CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC The Marshalltown Public Library’s summer reading program starts June 1 and is open to both youth and adults.

“Level Up at Your Library” may be this year’s summer reading theme at the Marshalltown Public Library, but, says Youth Services Manager Joa LaVille, the theme only scratches the surface.

“I think we’re more trying to make sure the program fits our community and has a lot of variety,” she said.

Summer reading programs for adults and youth will span June 1 through August 17. Registration for the challenge and for any programs requiring pre-registration starts May 19.

The Adult Summer Reading Kickoff will take place at 5 p.m. June 3 in a come and go event featuring ice cream floats and drawing for a door prize of Yahtzee.

You can read or listen to any kind of book (including comics, Playaways, your own books, books checked out, etc) for a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes a day. Log days you read and earn prizes at the time you sign up, 15 day mark, at 30 days, plus additional grand prize entries for every five days after that.

Participants track their reading via Beanstack, a free app (you can keep track via paper logs too).

“The youth challenge purposefully aligned with the adult summer reading challenge, because we know a lot of the adults that participate are also parents,” LaVille noted. “The main goal is to reduce summer learning loss. That’s why we try to stretch it through as much of the summer as possible. We tell kids we want them to make reading a regular habit in the summer.”

Kids can pick out a free book and a pack of Pokemon cards or a coupon at the time of sign up. At 15 days of reading, they earn another prize: two free books from the cart and either a coupon or a pick from the hodgepodge basket. The basket contains donated items such as figurines, little notebooks, water bottles, toys and party favors and more. At 30 days of reading, youth can select a stuffed animal or stuffie.

“Those are 100 percent donated but we only accept the like-new ones for the prizes. Teenagers also like them. Or you can repeat the 15 day prize,” she said.

Coupons include free treats and meals or experiences such as passes for bowling or to the aquatic center. They will also earn tickets to see the Iowa Cubs play on August 17 (a child/adult pair).

Every five days after the 30, they earn tickets for the grand prizes including what’s in the glass case in the youth department.

“There’s way more than 30 days in the summer, so this is reading half of the days, but if kids do that I think they’ll be in good shape for starting the school year,” she said.

To earn the 30-day prizes, participants also have to do five activity badges: reading certain types of books, skill building, art and more.

“So those are also deliberately aligned with the adult program, so that families can do something together and achieve that,” she added.

LaVille noted the library’s calendar is packed with free programs nearly every day over the summer.

Free summer sack lunch for kids (ages 1-18) will be served Tuesdays from June 10 through August 5 and Wednesdays from June 11 through August 6, beginning at 11 a.m. Summer lunch may be eaten in the meeting room or outside on the lawn, picnic style or at outdoor seating, but must be eaten onsite. No pre-registration is required.

Wednesdays will also feature storytime on the west lawn (from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

“We gather on the west lawn and people bring blankets or towels to sit on, and we just do a few stories,” she added. “It is very common to see whole families relax together. I’d say the program itself is probably geared to three to six year olds, but the whole family comes and enjoys.”

Kids can also play with hula hoops, balance boards and more.

Summer youth events

Pokemon Club will meet Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., spanning June 10 to August 5 and is for children age 8 and up.

Barbara Lounsberry will present her program “Nancy Drew: Iowa’s Heroine to the World” on June 14 at 2 p.m. and is geared toward children and adults.

From 4 to 6 p.m. on June 20, the library will hold a comics workshop by Do Art Productions. This free workshop is for school-aged youth from second through twelfth grade. A snack will be served.

The Healthy Family Fair will take place on the west lawn from 10:30 a.m. to noon on June 21. The library will again partner with CAPS, featuring a parking lot filled with a resource fair, freebies, info for families, vehicles, strolling entertainment, and stations with wands to make giant bubbles.

Storytime at Mega-10 Park is slated for 9:30 to 10 a.m. on June 26.

“This will be the first time I’ve tried this. It was kind of on request from my outreach preschool. I go to High Street Head Start and the Y during the school year, and they had said High Street can’t walk to the library, but they can walk to Mega-10,” LaVille said. “So we are going to meet there, and it is also open to the public.”

In partnership with MCC’s esports program, the library will host free youth parties. The Minecraft Party on June 26 will be for second through fourth grade at the 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. slot, followed by a party for fifth grade to teens from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Mario Gaming Party for second through fourth grade from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. is set for July 24. Pre-registration is required for the parties.

To view the library’s calendar, visit: marshalltown.librarycalendar.com/events.