is worth at least $84!
And that's just a very conservative estimate.
The best thing is, knocking off the reading lists should be relatively simple since your child can write down the same book that she read on multiple reading programs.
Ok - I think I've stirred the pot enough.
Without further adieu, here are ProntoLessons' Top 10 Summer Reading Programs for 2009.
First 5 Picks
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Intended for grades 1-6, this program requires that your child read any 8 books between 5/26/09 and 9/7/09. The child will record the title, author, and favorite part of each book she read in her Summer Reading Journal along with her parent's signature. The child can then present her Summer Reading Journal to the nearest Barnes and Noble and she will be entitled to a free book among a pre-selected list of books, assuming availability.
Half-Price Books Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program
Kids ages 12 and under can earn a $3 gift card for each week that they read for at least 15 minutes a day. From 6/1/09 through 7/31/09 (first week already passed, but you can still take advantage of the next 8 weeks!), just ensure your child reads at least 15 minutes for at least 5 days of the week and fill out the Feed Your Brain Weekly Reading Log. Once your child has read enough minutes and days for that week, bring the log to your nearest Half-Price Books and they will give you a gift card for $3. Now I know that doesn't seem like that much, but this is a used book store where prices are cheap so you dollar will last longer. Also, your child can repeat this weekly reading cycle until 7/31/09 - that's eight weeks times $3 gift card per week…$24! And I KNOW you can buy a boatload of books with that much money…all free thanks to their most generous program.
Borders Kids Reading Challenge
Not quite as generous as the last offers, but still a good offer - Kids 12 and under can read any 8 books and record the books they read in the Reading Challenge Worksheet along with a parent's signature. Just present the completed worksheet between 5/26/09 and 8/31/09 and receive a coupon worth at least 50% off on selected items in the store.
TD Bank Summer Reading Program
Want to develop your child's reading skills AND introduce her to banking? Read any 10 books and record them in the Summer Reading Book Log Form. Once the form is complete, just take the form to your nearest TD Bank anytime between now and 9/30/09 and they will deposit $10 into a Young Savers account in your child's name (note: there are no minimum balances for this account so no pesky fees!).
Old Spaghetti Factory Rewards of Reading Program
Intended for kids 10 and under, read 5 books and get a free Kid's Meal. I couldn't find any sort of form to list the 5 books, so I recommend just listing them on paper just in case they ask which books your child read. Also, I couldn't find any eligibility dates for this, so I would just make sure that this offer is on their website so you can print out and bring with you to the restaurant to redeem your child's prize. That last part about bringing the physical offer to the restaurant may be viewed as paranoia, but, to each his own, right?
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