Looking for Something to Do this Summer? Have Book, Will Travel at your Rock Island Library

Rock Island, IL: If the high cost of gas lately has you rethinking summer travel plans, Have Book Will Travel is the way to go for family entertainment. The Rock Island Public Library will offer more than 100 free events and summer reading contests for children, teens and adults starting Monday, June 3.

Originally created by libraries to keep children's reading skills current over the summer break, Summer Reading now rewards readers of all ages for reaching set reading goals. Children from pre-school through 6^th grades can pick up Have Book - Will Travel reading logs at any Rock Island Library location and track their reading by time or by titles from June 3 to July 26. Prizes and extra chances to win are awarded at the half-way and completion points of each log. Prize pick-up starts June 17.

Weekly children's events for summer start the week of June 10 with Scrapbooking Mondays for children, Math Club, Storytimes and Legos. The first special performance for summer starts with Niabi Zoo visiting the Main Library at 11:00 am on Thursday, June 13. Among the new events for children and families this year include a Games Around the World night at the 30/31 Branch on June 27, and two new performers, the Serengeti Steve reptile show and Mad Mixtures science experiments in July.

Adults can simply fill out one entry form for every book they complete from June 3 to July 26. Winners will be chosen by random drawing from completed entries, with prizes including a Kindle eReader, Kindle Fire HD and a variety of gift cards. To make a note of the books you'll travel with, visit any Rock Island Library to pick up a free Have Book Will Travel notepad (available on June 3, while supplies last.)  Free events for adults kick off with the "'Have Book Will Travel" travel planning program at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, June 4. . Other new events include guided cemetery tours of Chippiannock and Riverside, Native American history program, and free instructional programs on using an Apple iPad, Android tablet, and downloading music.

Teens ages 12 to 18 can dig into reading with the Beneath the Surface bingo card log, which allows them to fill in squares for reading, attending programs, watching a movie based on a book, writing a book review, or even filling out a program survey.  Ten completed squares qualify teens for prize drawings of gift cards or a Kindle. 25 completed squares qualify teens for an automatic prize.  Free events start June 7, with a Teen Feature movie at 1:00 pm at the Main Library. New events include a library treasure hunt and "zombie night" in June and cake archeology, library mini-golf and candy architecture programs in July.

All events are free and open to the public. The full list of programs is available at http://www.rockislandlibrary.org/page/summer-your-library, as well as in the Summer Events brochure and calendars available at all Rock Island Libraries.

For more news about Rock Island Public Library events, visit www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-7323 (READ) or follow the Rock Island Library on Facebook and Twitter.

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