At first glance, parents seem aware of the importance of summer reading, as 94% agree reading over the summer can help their child during the school year. And yet, nearly half of parents with school-age children are unaware of the "summer slide" (47%), the loss of academic skills that occurs when school is not in session and which is attributed largely to the lack of reading. This is of critical importance as the effects of the summer slide are cumulative. Researchers estimate that by the time a struggling reader reaches middle school, summer reading loss has accumulated to a two-year lag in reading achievement. A case can be made that we can begin to address this contributing factor to the reading achievement gap by addressing an information gap. "The Summer Reading Imperative" is the third installment of the "Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 7th Edition," and explores the "summer slide" awareness gap, libraries and community support to drive summer reading, and supporting summer reading through book access and choice. [For companion reports, see "Teacher & Principal School Report: Focus on Literacy" (ED594417) and "Teacher & Principal School Report: Equity in Education" (ED574028).]