Reading star wins Bruins’ Signed Jersey

Jillian Escobar, age 11 of Seekonk, is one of a select group of young people to win a Boston Bruins prize for her participation in Seekonk Public Library's summer reading program. A random drawing was held in September and Jillian won a signed Boston Bruins jersey. Jillian just happens to be a huge Boston Bruins fan and couldn’t be happier with her prize. "I can't believe I won!"

The statewide summer program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins and individual libraries through Massachusetts.

The Bruins first teamed up with the MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System in 2009. The organizations work with libraries across the Commonwealth to make reading a part of summer fun for all ages. Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand and other Bruins players helped libraries develop Favorite Books of the Boston Bruins (available on ReadsinMA.org), a recommended reads list that includes librarians’ picks for the best hockey books. “The kids really enjoy picking up a book and seeing that it was recommended by one of the Bruins players. It inspires them to want to read it themselves,” said Sharon Clarke, Youth Services Librarian at Seekonk Library.

“Summer reading is fun, but it’s also an important part of students’ academic success because it helps them avoid the summer slide,” said James Lonergan, MBLC Director. Kids who read just four books over the summer do better on reading-comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who read one or no books over the summer.

On average more than 350,000 people participated in statewide summer reading programs in libraries across the Commonwealth. Massachusetts has offered statewide online summer reading programs since 2007. Participants register and track their progress. To learn more about the benefits of summer reading, please visit ReadsinMA.org. The Summer Library Program is made possible through federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.