With the school year ending, readers of all ages can close their academic books and head to the C.H. Booth Library for summer reading.

The children, young adult, and adult summer reading programs all kick-off on June 20, Young Adult Librarian Kim Weber said.

The three programs vary, but all provide incentives for reading.

The children's program, for readers 4 years old through fifth grade, allows readers to log their progress online, with registration beginning June 14, Children's Librarian Alana Bennison said. Children then can meet with young adult volunteers in the library, discuss the books their reading, and win prizes up until August 13, said Ms Bennison.

Prizes include a slice of My Place pizza, a Dunkin' Donuts coupon, and $5 toward buying books from the Little Bookstore in the library.

On top of the prizes, participants can attend events organized through the library that go along with the summer's theme of "On your mark, get set ... Read!" The kick-off for the children's summer program is a pair of magic shows on June 20, with performances running 11 am to noon and the other from 1 to 2 pm.

Free tickets for both performances will be available before the events.

Other events throughout the summer include soccer skills training, animal programs, and Irish dancing, Ms Bennison said.

"It's about fueling your mind and body in the summer, so we're going to have some things that are fun to do, as well as lots of reading going on," she said. "Our basic goal every summer is to make summer reading fun to make sure kids do not lose the reading progress they've made over the school year."

The young adult summer program, for readers in sixth to twelfth grade, works differently than the children's program, in that participants can drop in and fill out a journal page about what they have been reading. For every 50 pages of a book they read, they receive a raffle ticket, Ms Weber said. Prizes - including gift certificates to local businesses - are then raffled off at the end of the summer. The program also offers events for participants such as a Harry Potter-inspired Quidditch match, chocolate Olympics and creative writing camps, according to Ms Weber.

The adult summer reading program is similar to the young adult program. Readers can write a review of any books they read and enter it into a raffle for whatever prize they prefer, Ms Weber said. The program also features a violin concert to be performed by Lindsey Jones as a kick-off event at 2 pm, on June 20, librarian Pat Martin said.

Ms Weber added that beyond summer reading, she is excited for the library's new circulating board game collection, in which Newtown residents can check out one of the more than 60 board games available.

More upcoming events are listed on the library's calendar online at chboothlibrary.org.

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