It’s been a busy summer at CLiF serving nearly 10,000 kids at 140+ Summer Readers events all over New Hampshire and Vermont! We’ve given away more than 18,000 books to kids in need and inspired them with CLiF’s passionate storytellers. At CLiF Summer Readers events, kids get to choose 2 new books for themselves from stacks of hundreds of high-quality books. Summer Readers kept the CLiF staff and our many dedicated volunteers busy sorting, sticker-ing, and packing them up for our many events.

The Journey of a CLiF Book

Many thousands of books arrived at the CLiF library this summer. Our amazing volunteers put these beautiful CLiF stickers in them so their new owners can feel pride in their very own book.

The books then get packed up and sent off to the many summer school programs, libraries, summer camps and recreation programs, meal sites, and other programs we serve, where children hear fun stories from CLiF’s presenters and choose their own books to take home.

We’ve given away thousands of brand new books this summer. Here are a few of our most popular titles.

Board Books

We’ve served a lot of early childcare and pre-K programs this summer, and board books like these are always a hit!

Picture Books

Classics like Sylvester and the Magic Pebble are still popular. One student says, “My favorite book is Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. He saw a lion then he turned into a rock.” (Spoiler alert!)

CLiF Presenter Jason Chin’s nonfiction picture books are a big hit among the kids CLiF serves. Here’s a sweet note from a young reader to Jason Chin after his presentation at JFK Elementary School in Winooski this summer (click here to watch a video about the presentation!)

The Magic Treehouse Series

The Magic Treehouse series is popular among early chapter book readers, and there are so many adventures you can go on with Jack and Annie!

 

Graphic Novels

Graphic novels are popular and are a great fit for reluctant readers! The Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series are always big hits at our book giveaways, along with the Princess in Black, Dork Diaries, Lunch Lady, and more.

Chapter Books

These fantastical chapter books, including CLiF Presenter Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, are even better than the movies!

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson

The Percy Jackson series and Rick Riordan’s other fantasy and Greek myth stories fly off the CLiF library shelves. His books appeal to readers of all levels.

 

Our sincerest thanks to all the donors, volunteers, and partners who helped us bring the magic of stories and new books to kids all over New Hampshire and Vermont this summer!

A thank you note from a young reader after Simon Brooks’ presentation

 

What have you been reading this summer? What books are popular with your kids or students?