You Can Sign up Your Kid for NBA Vet John Starks' Pizza Party

Former New York Knicks star John Starks will be at a pizza party Aug. 23 for kids in the summer reading program.

The first 50 or 60 kids who get registered for the day's program will get Marian Wright Edelman's book, "I Can Make a Difference" for free. John Starks will read to the kids as part of the event.

Children must be registered to attend.

Book giveaways, raffles, tee shirts and autographs will be part of the event, starting at 2 p.m. in the library.

An "End of Summer Pizza Party," takes place after the initial event. The party includes prizes for kids who have completed the reading requirements of the library's summer reading program.

The requirements are not so hard that a kid couldn't get them done between now and the party. Kids essentially read what they want, and kids who register earn prizes, according to Sherelle Harris, manager of children's services for the library:

• "Non-readers earn a prize for every 10 books read to them."
• "Young Readers (those reading easy reader books) earn a prize for every seven books they read."
• "Older Readers earn a prize for every two books they read."

To be part of the event with John Starks, children will need to be registered. For more information, call 203 899-2790, extension 3.

The importance of getting kids to read

According to Jesse Turner, associate professor of Reading & Language Arts at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain,  "A child who does not read during summer vacation will, by sixth grade, lose nearly three grades." He adds that this is particularly true for reluctant readers, special needs children and children in poverty."

"The key thing about summer reading loss is that it doesn’t matter what a child reads during the summer as long as they read," said Turner, who directs the university's Literacy Center. "It’s about developing the love of reading."