Tewksbury Kids Summer Reading Program Raffling Off Bruins Jersey

TEWKSBURY, MA – Children participating in the Tewksbury Public Library’s summer reading program will have the opportunity to win a Boston Bruins team signed jersey.

To be eligible to win the jersey, children (PreK to entering Grade 5) should visit the library’s Children’s Room this summer and sign up for the Summer Reading Club, which runs through August 9. For every one hour children read, they receive a raffle ticket. Children can then use their raffle tickets to take a chance on nearly 40 prizes, including the Boston Bruins team signed jersey. In addition to raffles, children will also earn beads to build their “Reading Brag Chain.”

The jersey is part of a series of prizes that the Boston Bruins offers as part of its “When You Read, You Score” program. This summer marks the tenth anniversary of the program and the team’s partnership with Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), and the Massachusetts Library System to encourage children and teens to read over the summer months.

“Summer reading is fun, but it’s also an important part of students’ academic success because it helps them avoid the summer slide,” said James Lonergan, MBLC Director. Kids who read just four books over the summer do better on reading comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who read one or no books over the summer. Over 3 million children, teens, and adults have participated in summer reading as part of the “When You Read, You Score” program.

Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand and other Bruins players also helped libraries develop “Favorite Books of the Boston Bruins” (available on mass.gov/libraries), a recommended reads list that includes librarians’ picks for the best hockey books.

“The kids really enjoy picking up a book and seeing that it was recommended by one of the Bruins players. It inspires them to want to read it themselves,” noted Tewksbury Children’s Librarian Kat Lewin.

The statewide summer library program is made free to all public libraries and residents in the Commonwealth thanks to support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System, and the Boston Bruins.