The Jefferson Library Teen Summer Reading Program is over with one final celebration left to officially wrap it up.

Youth Services Librarian Bailey Mount says ten teens from fifth through eighth grade completed the program. She points out the participants read all three of the book options during the program, as she explains the challenge of those books she chose to fit this year’s theme.

“With the theme of ‘All Together Now’ I did want to pick protagonists that might be a little bit different from the children reading them, be it (a story of) an inner city kid who’s having to deal with the death of his older brother by building Lego cities, or a kid who comes from a very upper class, prestigious community who’s trying to figure out to tell her parents (that) she doesn’t want to go to the college that they want for her. So just really things that would be different from what my kids are currently experiencing and trying to put them into a perspective of somebody else and see what sort of commonalities they could find.”       

Mount says the overall winner of the Teen Summer Reading Program was Mae Schmidt, who was one of the individuals that read all three books. Mount describes her thoughts about how this program went overall.

“I am very proud of all of my teenagers and it clearly indicates that they have a continued voracious appetite in literature that I really hope that I can continue to cultivate as they get even older.”   

Mount adds the Pool Party for the tweens and teens was postponed from last Friday, due to the hot temperatures, and it has been rescheduled to this Saturday from 6:30-8:30pm at the Jefferson Municipal Pool. All participants are encouraged to attend for free swimming and snacks.