Mercer County Library Summer Reading Program 2022: Oceans Of Possibilities

Press release from the Mercer County Library Blog:

June 03, 2022

Library-goers across the country this summer will see this slogan being used
for their library’s reading program: Oceans of Possibilities.
Children’s sections will be decorated with ocean-themed bulletin boards with
jellyfish, sharks and mer-people on them. There will be nautical themed décor,
flyers will advertise programs where kids will learn to talk like a pirate,
and about the megalodon, the largest shark to ever swim in Earth’s waters. On
the surface, this theme reminds us that there is an ocean of possibilities
when it comes to what you can learn about from reading. But if you look a
little deeper, just below the surface, this is truly the summer reading theme
we’ve all been needing.

According to NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration), up to 80%
of the ocean is yet to be explored. Just think about how many possibilities
there really are out there in the deep waters where no person has been before!
The deepest part of the ocean, called the Challenger Deep, located beneath the
Western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench, reaches a
depth of 35,856 ft. It seems nothing short of a miracle that even down in the
Challenger Deep, there are single celled organisms sustaining life. I feel
that the unexplored depths of the ocean are the perfect metaphor to the summer
of reading before us.

The past two years have brought with them many seasons of limitations.
Regardless of how we all managed to deal with the challenges that the global
pandemic brought, I think we can all agree that things today look a lot
different than they did last year or two years ago. I find the theme of this
year’s Summer Reading Program to be inspiring. Summer Reading is a time that a
lot of people look forward to, regardless of their age. This year’s theme
encourages us to fully explore the possibilities that lay before us. This is
the summer to break out from the busy routines of the school year and feed our
curiosity. It’s time to tackle that ever growing TBR (to be read) pile. Meet
some people who share common interests by attending a library program. Explore
the parts of ourselves that we haven’t yet shone a light on, through reading,
learning, and sharing with others.

With a feeling of hope in my librarian heart, as my coworkers and I are busily
preparing for the Summer Reading Program, I’ve been asking myself these
questions: How can we get the most out of our summer reading, regardless of
our age? How can we embrace the idea of possibility when the news that greets
us each morning seems so decidedly unchangeable? How can we inspire the
children that will be visiting the library this summer to continue to be
curious and to learn about their world? I ask the same to you, Reader.

Summer Reading is a time to expand our horizons and explore the world through
books. Whether or not we have a vacation planned for the summer, it is a time
to read for ourselves. It’s a time to listen deeply to what it is that our
psyche really needs. For some, it will be an escape into a fantasy world where
good battles evil - and there are some great YA books for these readers. I
recommend Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Legend series
by Marie Lu, or Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. For
others, it may be delving into a far future world where the problems we face
now on a day-to-day basis are ancient history. For these readers, pick up
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, or the
Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Some readers will find comfort in
reading a “feel-good” book such as Leah on the Offbeat by Becky
Albertalli, XOXO by Axie Oh, or
I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski.

For some children, this will be the summer they start reading chapter books,
and for the first time, feel the magic of getting lost in a good book. They
will discover a series they love, whether it be the Dogman series by
Dav Pilkey, Geronimo Stilton or Theo Stilton by G. Stilton, or the
Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs, and they will return to the
library again and again to read every book.

Parents of very young children will witness their toddlers “pretending” to
read their library books while turning pages and sing-songing their way
through. Make no mistake, this is reading and this is how it all begins. For
the youngest readers, I recommend Duck & Goose by Tad Hills,
Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, or for a fun “read out loud” book to
share together, The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone.

Whether you read one book this summer or 20, I hope that you embrace the theme
of Oceans of Possibilities. Read books that challenge you. Read books
that stretch your understanding of the world around you. Read books you’ve
been meaning to read for a long time, or read a new book by an author you’ve
never heard of before. Read the books that make you happy, and the books that
make you feel the things you need to feel. Summer Reading is your time to
enjoy the oceans of possibilities that lay ahead for you.

Here are the books that were mentioned in this post. For more suggestions,
visit your local branch and ask us!

Three Dark Crowns
by Kendare Blake

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is
born--three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a
coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to control storms or
flames with the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, able to ingest
the deadliest poisons without harm. And Arsinoe, a naturalist, can control
nature. But becoming the Queen Crowned isn't solely a matter of royal birth.
Each sister has to fight for it. And it's not just a game of win or lose ...
it's life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The
last queen standing gets the crown. -- From dust jacket.

Legend
series by Marie Lu

In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations,
fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant
soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
by Laini Taylor

Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding
school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters--the chimaerae
who form the only family she has ever known.

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline

"Ready Player One takes place in the not-so-distant future--the world has
turned into a very bleak place, but luckily there is OASIS, a virtual reality
world that is a vast online utopia. People can plug into OASIS to play, go to
school, earn money, and even meet other people (or at least they can meet
their avatars), and for protagonist Wade Watts it certainly beats passing the
time in his grim, poverty-stricken real life. Along with millions of other
world-wide citizens, Wade dreams of finding three keys left behind by James
Halliday, the now-deceased creator of OASIS and the richest man to have ever
lived. The keys are rumored to be hidden inside OASIS, and whoever finds them
will inherit Halliday's fortune. But Halliday has not made it easy. And there
are real dangers in this virtual world. Stuffed to the gills with action,
puzzles, nerdy romance, and 80s nostalgia, this high energy cyber-quest will
make geeks everywhere feel like they were separated at birth from author
Ernest Cline."--Chris Schluep, Amazon Best Book of the Month

The Hunger Games
series by Suzanne Collins

In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through
an annual televised survival competition putting young people from each of the
twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are
put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

Divergent
- Book 1 of the Divergent series by Veronica Roth

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five
predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life. The
decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who
does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not
perfect after all.

Leah on the Offbeat
by Becky Albertalli

With prom and graduation around the corner, senior Leah Burke struggles when
her group of friends start fighting.

XOXO
by Axie Oh

"Jenny never had much time for boys, K-pop, or really anything besides her
dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for
a K-pop idol, she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk"--
Provided by publisher.

I See London, I See France
by Sarah Mlynowski

Nineteen-year-old Sydney has the perfect summer mapped out. She's spending the
next four and a half weeks traveling through Europe with her childhood best
friend Leela. Their plans include Eiffel Tower selfies, eating cocco gelato,
and making out with hot strangers. Her plans do not include Leela's cheating
ex-boyfriend showing up on the flight to London, falling for the cheating
ex-boyfriend's hot friend, monitoring her mother's spiraling mental health via
texts, or feeling like the rope in a friendship tug of war.

Dogman
series by Dav Pilkey

George and Harold create a new comic book hero in Dog Man, a
crimefighter with the head of a police dog and the body of a policeman, who
faces off against his archnemesis Petey the cat.

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye
by G. Stilton

When Geronimo's sister, Thea, discovers an old, mysterious map showing a
secret treasure hidden on a faraway island, the gang of the "Rodent's gazette"
is dragged into a treasure hunt.

Spy School
series by Stuart Gibbs

Twelve-year-old Ben Ripley leaves his public middle school to attend the CIA's
highly secretive Espionage Academy, which everyone is told is an elite science
school.

Duck & Goose
by Tad Hills

Duck and Goose learn to work together to take care of a ball, which they think
is an egg.

Grumpy Monkey
by Suzanne Lang

Jim Panzee wakes up in a bad mood one beautiful day, but he keeps denying he
is grumpy even as his friends give advice for feeling better.

The Monster at the End of This Book
by Jon Stone

The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover
is a children's picture book based on the television series Sesame Street and
starring Grover.

- by Caitlin Decker, West Windsor Branch

This press release was produced by the Mercer County Library Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.