Free Books!

I'm all about the free, especially when books are involved. So yesterday, we went around town collecting reading logs for our summer reading. Of course, our local library has a summer reading program. For A's age, the expectations are pretty low--just color in a train car on the log for every day that you read. There's a prize if you turn in a completely colored train by August 31. The prize was not disclosed, but it's still motivating for a preschooler.

Half Price Books has got the best deal going by far. To receive their reading reward, you read at least 15 minutes a day for 5 days and return your completed log each week until July 31. You can get a $3 Half Price shopping card for each log you turn in. (You have to turn the logs in on a weekly basis.) And, they let me take a log for C, too! So, 2 kids x 8 weeks x $3... I think that comes to $48 in free books from Half Price!! Awesome!

Barnes & Noble also has a reading program. The reading log says it is for grades 1-6, but I asked at the information desk if my preschooler could participate and they said, "Sure!" You have to read 8 books by September 7 to choose a free book from their designated list. The books are geared toward elementary-age readers, but we're reading easy chapter books to A, so she should be able to find one that looks interesting.

Happy (free) summer reading!