Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count. By Elizabeth M. McChesney and the Chicago Public Library, and Bryan W. Wunar and the Museum of Science and Industry. Chicago, IL: ALA, 2017. 160 p. Paper $50.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-1561-5).

With the help of the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Public Library now offers young patrons the opportunity to participate in an innovative summer program called Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge. The program uses the principles of STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and design thinking to encourage the development of twenty-first-century skills. In Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count, Elizabeth M. McChesney of the Chicago Public Library and Bryan W. Wunar of the Museum of Science and Industry explain why and how they created their Summer Learning Challenge, and how readers can implement similar programs at their libraries.

McChesney and Wunar begin by laying out the evidence-based research they used to rationalize the need for a new summer program. The pair point to several studies that indicate the benefits of experiential, informal education and, in particular, the value of giving youth the agency to choose topics and experiences of interest to them as individuals. The research argues the importance of providing access to high-quality programming outside of school to low-income children who are at increased risk of suffering from summer slide. From this research, McChesney, Wunar, and their colleagues collaborated to devise a series of goals and desired outcomes and to create a summer program around them.

Subsequent chapters serve as a guide for other librarians who are considering developing learning-based summer programs. McChesney and Wunar outline best practices for developing community partnerships, explain how Chicago’s Summer Learning Challenge works, discuss the role that reading plays in the program, and elaborate on the benefits of evaluation, assessment, and continuous improvement. The final chapter provides a simplified step-by-step formula that library staff can use to develop their own programs.

Throughout the book, practical insets and sidebars are included, enhancing the book’s utility and making it more of a manual than a simple narrative. For example, the “Think about It” insets ask specific questions and offer librarians the opportunity to think about how the ideas discussed might be applied to their own libraries. They include templates for writing mission statements, surveys, and more. The “Librarian’s Corner” sections offer commentary from Chicago Public Library staff members and capture their feelings about participating in and implementing STEAM-based programming.

The notion of shifting from reading-based to learning-based summer programs has generated widespread discussion in recent years. Summer Matters is an inspirational and informative guide that offers practical, hands-on advice for any public library or educational institution serving youth. It clearly demonstrates how and why the addition of inquiry-based participatory learning to traditional summer programs benefits not just patrons but entire communities.—Jessica Hilbun Schwartz, Teen Services Librarian, Louisville Public Library, Louisville, Colorado