Summer Reading Club Heats Up

The Baltimore County Public Library wants you to know you don't have to leave home to travel the world this summer.

You can go to many places just by checking out books from the library as part of the annual summer reading club.

The reading program officially started June 20 and goes until August 14. You can register for the program online or go to the local library. This year's theme is "One World, Many Stories."

Parents whose children who aren't old enough to read can read books and work on activities together with the starter packet. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade receive stickers for every five books they read, marking them on a game board as they go along.

Middle schoolers who read three books get to enter their names in a drawing for prizes that include an iPod Touch and other gift cards.

This year, for the first time, high school students can also participate in a summer reading program of their own, which includes a drawing for a $50 gift card to Phillips Seafood Restaurant.

Last year's program drew more than 35,000 participants across the county. At the Parkville Branch, 1,500 children participated, and at Rosedale, a total of 2,047 participated.