It's not even March. Summer? Summer Reading? Reading lists? Seriously? Thinking about summer when it's not summer can be a surreal exercise. Stay calm. Sure, planning and preparation are called for and likely underway. But there's something to be said for keeping things simple.  How to do that? Consider tuning into both trends and popular culture to inform programming and RA success.

 

Movie tie-ins = effective RA.  Use movie releases as a springboard to programming and conversation. Example: Insurgent, which need I say, opens in March? Jennifer Stubben Hatch's Catch-Up Guide to Insurgent will fill you in on series plot points as well as trivia for teen programming/chat fodder.

 

Intriguing subjects make for great book displays. Skip the seasonal tie-ins for a subject-based approach. Ellen Norton shares tips and photos from her display successes in Book Displays to Attract Reluctant Readers.

 

Out-of-the-box thinking: fun for you, fun for kids. As Molly Wetta notes in, If Books are Magic, Librarians are Wizards, are there any kids wouldn't love a "cootie catcher" to find their next great book? Or a fortune-telling booth?

 

Summer -- you got this. Have fun, read more.