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Dear Parents and Guardians,

Greetings from a middle school English teacher! It is finally June, which means your children (and their teachers) are about to break free from the classroom for two sun-filled months of summer. While your kids may have a long list of “Must-Dos”(sleepovers at friends’ houses, water ice runs, trips to the zoo, fireworks down the shore) to accomplish in these brief eight weeks, one “must-do” that they may be dreading  is their summer reading assignment.

Local school districts are now requiring high school, middle school, even elementary school students to read novels over the summer so that they can practice and retain the reading comprehension skills that they learned during the school year. Sure, most kids moan when they hear “summer” and “reading assignment” in the same sentence, but summer reading doesn’t mean that their summer is doomed.

Here are some helpful tips on how your child can successfully complete his or her summer assignment with enough time to spare for barbeques and pool parties:

Not too long ago, baby and bridal showers were a somewhat simple event. Guests would snack on finger foods such as sandwiches, dips, and the occasional spoonful of mysterious ambrosia. Dessert was either a chocolate or vanilla cake with a congratulatory message written in icing across the top. The venue decor would consist of balloons, streamers, flowers, and the occasional umbrella or wishing well. And, inevitably, someone would make a hat out of ribbons and bows from unwrapped presents, place the hat on the Guest of Honor’s head, and snap a picture.

Weddings had a similar sameness to them: the same flowers, colors, attire, decorations, music, food, and traditions.  For a while—a very long while—showers and weddings felt dull.

And then Pinterest happened.  Thanks to the multitude of creative and talented Pinterest pinners, showers and weddings will never again be the trite or mediocre occasions that they once were. 

Pinterest is an invaluable resource for the expecting or engaged book lover because book-themed baby shower pins, bridal shower pins, and wedding pins are popping up all over users’ boards.  The following are Pinterest-inspired ideas on how to create your own book-themed shower or wedding.

When most people read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, they are astonished to learn that The Boy Who Lived sleeps in a cupboard under the stairs. For me, though, it always seemed kind of…cozy.

Don’t get me wrong—sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs is not ideal, but as a reading nook, it could work. Give me an area with soft lighting, pillows, a blanket, and a book, and I’d call this the perfect reading spot—perhaps not for The Boy Who Lived, but for The Person Who Reads. Reading nooks (or corners) provide readers with a designated space for opening a book and shutting out the rest of the world.