East Valley Reading: Youth Summer Reading Programs and Comicon

I started to research summer reading programs to post on here.  I found that at Bookman's you can sign up for their birthday club and get a $10 gift certificate on your birthday.  With June birthday madness around the corner in my family, I'm definitely signing up soon.  Then I found that Arizona Shopping Secrets had already compiled a great list of all the valley summer reading programs.  It covers everything we were going to post.  So, go here and sign up for all that you can.  Helping children develop a love for reading can be one of the best gifts you can give them and getting free books along the way isn't bad.

I have recently started reading my girls "The Boxcar Children" books.  After just a few days we are well into book 2.  My girls are addicted!  It brings back so many childhood dreams of wanting to live in a boxcar and have a rock behind a waterfall as my refrigerator.  To get my girls even more excited about reading "The Boxcar Children" I am planning a day trip up north to Canyon Creek and the fish hatchery there.  Our lunch might consist of bread, milk and cheese, just like Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny would have done.  We might find some things in the forest to repurpose and have a good time exploring.  What summer reading adventures are you planning?   

image via here

And, if you need some adult book advice, check out I Heart Monster.  I met this fellow local blogger last year and what can I say, we both have good taste in blog names.  Browsing I Heart Monster, I was reminded again that this weekend is the Phoenix' Comicon, May 26th-29th.  At first I thought, not for me, but then I started learning more...obstacle course to shoot rebels with nerf guns, a steampunk ball, geek prom, scavenger hunt...Read I Heart Monster's 9 reasons you might enjoy Phoenix Comicon here or check out another local blog:  Lightning Octopus.  Jonathan is the official Comicon blogger.    

-Kathryn