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As kids struggle to recover from pandemic reading losses, a Eugene youth librarian emphasizes that kids need to be interested in what they’re given to read, and says the library tries to be a judgment-free zone for all kids, whatever their reading level.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the date for Lil’ Comic-Con. It will take place Aug. 1. Lookout Eugene-Springfield regrets this error.
Summer reading has long been hailed as a way to keep young minds active — the antidote for the knowledge loss educators call “summer slide.”
As kids struggle with literacy and social skills post-COVID, librarian Caitlin McMahan aims to do more with her summer reading programs than reward the most voracious readers who come to her desk at the Eugene Public Library.
McMahan, youth services supervisor and teen librarian, wants to create a safe place both for kids who like reading and for those who don’t. And summer reading offers a special opportunity to build community at the library.
A free book and reading challenges
Kids and tweens can read books to fill five boxes of their summer “bingo card” to win a ticket to a family pool party. Teens who share recommendations for books, video games, movies or shows can win raffle tickets for a gift card drawing.
Every child and teen also gets a free book when they participate in summer reading, and McMahan makes sure the books span reading levels.
“It’s not just picture books; it’s not just chapter books,” McMahan said. “It’s picture books, early readers, shorter chapter books, longer chapter books. We have (Oregon Battle of the Books) books. We have graphic novels.”
The library also offers more events than it does during the school year, including comic-cons for kids of all ages. On Aug. 1, the library will have a Lil’ Comic-Con for kids under 9, and on Aug. 8, the library will have a Tweens and Teens Comic-Con for youth 9-19. The days will involve games and the opportunity to dress up as comic book characters.
While Eugene Public Library doesn’t offer direct programming to help struggling readers, McMahan looks for ways to support teens at all levels, such as recommending level-appropriate books that are still engaging for teens.
Kids aren’t always reading novels at the library, but they are usually reading something — be it instructions for a game or a homework assignment, McMahan said. Being there to support them when they need help, such as when they come across a word they don’t know how to pronounce, is important to McMahan.
“Just creating an environment where they’re not being shamed for it, because that’s, in my experience, the biggest detriment to anybody learning,” she said.
Getting kids to read
McMahan’s offers two main tips for caregivers who want their child to read more: first, read to them; second, ask them what they’re interested in, and don’t pass judgment when they share.
“Tupac Shakur has made me give more books to kids than literally any other author, because I have a lot of kids who don’t really like to read, but they love music,” McMahan said.
Many youth devour “The Rose That Grew From Concrete,” a book of Shakur’s lyrics from the posthumous album of the same name, released in 2000.
“Even if it seems silly or frivolous to you as an individual, you’re not them,” McMahan said. “Ultimately, in order to get someone to read, they have to be interested in what they’re reading about.”
Summer reading recommendations
Elementary and middle school readers
- “Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend” by Dawn Quigley: This early reader chapter book is about a 7-year-old in the Ojibwe Nation navigating the challenges of first friendships. It includes pictures to help kids who are just getting into chapter books.
- “Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Role Call” by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma: This graphic novel meant for middle-school readers follows a group of kids who get into D&D and have to work through friendship challenges while playing the game.
- “Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek” by Kwame Mbalia: This chapter book, by the same author who wrote the popular series “Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky,” is about a boy from North Carolina who goes to a magical school to learn how to use his summoning powers.
Advanced readers
- “Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories” by Amparo Ortiz and Yamile Saied Mendez: This collection of short stories by Latino and Latina authors is good for readers who may not want to read a long novel but like something creepy.
- “The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” by Andrew Joseph White: This horror/fantasy/fiction book is heavily inspired by the American spiritualism movement. It’s about a trans boy in Victorian England who can commune with spirits.
- “Only This Beautiful Moment” by Abdi Nazemian: This is a story told from three perspectives during three different points in time. It begins in Tehran and follows a family in the United States.
