Tybrisa Books to host Summer Reading Challenge

May 26—LENOIR — This summer, join Tybrisa Books, The Shake-N-Dog, and The Flour Shoppe for the 2022 Summer Reading Challenge.

This is a great way to keep young ones reading throughout the summer holiday.

This year's Summer Reading Challenge will run for two months from Tuesday, June 1 until Saturday, July 30.

"We are hoping to replace video games and TV with reading this summer," said Michelle Mahaffey, Tybrisa Books' owner. "Books keep imaginations alive and help bridge the gap between school years."

Reading Diaries can be picked up from Tybrisa Books beginning Thursday, May 26. Participants must be between age 5 (able to read on their own) and 12 years old.

Each page of the Reading Diary is a form for readers to provide their name, telephone number, and information about five books including the title, author, and the reader's favorite character.

When beginning the program, if readers purchase five $1 books from Tybrisa Books, they will get a sixth $1 book absolutely free. Likewise, every time a child brings back a completed Reading Diary page, they can do the same thing again: buy five $1 books and get the sixth $1 book free.

"Summer reading is a way to prepare for the start of school in the fall, and we make it fun!" said Mahaffey.

In order to participate, readers must:

Read the first five books and record them on page one of the Reading Diary. Upon completion of the first five books, bring the Reading Diary to Tybrisa Books for a free Tybrisa Books keychain and another page for the Reading Diary.

Read another five books and record them on page two of the Reading Diary, and upon completion of the 10th book, bring the Reading Diary to Tybrisa Books and receive a coupon for a free cookie from The Flour Shoppe and another page for the Reading Diary.

"For this event, kids will be able to pick out a free cookie when they reach certain levels," said Toni Wright, owner of The Flour Shoppe. "We have lots to choose from: browned butter chocolate chip (Michelle's favorite), red velvet, sugar, peanut butter no-bakes (Cliff's favorite), and more. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of kiddos this summer and rewarding them for a job well done!"

Read another five books and continue recording them on page three in the Reading Diary. Upon completion of the 15th book, bring the Reading Diary to Tybrisa Books and receive a coupon for a free kids' meal at The Shake-N-Dog in Lenoir and another page for the Reading Diary.

"We'll probably do normal kids' meals with a scoop of ice cream," said Darin McKinney, owner of the Shake-N-Dog. "We'll give older kids the option to swap the ice cream for a milkshake ... we'll be flexible so the kids can all get some kind of reward from us for completing the task."

Read five more books and record them on Page 4 of your Reading Diary. Upon completion of the 20th book, bring the Reading Diary to Tybrisa Books and receive an entry into the grand prize drawing for a set of four tickets to a Hickory Crawdads' game.

Tybrisa Books will provide extra Reading Diary pages, and for every additional five books that are read, readers will get another entry into the grand prize drawing.

"I believe the last program we did was Summer 2019," Mahaffey said. "We skipped '20 and '21 because of the pandemic. In 2019, we had a great turnout; we had lots of kids reading all summer! As to this summer, we have so far gotten great feedback and are hopeful that we will have a lot of children participating."

Wright feels it's important for her to offer support for this event.

"I wanted to participate because I love collaborating with my fellow downtown businesses," Wright said, "but I'm also a mom and I know how important it is to keep kids engaged over the summer. Plus, I just love Michelle and Cliff, Tybrisa's owners. They come in for treats every Saturday, so of course I'm all for the chance to help support them right back."

McKinney also believes this event is crucial for children in the community.

"There are so many things that children deal with now," McKinney said. "Sometimes, the joy of reading just isn't there. I think anything that encourages children to read is certainly something we'd like to support. Typically, they're reading for school or learning, but they also need to understand that reading is a form of enjoyment, a way to use your imagination."

The Flour Shoppe is a locally-owned micro-bakery located on the square in downtown Lenoir. They offer small pastries like cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, cream horns, and French macarons. They were voted "Best Bakery in Caldwell County" two years in a row.

Visit The Flour Shoppe on Facebook for additional details.

The Shake-N-Dog is a locally-owned restaurant serving hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and more. The Shake-N-Dog is currently open in two locations, one in downtown Lenoir and one in the Shoppes at Rivercrest shopping center in Granite Falls.

Visit The Shake-N-Dog on Facebook or go to their website at www.theshakendog.com for more information.

Tybrisa Books is an independent bookstore located on the downtown square in Lenoir.

Visit Tybrisa Books on Facebook or go to their website at www.tybrisabooks.com for more information.