Murfreesboro City Schools will once again take reading on the road this summer with BOB the Book Bus. The Book Bus encourages reading during the summer months and throughout the year.

“Summer reading loss can be a big issue in the success of a student,” says Caresa Dodson, Reading and Intervention Coordinator. “Bringing a mobile library to neighborhoods will help children and families have easier access to books and the power of reading.”

Through the mobile library, children can receive books weekly during the summer. The bus will contain an array of children’s favorite books. Children from age two through sixth grade and their families can check out books, read and keep them in their home library or return them to the bus for other families to enjoy.

“We want children to be outside and playing during the summer but nothing is better than a great book to cultivate a child’s natural curiosity,” says Joe Marlin, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction.

BOB the Book Bus is an out-of-service school bus that was repurposed to house the mobile library. The air-conditioned bus includes shelves and seating. This literacy initiative aims to help children discover a passion for reading.

Research shows that students who read for more than 20 minutes a day score 90% better than their peers on reading tests. Twenty minutes per day exposes children to 1.8 million words a year.

The MCS Book Bus is funded in part through The Christy-Houston and Richard Siegel Foundations. Books have been donated by many individuals and are being accepted at the MCS Central Office this summer.