How do you inspire kids to love reading? Connect them with teens who also enjoy the written word. That’s the idea behind “Book Buddies,” a program at the Mercer Island library designed to help children ages 5 to 8 learn and appreciate reading in a relaxed environment.

Here’s how it works: Trained teen volunteers pair up with a child for 20-minute sessions and either read to their buddy or have their buddy read to them. Kids benefit from the one-on-one attention from a teen, and many of the program’s teens love seeing their younger buddies flourish.

Vivian Gebben, who has been a teen book buddy for the past three years, says, “I love the Book Buddies program because it allows me to work with kids and introduces them to how fun reading can be. I think it helps the shyer kids break out of their shells and is a healthy experience for the more exuberant children.”

Book Buddies will be offered from 2-4 p.m., starting June 28, and will run through the first week in August. For more information, call the Mercer Island library at (206) 236-2527.