Summer Reading Kick-off Announced

Newton, MA – Summer vacation is almost here, and while kids are undoubtedly going to spend most of their time outdoors, Mayor Setti Warren wants you to remember to take a few minutes to relax with a good book. 

The mayor is kicking off his summer reading challenge, "On Your Mark, Get Set...Read!," on June 22 at City Hall. The summer-long challenge invites kids in preschool through grade 6 to enter their time spent reading into an online log. 

Last year, 1,374 kids participated in the program and logged 17,364 hours, far surpassing the mayor's goal of 10,000. 

This summer, the goal remains the same, and prizes will be rewarded to those who turn reading into a habit. According to a post on the city's website, kids who log at least one hour of reading will be entered in a raffle to win one of three gift certificates to local bookstores, and the reader who logs the most hours will win a Kindle Fire. 

"On Your Mark, Get Set...Read!" is sponsored by the Newton Free Library, the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners; several communities in the state are hosting the challenge this summer through their local library system.

Join Mayor Warren at City Hall on June 22 to help start his summer reading challenge; the event will begin at 6:30 p.m.