Johnny Hunt

Summertime is here for the thousands of students enrolled in the Public Schools of Robeson County. Many students literally count the days of school-bell free bliss as they enjoy a few lazy days at home. Some children see summertime as a great time to vacation with parents, but it is also a great time to take a “book-a-cation.”

According to Kewanda Merritt, the English and Language Arts curriculum supervisor for the Public Schools of Robeson County, a book-a-cation is a vacation or trip that is journeyed within the pages of a book. You can explore the deep blue with the likes of Captain Nemo in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. Students could also dust off that fingerprint kit that was in the back of your closet during the school year and go on a little expedition of your own in the “Spy School” series by Stuart Gibbs.

With her suitcase in hand, Merritt visited the last parent night event of the school year to talk summer fun. Merritt walked the more than 600 children and parents through the basics of how to have a great book-a-cation during the summer. The students prepared an itinerary, post cards and even discussed how to write a letter to a friend.

For students like India Godwin, a trip to the library was already on her list of things to do for the summer. India goes to the library once a week. Her favorite books are the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series. She has read all of the series. At one point, her family picked up 25 books every three weeks. Now she has her sights on a book about a Disney vacation as she hopes to visit Florida while out for the summer.

“I am excited about the rides and how it looks at Disney world,” she said.

This summer, the Robeson County Public Library is hosting several programs for summer reading, including the “Every Hero Has a Story,” five weeks of summer reading fun. The schedule includes events at the libraries in Pembroke, St. Pauls, Red Springs, Maxton, Rowland, Fairmont and Lumberton. The library will also host summer movie nights on June 30, July 7 and July 14.

Parents can make this time fun. Younger children love a trip to the library. Parents, assist your children with finding books that can inspire them or peak their interest. If your children love to read about outer space or the stars, this summer would be a great time to partner those books with a camping trip or even an evening under the stars with a telescope. Living room camping is also fun. Grab enough pillows for all the kids to camp on the living room floor while you make up a batch of s’mores as a reading treat for the family. Pull out a map or a globe to see what is out there. Books such as”Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones” or “The Fourteenth Goldfish” offer children more summer adventures.

There are millions of books to explore at your public library. Parents in the Public Schools of Robeson County can also visit the PSRC Parent-Student Center for books and summer reading literature. To explore the 2015-16 Battle of the Books list, visit www.robeson.k12.nc.us/Page/502.