Bookworms celebrate end to summer reading program

By Stephanie Chaisson
The Patriot Ledger

QUINCY A giant bouncy house, face painters and Radio Disney provided entertainment for more than 100 children this week at Dependable Cleaners' 9th annual Read to Ride party for this summer's reading contest winners. "It's a group of kids that can celebrate reading and have fun," said Dependable Cleaners president, Christa Hagearty of Cohasset, who describes herself as a proponent of anything that makes reading "fun and cool." A bookworm at heart, Hagearty was was eager to adopt the Read to Ride concept from a dry cleaner in Vermont nine years ago. Read to Ride is an annual contest in which children all over Massachusetts can drop off slips at their local Dependable Cleaners for each book they read. All slips get pooled into a drawing. Every Monday for seven weeks, two names were drawn for the grand prize, a brand new bike and helmet. Forty-five runners-up 45 runner-ups won gift certificates to local bookstores and the Edaville Railroad. Erin Cowell, 8, of Scituate was one of this year's winners of a new mountain bike. She said she was even more proud of the fact that she has read 93 of the "Babysitter's Little Sister" books by Ann M. Martin this summer. Her goal is to read all 122, the entire series, before school starts.
Anya Gruber, 12, of Cohasset also won a bike this year.
"I've done it (the contest) for a while now, but this is the first time I won," she said. Her sisters have won in past years.
"Siblings love to challenge one another," said Hagearty. "A lot of parents say the challenge has helped their kids to read more and find it fun." Morgan Fechter, 9, of Cohasset and Alison Williams, 8, of Braintree were the most recent winners in the contest.
Alison, who will enter the third grade at Morrison Elementary School this fall, became a winner by reading "Madeline Says Merci" by John Bemelmans Marciano. Morgan, who attends Deer Hill Elementary School, received her bicycle and helmet for reading "Night of the New Magicians" by Mary Pope Osborne. Since the program began in 1999, more than 170 children have received new bikes as a reward for reading. Participants have read more than 45,000 books. Read to Ride 2007 is sponsored by Dependable Cleaners; The Patriot Ledger; Radio Disney; Farina's Bicycle Center, Watertown; Anderson Bicycle, Quincy; Storybook Cove, Hanover; Buttonwood Books, Cohasset; and the Braintree Book Rack. Wednesday's party, held at the Wollaston Elementary School, celebration included a dance competition, hosted by Radio Disney. The grand-prize- winning dance team was "The Worms" comprised of -- otherwise known as 5- year-old twins Ava and Lainey Morrison of Braintree. The girls wowed the crowd with their worm skills, which that they said they learned from Hannah Montana, a popular character on the Disney Channel.
Olivia Flynn, 9, of Braintree was at Wednesday's the celebration with three of her friends. Flynn Olivia was a runner-up, winner, earning herself a $12 gift certificate to Storybook Cove, a children's bookstore. founded originally in Hanover.




Stephanie Chaisson may be reached at schaisson@ledger.com.

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[patriotledger]

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[ryanli189]

i go to that school

[wowkittycatclaws]

my bro gos to morrison!

[GetGreatBikestuff]

I like to ride bikes too.