Kids get a free book when they participate in Barnes & Noble's summer reading program

Consider this a quick shout out for Barnes & Noble's summer reading program.

Basically, it involves picking up a summer reading "journal" sheet at a Barnes & Noble store. The journal asks kids in first to sixth grade to read eight books and answer the following question: "what part of the book is your favorite, and why."

Once your child has read all eight books and completed the sheet, head back to Barnes & Noble, turn it in and pick up a new, age-appropriate book for FREE. They'll also give you a coupon for 10 percent off a future purchase.

Selections include a range of popular picture books and easy readers for younger kids and chapter books and middle grade readers for older ones. My eight-year-old picked up "Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk," which is proving to be a really fun read for her.

My daughter really loves reading the same books over and over again. So I used this program as an incentive for her to branch out a bit. I'm happy to report that it worked!