News Release

Once again it’s that time of year when school lets out and young people’s minds turn to… summer reading!

This year the San Francisco Public Library offers a Summer Reading Club with the theme, Get a Clue @ Your Library, part of a national program featuring illustrator Mark Teague’s canine Detective LaRue.

Designed to encourage children (through age 13) to read during the summer months, the citywide Summer Reading Club program runs from June 16 through Aug.11. Children may sign up at any neighborhood branch library or children’s or branch bookmobile. Participants may read whatever interests them, including books in languages other than English. Librarians have prepared a special summer reading list with recommended titles that feature and explore various kinds of mysteries.

As in years past, children preschool-age and younger may participate by having someone read to them. This year, in support of the Library’s initiative to help families and caregivers foster pre-literacy skills, the Library will have special reading logs and offer age-appropriate prizes to children (birth to age 3) who participate in the Baby/Toddler Summer Reading Club.

Summer Reading Club participants will receive a Get a Clue @ Your Library bookmark, and children can earn prizes after they’ve read for two, four and six hours. Children who read eight hours or more and visit the library at least twice will receive a grand prize—choices include a free book, a themed water bottle (or a sippy cup for those in the Baby/Toddler Club), or passes to a number of Bay Area family attractions.

In addition to participating in the Summer Reading Club, young people aged 10-16 are invited to become Kid Power volunteers and help out at the Library during the summer.

The Library will also offer expanded children’s programming this summer, with weekly shows by musicians, magicians, acrobats, storytellers, naturalists and puppeteers. A list of programs and events can be found on the Library’s web site at www.sfpl.org.

Children’s librarians are available to answer questions, recommend intriguing books and assist in any way. Please visit or call your local library or bookmobile to learn more about the Summer Reading Club.

Get a Clue @ Your Library is underwritten by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, with generous support from the Aquarium of the Bay, Asian Art Museum, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Books Inc., California Academy of Sciences, Cold Stone Creamery, Conservatory of Flowers, deYoung Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, Metreon—a SONY Entertainment Center, Presidio Bowling Center, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, San Francisco Giants and Oracle’s Ready to Read Program, San Francisco Zoo, Stocker Foundation and ZEUM.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (415) 557-4277.