Join Us as We Power Up & Read with the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge! {#SummerReading}

 This post is part of a sponsored collaboration with Scholastic. All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Although it feels as though we were just counting down the days until school ended, somehow I blinked and June is nearly over already. Apparently summer flies by when it is filled with sports, activities, swimming, play dates and, a personal favorite, relaxing with a favorite book!

This year my kids have happily joined me in curling up with all sorts of new (as well as old favorite) books, thanks to the fun and encouragement they have been receiving from Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge.

If you missed my previous post, then you've got to catch up on the facts and get started with this great program! Now in its 9th year, the Summer Reading Challenge program is a free, online/mobile reading program that helps prepare kids for back-to-school by encouraging them to read every day all summer long and lessen the possibility of the "summer slide" (the common loss of skills due to being out of school).

Kids simply keep track and log their reading minutes (online and via mobile) and, along with their peers, see if the cumulative amount can beat the world record. In 2014, Scholastic inspired hundreds of thousands of kids to set a new record for summer reading of 304,749,861 minutes!

How cool is that? This year Scholastic has added a unique twist to the Summer Reading Challenge by giving it a theme of "Power Up & Read" Powered by Energizer®, encouraging families everywhere to find innovative ways to discover the power and joy of reading.

Throughout the summer, kids will unlock 12 original short stories by bestselling children's authors as they reach reading milestones and access never-before-seen videos from the authors. The authors include Blue Balliett, Patrik Henry Bass, Varian Johnson, Gordon Korman, Michael Northtrop, Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pierce, Roland Smith, R.L. Stine, Tui T. Sutherland, Lauren Tarshis, Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Jude Watson.

Each of the authors has written a unique short story using the same opening sentence, "I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that no one had followed me into the shadowy library, then took a deep breath and opened the glowing book..." Plus, each story has a 'read along' audio component, inviting kids of all ages and reading levels to enjoy these highly engaging stories!

Along with these fun stories, kids can also enter monthly sweepstakes to win fabulous prizes, earn digital rewards when they complete weekly reading challenges, stock up on badges as they hit reading milestones, play the new Innovation Machine game (an interactive creative writing game with its own contest and prizes), and more!

Scholastic didn't leave parents out as well, as the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge also features "The Daily Digest" of new, daily tips, as well as free downloadable resources including printables and booklists for kids of all ages.

Parents can also watch videos about summer reading activities to keep you "innovative" all summer long as well as enter weekly sweepstakes to win a "Power Up & Read Kit" including a Scholastic tote bag, water bottle, a copy of Reading Unbound by Jeffrey Wilhelm and Michael Smith, a $10 gift certificate to the Scholastic Store Online, Energizer® brand batteries, Scholastic books, and more.

I love knowing that I can turn to Scholastic for just about any inspiration, ideas, information and more to keep my kids on track with their love of reading!

What parent wouldn't be thrilled knowing that their children can't wait to take things even further in upcoming months as we find even more ways to Power Up & Read? The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge runs through September 4, 2015, so there is still plenty of time to head over and get involved. It's free, educational and fun!

After you've gone to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge, amp up the excitement even more by following Scholastic on Twitter, Liking the Energizer Bunny on Facebook and Scholastic on Facebook, and following the #SummerReading hashtag throughout social media.

You can also find more Scholastic Resources to keep your kids reading all summer long and learn more about the Energizer® Instant Win Game!