We invite all Talking Book Services patrons to join us for the Talking Book Services Summer Reading Program.
June 1 - August 1, 2023
Talking Book Services (TBS) patrons have a summer reading program that is created just for them. This program is divided into three reading groups, based on age, to encourage everyone to participate.
The reading groups are:
- Children - birth to age 10
- Young Adult - ages 11 to 18
- Adult - ages 19 and up
The reading categories are:
- Hours spent reading
- Number of books read
Patrons who enroll will receive a registration packet and choose to either count the number of books they read, or the hours spent reading. They will report progress by contacting a Reader Advisor at (800) 922-7818.
Participants who report reading at least ONE BOOK or ONE HOUR will receive a swag bag and ONE entry in the Grand Prize Drawing for a Kindle Fire. We will give away two Kindle Fires; one device for "hours read" patrons and one for "books read" patrons.
To enroll in the TBS summer reading program, current patrons should contact a Reader Advisor at (800) 922-7818 or TBSBooks@statelibrary.sc.gov.
If you are not a current SC Talking Book Services Patron and would like to find out if you are eligible for services, please visit our Eligibility page.
National Library Service Summer Reading Events
In conjunction with the talking book summer reading, the National Library Service has put together some great online zoom events. We will post the links here and on our Facebook page. Please register for any of the talks that interest you through the appropriate link.
NLS Kick Off Party
June 26 (Monday)
4 p.m. (Eastern)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting kickoff program! NLS Director Jason Broughton will open the very first NLS Summer Reading Program with welcoming remarks, followed by Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, who will read a children’s book for our young participants. Afterwards, we will have fun singing and moving to the music provided by Matt Mazur of Turtle Dance Music.
REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
June 29 (Thursday)
NLS Author Event for Adults: Shelby Van Pelt
7 p.m. (Eastern)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting author talk with Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times best-selling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures, moderated by Megan Labrise, editor-at-large of Kirkus Reviews.
For adults. Ask your librarian for Remarkably Bright Creatures, DB107924, BR24204
NLS Storytime and Music (Kinder-3rd)
July 6 (Thursday)
7 p.m. (Central)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting story time and music program! Come prepared to have lots of fun with Matt Mazur of Turtle Dance Music. He will entertain us with stories, songs, and silly dances. Specially designed for K-3rd grade but all are welcome.
FIRST RULE OF PUNK by Celia C. Perez
July 11th (Tuesday)
NLS Author Talk for Children: Author Talk: Celia C. Perez
7 p.m. (Eastern)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting author talk! Celia C. Perez has written three highly acclaimed books that won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, been a finalist for the Pura Belpre Award, and been included on the Washington Post's annual list of Best Children's Books, among other honors. This conversation will be moderated by Cecilia Cackley, a children's literature specialist.
Specially designed for middle grades, but all are welcome. Ask your librarian for books in the NLS collection by Celia Perez.
ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP by Annette Bay Pimentel
July 22 (Saturday)
NLS Author Talk for Children: Annette Bay Pimentel and Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins
1 p.m. ( Eastern)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting author talk! Annette Bay Pimentel will read from her picture book All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything. She will be joined by the heroine of her story, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, who played an important role in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by generating huge media attention during the Capitol Crawl, which took place in 1990 in support of the ADA. As an eight-year-old living with cerebral palsy, Jennifer got out of her wheelchair to crawl up the eighty-three stone steps of the US Capitol to help spur Congress into passing the civil rights legislation for Americans with disabilities.
Specially designed for K-5th grade, but all are welcome. Ask your librarian for All the Way to the Top, DB104007.
REBOUND by Kwame Alexander
July 27th (Thursday)
NLS Author Talk for Teens: Kwame Alexander
7 p.m. (Eastern)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting author talk! Kwame Alexander is a New York Times best-selling author for children of all ages, as well as a poet, educator, and recipient of the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. This event will be moderated by NLS Director Jason Broughton.
Specially designed for YA and middle grades, but all are welcome. Ask your librarian for books in the NLS collection by Kwame Alexander.
WE ARE NOT FROM HERE by Jenny Torres Sanchez
August 3rd (Thursday)
NLS Author Talk: Jenny Torres Sanchez
7 p.m. (Eastern)
Join us on Zoom for our exciting author talk! Join Jenny Torres Sanchez, who writes children's and young adult fiction that has been a finalist for the Pura Belpre Award and included on the American Library Association's annual list of Best Fiction for Young Adults. Her book We Are Not from Here vividly captures the treacherous journey of three teenagers who cross from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States in search of a better life. This program will be moderated by Maria Daniela (Dani) Thurber, a reference librarian in the Hispanic Reading Room of the Library of Congress.
Specially designed for YA, but all are welcome. As your librarian for books in the NLS collection by Jenny Torres Sanchez.