LEWISTON — Children and families are invited to participate in the Lewiston Public Library’s 2014 Summer Reading Game and attend the fun and educational programs and events the library is hosting over the summer.

The Summer Reading Game is for all children from birth up through age 13. Teens over the age of 13 can participate in the Teen Summer Reading Game.

This year’s theme is “Fizz, Boom, Read!” and will explore all kinds of science and discovery themes. Children will be analyzing germs, dropping eggs from up high, becoming crime scene investigators and a whole lot more. All of the Summer Reading Game programs and events are free to all Lewiston Public Library card holders.

The Summer Reading Game will begin on Monday, June 23, and run through Saturday, Aug. 16. Each week the library will host a variety of events and programs, from shows, to craft sessions, to science experiments.

Children’s music artist Wayne From Maine will help kick off the program. Wayne and Jimmy James the Koonga-Boonga Man will perform in the Callahan Hall at 2 p.m. Monday, June 23. This show is free and open to the public.

Mad Science of Maine will be at the library at 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 30, and Wildlife Encounters will be there at 11 a.m. Monday, July 7.

Tickets for all of these events are available in the Children’s Room. A complete schedule is available in the Children’s Room and on the website.

Studies have shown that children who read over the summer and join summer reading programs keep their brains active and enter school in the fall ready to learn and ready to succeed.

Children and families in the Summer Reading Game are encouraged to read for a minimum of 20 minutes a day during the eight-week program. Children who meet this goal can win a prize every week. After children have met their goal for six weeks they can be eligible for a larger prize, like one of the library’s famous T-shirts.

By counting the time spent reading rather than the number of books or pages, an emphasis is placed on the act of reading. Counting time rewards beginning, slow or reluctant readers as well as good readers or those who find reading easy.

Parents are a child’s first teacher. Read to your children and ask them to read to you. Librarians will be happy to help find books that are just right.