"A Fine Fella" is an eight-chapter serialized children’s story that will appear in the Sequim Gazette between June 23-Aug. 11.
The Gazette will feature this summer reading program and a prize drawing to encourage children to read or be read to, over the summer.
"A Fine Fella" is about the young life of Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th president. The story shows how his life experiences as a youth prepared him to become president of the United States.
A new chapter will appear in the Sequim Gazette each week through mid-August. A special tab-size book is in this June 23 edition where children can cut and paste the chapters to save the whole story.
Extra books are available at: Wilder Auto Center, 97 Deer Park Road in Port Angeles; and at the Sequim Gazette office, 147 W. Washington St., while supplies last.
Each chapter also features an entry form for our prize drawing, set for 5 p.m. on Aug. 13. Each child who completes and returns all eight entry forms receives a goodie bag from the Sequim Gazette! (Entry forms must be originals. No photocopies will be accepted.)
Drawing prizes include a scholarship to the SunLand Golf Club Junior Golf Camp, tickets for free bowling games at Sequim Olympic Lanes, four drive-through passes to the Olympic Game Farm, a book from Pacific Mist Books, a $20 gift certificate from Pacific Rim Hobbies and a gift certificate for classes at Sequim Martial Arts.
The American Literacy Council reports that, "Poor readers are six times more likely to drop out of school than typical readers," according to a study by Stephanie Sergent Daniel.
Literacy skills can decline over a summer if they are not used. According to the International Reading Association, the percentage of literacy skills some youths lose during the summer is shocking.
"Children can lose up to 60 percent of their skills during the two-month vacation," the association reports. This can cause children to begin the next grade at a lower literacy level than when they left school in June.
Newspapers in classrooms
The Sequim Gazette invests time and resources to support literacy skills in our community’s youths. We feature Sequim Middle School student essays each week during the school year under Chalk Talk and in the annual special section "What I Love About America."
The Sequim Gazette also showcases elementary school essays each year in the special section "Seasons Greetings."
Our Newspapers In Education program also delivers free newspapers to teachers and students to be used as a living textbook.
We want to thank the businesses sponsoring this serial story that have recognized the importance of literacy and stepped up to the plate to help encourage youths to read. They are Wilder Auto Center, First Federal, Citizens for Libraries, Cuddles & Crayons, Olympic Game Farm, Sequim Martial Arts, Sequim Olympic Lanes, Pacific Rim Hobbies, SunLand Golf Course and Pacific Mist Books.
If you have more than one child or grandchild who would like to save the chapters and turn in entry forms, our circulation department can set up delivery of an additional copy of the Sequim Gazette to your home for the eight-week run of this story for only $5.50.
For more information about the summer serial story or to get an additional copy of the Sequim Gazette delivered, please call Julie-Ann Speelman at 683-3311 or e-mail jspeelman@sequimgazette.com.
