Finn Poulos is one of a select group of young people to receive Boston Bruins prizes for their outstanding participation in Mattapoisett Free Public Library’s summer reading program.
Chris Matos, head of the Children’s Department, was excited for the prize winner. “We had an unusual summer last year with our program being just kits for the children to pick up, so it was great to have a special incentive for everyone to get excited about,” Matos said.
Finn Poulos couldn’t be happier. He said he’s going home to hang it on his wall.
The Boston Bruins first teamed up with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the Massachusetts Library System in 2009. The organizations work with libraries across the Commonwealth to make reading a part of summer fun for all ages. Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand and other Bruins players helped libraries develop Favorite Books of the Boston Bruins (available on mass.gov/libraries), a recommended a reading list that includes librarians’ picks for the best hockey books.
“The kids really enjoy picking up a book and seeing that it was recommended by one of the Bruins players. It inspires them to want to read it themselves,” said Matos.
“Summer reading is fun, but it’s also an important part of students’ academic success because it helps them avoid the summer slide,” said James Lonergan, MBLC director. Kids who read just four books over the summer do better on reading comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who read one or no books over the summer.
On average, more than 400,000 people participate in statewide summer reading programs in libraries across the Commonwealth. Massachusetts has offered statewide online summer reading programs since 2007. To learn more about the benefits of summer reading, please visit www.mass.gov/libraries. The statewide Summer Library Program is made possible through federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
