A summer reading program for kids in Thunder Bay is back.

The TD Summer Reading Club is a free seven-week program offered by the Thunder Bay Public Library for kids up to the age of 12.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are teaming up with the library to help out with the initiative for the second year in a row.

“Our players know the importance of practicing,” said the Cats’ Vice President Bryan Graham. “And whether we’re talking reading or baseball, the more you practice your skills, the better you get and the more fun you’ll have doing it.”

“We hope that by offering these incentives and participating in three of the Library’s Storytime events this summer, we can help kids have fun with their summer reading.”

The team will also be participating in three storytime events over the summer.

The first is taking place on June 28 with Mz Molly and Friendz.

Part of the program is encouraging kids to read.

Each week, kids in the reading club check in at their chosen Library branch to report on their reading progress and receive fun prizes, including tickets to Border Cats games, rounds of bowling at Mario’s Bowl, and free pizza from Boston Pizza.

Kids can come anytime during Library hours, but are expected to check in once a week.

There are no benchmarks or goals, so kids can read what they like.

The kids will receive a notebook and stickers after their first week to help them track their reading.

“Whether a child is re-reading Dog Man for the sixth time, co-reading Robert Munsch with a parent, or browsing through a dinosaur encyclopedia, if a child is associating books with fun, we’re supporting lifelong habits of literacy,” said programming Librarian Laura Prinselaar.

Registration for the club is now open, and they are accepting up to 550 kids into the program.

The program runs from July 2 through August 16.

More information and registration can be found by clicking here.