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Not going anywhere this summer?  No problem. 

As a previous blog post mentions, books can do the trick! 

Turn a page and you can find yourself reciting spells to make objects fly (Wing-GAR-dium Levi-O-sa) in a wizarding school, or traveling through the kingdom of death to capture a demon you accidentally released. 

All from the safety of your couch.  All a kid needs is his or her imagination!

This summer, we encourage all kids to use their imagination and travel to distant places and realms with our summer reading program, Reading Takes You Everywhere. 

Our program starts on Saturday, June 2nd, when you can sign up with our awesome teen volunteers on the second floor of the library. 

Then get ready to start traveling.  Reading logs will help you keep track of your journey, 16 hours or 32 books are your choice of goals. 

Then, be sure to check out fun events we have going on at the library, like our Summer Reading Kickoff and Traveling Through Time series (get your DeLorean ready). 

Official exploring and traveling via the summer reading program must be finished by Sunday, July 29th, to earn your prizes. 

We cannot wait to see what far off places kids explore this summer!

And we could not have gone too far without some wonderful donations from local businesses this summer.  These donations help make summer reading more exciting!  Check them out!

Here are some local businesses who donated to the summer reading club this year:

Ball Factory

Each week, there is one Guessing Jar winner who guesses the right amount of items that are in that jar.  Winners this year receive a coupon for free play at the Ball Factory.  We also will be having an event on July 19th at the Ball Factory, where Des Plaines residents can play from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for free.  Registration for this event is required and opens up on July 2nd (space is limited). 

The Wildbird Shack

Guessing Jar winners also receive a Critters of Illinois Pocket Guide.  Find out what animals live in your backyard and see them up close at the Wildbird Shack!

Des Plaines Park District

Weekly Check-in spinners can either land on a spot for a toy, sticker, or coupon when they tell volunteers what they have been reading.  The Des Plaines Park District has donated coupons for Mystic Waters, Mountain View, and Golf/Footgolf at Lake Opeka.  Be sure to bring your log in every week, and maybe you will be the lucky winner of free park district activity. 

Twisted Tree Yoga

Weekly Check-in spinners can land on a free kid yoga class at Twisted Tree too.  Twisted Tree has programs at the library this summer, with Family Pajama Storytime Yoga and Story Stretchers for our youngest gurus.  Karma Kids and Young Warriors for our older kids.  Even our teens are getting in the action with Teen Yoga at Twisted Tree and Yoga at the Commons programs.  

Buffalo Wild Wings

Midpoint clinchers (8 hours or 16 books completed) receive a book and a coupon pack. Buffalo Wild Wings is one out of 15 coupons kids will receive this summer if they get halfway done! Buffalo Wild Wings was also kind enough to donate gift cards for our teen volunteer raffle. 

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt

Another new coupon for Midpoint clinchers  is getting the first 5 oz of yogurt free at Menchie's. They also donated this coupon for the teen finishers as well.   

Bottle and Bottega

Teen finishers (20 hours or 4 books) receive a gift card and a coupon pack.  Bottle and Bottega donated a coupon that can be used toward admission to a public party at their Park Ridge location.  Bottle and Bottega also has teamed up with the youth services department with Artsy Afternoon.  In this fun art program, kids in grade 4-6 will create their own masterpieces on canvas. 

And huge shoutout to the rest of our sponsors! 

For the youth department, here are additional businesses that donated to our program:  Buona Beef, Burger King, Chicago Dogs, Chicago Fire, Chicago Wolves, Chiptole, The Choo-Choo Diner, Cici’s Pizza, Classic Cinemas, Culver’s, Domino’s Pizza, DuPage Children’s Museum, Five Guys, Friends of the Library, Kane County Cougars, Kohl’s Children’s Museum, McDonald’s (Rosemont), Mexico Restaurant, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pump It Up, Quizno’s, Rainforest Café, River Rand Bowl, Weinfield Dental Group, and Wingstop.

For our teen department, here are additional businesses that donated coupons: Forever Yogurt and Gameworks. 

For our teen volunteers, here are additional businesses that donated experiences and products to our program:  AMC Theatres (Golf Mill and Muvico), Laser Quest, Potbelly, and Starbucks (Rosemont and Des Plaines).