Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge
By Jacqueline Rupp,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Summer reading program encourages reading (and sells books).
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What’s It About?
Even if school's out, Scholastic is on a mission to keep kids reading over vacation with the SCHOLASTIC SUMMER CHALLENGE. The site, part of Scholastic's tween department, The Stacks, allows users to track their reading progress and record the time they have spent each day hitting the books. Users are grouped into a handful of teams, who compete for bragging rights and together raise funds for Save the Children. The site is also attempting to set a world record for most reading hours logged by a single group.
Is It Any Good?
The most useful aspect of the Summer Challenge is that it provides a simple, effortless way for kids, and parents for that matter, to keep track of summer reading time. Although the community forums and literary games might capture the imagination of avid readers, they also distract from the actual purpose of the program, which is to read more. The commercial tie-ins are numerous, so it's good to be wary, but overall this site takes safety precautions and offers kids multiple incentives to make this summer a literary one.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about reading and what makes it enjoyable. Do you find it more interesting to read a book if your friends are reading it as well? Is reading a social activity? Will a Web site like this get your to read more over the summer months? Do you think Scholastic has an interest in getting kids to read more? Should kids be rewarded with prizes for reading books?
Website Details
- Genre: Educational
- Pricing structure: Free
- Last updated: April 8, 2016
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