It doesn’t take long for kids to become restless during the summer vacation, but there is a fun, free way to keep them entertained, thanks to the summer reading clubs at both the Leander and Cedar Park Public Libraries.

The summer reading programs kicked off this week at both libraries with a full week of games and activities.

Leander Library’s “Yo Ho Ho and a Book to Read”

The Leander summer reading program, this year called “Yo Ho Ho and a Book to Read” began on Tuesday with a pirate on hand to take pictures with the kids. The kick-off event also featured a photo booth, courtesy of Cedar Park Orthodontics and Dr. Steve Snodell, face painting by Texas Tooth Fairies and Dr. Pamela Singletary, and tasty treats donated by Shipley Donuts.

Beginning Monday, June 16, the library will show a different movie each week at 2 p.m. Monday’s feature film will be Peter Pan.

On Tuesdays at 10 a.m., the Leander library will have special performers to entertain and amaze beginning with a Reptile Adventure performance on June 17.

The Leander Library also launched the “Dangerous Club” for boys and girls on Wednesday with a Lego building class. The class will meet every Wednesday at 2 p.m.

“The Dangerous Club encourages participants to learn and try something new through interactive lessons suited for elementary kids,” said library director Priscilla Donovan.

Each Thursday at 10 a.m., the library will have a “How to be an expert” class.

“We’ll have activities and crafts to demonstrate how to be a superhero or expert of sorts,” Donovan said. “In the following weeks we will cover How to be a dinosaur hunter, an astronaut, a wizard, a Jedi, and a pirate.”

The complete lineup of activities can be found on the Leander Library website at http://tinyurl.com/8q3vwot.

“The Summer Reading Club encourages reading and lifelong learning for all ages,” said Donovan.

Children up to age 11 earn prizes for each two hours that they read (or have someone read to them). If they keep on reading they’ll earn tickets to enter drawings for other prizes.

Teens can earn a ticket for each hour they read to enter drawings for gift cards. And adults earn a ticket for each book they read to use for entering drawings for prizes donated by local businesses.

The Leander Library’s Summer Reading Club sponsors include the Austin Steam Train Association, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Mama Fu’s Asian House, Judy’s Grooming, Tamale Place of Texas, Shore Club Volente Beach, Dragon Herbs, Crystal Falls Golf Club, City of Leander Parks and Recreation and the Leander Library Foundation.

The Leander Library is located at 1011 South Bagdad Rd. For more information, call (512) 259-5259.

The Cedar Park Library’s “Fizz, Boom, Read”

The theme for this year Cedar Park Summer Reading Club is “Fizz, Boom, Read.”

The program began earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday with a Scholastic Book Fair sponsored by the Friends of the Cedar Park Public Library.

The book fair featured a special guest appearance by Clifford the Big Red Dog, who took photos with the kids.

To participate in the Cedar Park Summer Reading Club, parents and kids may simply sign up at the Cedar Park Public Library beginning on June 9.

Registrants will receive a reading log. For each 10 minutes of reading (or listening to) a Cedar Park Public Library book, the participant marks off one symbol on their reading log. For every 200 minutes kids read, they earn a colored cut-out to display in the library’s window and special incentive awards and coupons. Teen-oriented prizes are earned for every 300 minutes read.

Adults can participate and tally the time they read too. For every 400 minutes read, an entry form for a drawing prize is earned.

“Thanks to the support of local area merchants and businesses, there are many terrific prizes to choose from,” said library director Pauline Lam.

“All books must be read from the Cedar Park Public Library or purchased from the Scholastic Book Fair. Audio books, newspapers and magazines from the library count too,” Lam said.

In addition to the library’s regular story times, there will be special performers for toddlers andpreschoolers on Tuesdays, a ‘Just for Tweens’ program on Tuesday afternoons, weekly family movies on Wednesdays, special performers for elementary-aged children on Thursdays and teen activities on Saturdays.

A complete calendar of events is available at the library or online at http://www.cedarparktexas.gov/librarycalendar.

Lam said that when kids have completed 1000 minutes of reading, they may enter a drawing to be crowned as royalty at Fable Fest on Nov. 1.

Kids will earn an entry for the drawing once they reach 1000 minutes, and will earn additional entries for each additional 200 minutes they read.

At the end of the program, a boy and girl winner will be randomly selected from three different age groups to determine who will be crowned King and Queen (ages 10-12), Prince and Princess (ages 6-9) and Duke and Duchess (ages 0-5) at this fall’s Cedar Park Fable Fest.

“The more you read, the better your chance of winning. Fable Fest is a day filled with games, music, crafts, costumes and family entertainment,” said Lam. “This event is designed to help raise money for library enrichment and will be held at the Elizabeth Milburn Park, Saturday, Nov. 1 from noon to 6 p.m.”

The Cedar Park Library is located at 550 Discovery Blvd. For more information, call (512) 401-5600.

Both the Cedar Park and Leander Library Summer Reading Clubs run from from June 9 through August 1 and both are open to readers of all ages.