The Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL) Winter Reading Program, dubbed by the library as “Book Blizzard,” began on Dec. 18 and will go through Jan. 31. As part of the program, the Teen Department will host a read-a-thon for high school students on Jan 2. 

Participants of the program will be awarded one free book for finishing five activities from the “Badge 1 list.” The CCPL intends to stimulate youth reading during the winter when indoor activities become more prevalent.

Jamie Beckman, CCPL Teen Department Manager, said that youth reading is more common during the winter.

“The Teen Department definitely sees more teens browsing for books in the winter, especially during winter break. Teens seem to have more time to cozy up with a good book in the winter,” she said.

With the rapid technological advancements of the modern day, more people have substituted reading books with more prevalent forms of entertainment. With youth reading levels declining, Beckman said reading programs like this are a way of raising them back up. However, for Beckman, youth reading levels are a secondary concern.

“The most important part of the Winter Reading Program is that teens are finding good books to read and actively enjoying reading. We don’t worry about reading levels during the Winter Reading Program. Teens can read whatever they enjoy including comics and graphic novels or listen to audiobooks,” she said.

For senior Willam Foster, it depends on what books are being read in the program.

“It depends on what they’re reading,” he said. “I think it would be helpful if the reading (is) geared towards comprehension rather than entertainment.”

As an avid reader, Foster said he is interested in the opportunity to share his passion with others. However, when it comes to reading he has his own philosophy. He said when he reads he is focused more on learning and improving from his reading rather than just seeking entertainment from it.

“I feel like when I read I want to learn something new. I think that’s why I lean more (toward) non-fiction books rather than novels. When I read a novel, I’m not really learning anything new; I’m being entertained by an imaginary world from an author. Not to say that’s bad—there are some great (novels) out there—but it’s not so much for me,” he said.

Foster reflected on how he thinks his AP Literature class is doing a good job at forcing students to learn from reading. He said his AP Literature class forces students to actually focus on what they’re reading.

“We have weekly reading check quizzes that quiz us on the plot or setting of the book we’re assigned. A lot of the kids in my class think its annoying that we have it, but I think it’s really smart by our teacher because it incentives us to actually read with the intent of (retaining) the knowledge from the book,” he said

On the other hand, senior Becker Nelsen said he has a more entertainment-focused approach to reading. 

“I like reading books that are fun, and not just textbook style, information relaying books,” he said. “I want to read a book that entertains me. I don’t read as much as I used to and I actually regret that. I think (this) winter can be a chance to maybe get back into it, especially cause I’m going to be staying indoors a lot anyway. Or I could participate in the reading program as an option.”

Nelsen said his creative writing class is a great outlet for his passion for fiction. He said the opportunities he gets to be creative in that class gives him a chance to replicate the ‘magic’ from his favorite books.

“That class makes me feel like a kid again, I get to write about anything I like,” he said. “Sometimes I’m annoyed that I have 10 poems to write, but when it comes to writing plays and short stories I love that I get to be creative.”