The Red River Valley Kids Read is a communitywide-read project for kids held in Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo, Grand Forks and Wahpeton. We focus on a single title of regional interest in an effort to build an appreciation for storytelling, a love of books and stories, our region, and also a sense of place. Our project links Red River Valley communities together through storytelling and quality literature. We are comprised of staff from the Fargo Public, Moorhead Public, West Fargo Public, Grand Forks Public and Leach (Wahpeton) Public Libraries. The second year of our project will take place in March 2023 and we are asking for the grant in order to provide copies of the book to kids at no cost. (The reason for asking for the grant early is because of the amount of lead time it takes for publishers/vendors to make bulk copies of the books available, and shipping time.) The book we will highlight in 2023 is a middle-grade novel titled "Summer Ruins" by Deb Watley. It is about a young girl whose parents are archeologists, and she joins them on a teaching dig in South Dakota where she learns the dig process (and some other important life lessons). We are planning multiple archeology-related events in conjunction with the book-reading, as well as book discussions, and even a tour of NDSU's archeology lab. Being able to provide free copies of the book would give more kids the opportunity to read the story and participate in the programs in a meaningful way - while promoting literacy!