NEW YORK, March 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent research from the Kids & Family Reading Report(TM): 6(th) Edition, released by Scholastic, found that 80% of children ages 6-17 agree that summer reading will help them during the school year. To ensure more children are reading over the summer months, Scholastic is expanding its free, global, online and mobile summer reading program, the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge(TM), to serve schools and families across the globe and, for the first time, invites U.S. public libraries and community partner organizations to join in the effort.

To learn more: visit www.scholastic.com/summer.

Now in its 11(th) year, the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge is designed to help kids turn the "summer slide"--the learning loss which can occur over the summer months--into a "summer leap" by discovering the power and joy of reading for fun. This year's theme is "Happy Camper: Take a Reading Adventure," which comes to life on the website with custom Dog Man illustrations from bestselling Captain Underpants creator and Summer Reading Global Ambassador Dav Pilkey, and other beloved Scholastic character illustrations, including Clifford the Big Red Dog®, Harry Potter, Geronimo Stilton and Ms. Frizzle.

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge 2017 Dates:



    --  March 15(th)-April 14(th): Dav Pilkey Summer Reading Educator ContestDav
        Pilkey together with Scholastic, will host an educator contest for one
        school in each U.S. state, territory and in the District of Columbia to
        win free books for their school. Learn more and enter, here:
        www.scholastic.com/summer.

    --  April 3(rd): Educator, Library and Community Partner
        Pre-RegistrationEducators, libraries and community partners can
        pre-register participating student groups for the Summer Reading
        Challenge and access free summer reading resources and booklists across
        all ages in both English and Spanish.

    --  May 8(th)-September 8(th): Log Your Reading MinutesKids can log their
        reading minutes online to earn digital prizes when they complete weekly
        reading challenges and gain access to 18 reading activities, including
        games, quizzes and videos based on popular children's books. Parents and
        caregivers can access free summer reading resources, including booklists
        across all ages in both English and Spanish.

    --  May 6-July 26: Summer Reading Road TripTwo Scholastic Summer Reading
        Road Trip RVs are hitting the road to visit bookstores, schools and
        libraries across the country. Kids and families can visit the "pop-up"
        reading community events, meet some of their favorite authors and
        illustrators, and engage in fun reading activities. Parents and
        educators can follow the progress of the Scholastic Summer Reading Road
        Trip on social media via #SummerReading and online at
        readingroadtrip.scholastic.com.

    --  September 27(th): "Best in State" and Library and Community Partner
        RecognitionAt the close of the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, the
        school in each state with the most minutes read will  be recognized as
        "Best in State" and will receive a special kit that includes a school
        plaque, congratulatory banner, student certificates and other items that
        can be used to host a literacy celebration. The winning schools will
        also be featured in the Scholastic book, Best & Buzzworthy 2018: World
        Records, Trending Topics, and Viral Moments. In addition, special
        recognition will be given to the top five libraries and community
        partner organizations nationwide with the most minutes read.

QUOTES:

Dav Pilkey, Caldecott Honor artist and creator of the bestselling Captain Underpants and Dog Man series:

"As a reluctant reader growing up, I've experienced firsthand the power and impact of being able to choose the books I wanted to read as a kid, without judgment. We all know that reading is important, but there's a certain kind of reading that is life-changing: reading for fun. Studies have shown the benefits of making a habit out of reading for fun--not only does it help our brains stay sharp over summer vacation, but it also makes us more empathetic. This is not only life-changing, but also world-changing."

Michael Haggen, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Education:

"The most recent Kids & Family Reading Report found that, contrary to popular belief, kids enjoy summer reading--but too many kids read no books at all during the summer, putting themselves at risk to experience significant learning loss while school is not in session. We also know that the encouragement of parents and educators is key to motivating students to read all summer. Through the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, schools, families and students find the resources they need to help turn the "summer slide" into the "summer leap."

To learn more about Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) and the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, please visit mediaroom.scholastic.com/SummerReadingChallenge.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/schools-families-libraries-and-community-partners-can-encourage-kids-to-take-a-reading-adventure-with-the-2017-scholastic-summer-reading-challenge-300424006.html

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.