Reading Club

July 14, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

I can't remember how many reading clubs I joined at the public library over the years.  For me, it was an annual event, trekking down there each summer and coming home with a multitude of books to help pass the time.  There usually were nominal prizes- bookmarks, pencils- that sort of thing, but the appeal to me was just making the milestones I'd set for myself and having my name or record posted for the city to see.  In many cases, progress was measured as a graphical journey on a card or sheet as depicted here.  Space was a popular theme as all of America was in the throes of the space race in the late 50's and 60's. And who didn't want to be an astronaut?  The librarians were only too quick to remind us that to be a good astronaut, one had to be a good reader and the sooner we mastered that and the comprehension of what we'd read, the better!