Ceres Library has finished its Summer Reading Challenge to encourage the devouring of books and gave away a number of prizes to top readers.

Each year the local library system has programs for readers of all ages to encourage reading through prizes. Some prizes are reserved for Ceres Library participants and others are offered county-wide. This year, two of the three county-wide grand prizes were won by Ceres patrons. Chris Dempsey won the adult grand prize and Andony Leyva won the prize in the teen category. Both were $200 Amazon gift cards.

The Ceres Friends of the Library offered prizes for children up to age 8 who complete a log after reading at least 30 minutes each day for a 28-day period; and for those aged 9 to 18 who can log 28 hours of reading. Winners are chosen by random drawing from among the children who completed a Summer Reading Log. 

Winning children’s bicycles and helmets were Dylan Chauhan, 13, and Crystal Garibo, 11, drawn from 175 entries.

“We also received donations of gift cards that were used as prizes for adults,” said Ceres Library manager Susan Sawyer. “Adults who read and submitted a short book review were entered into the drawing. This year we had 438 adult entries compared to 100 last year.”