ROOKE: Vance’s New Program Brings Back Nostalgic Memories Of Lost American Life

Second Lady Usha Vance announced the start of a new summer reading challenge to tackle the declining literacy rates in America, but it’s so much than that. The program will undoubtedly evoke nostalgic memories for Gen X and Millennial parents who participated in a similar challenge.

Every summer since 1984, kids around the U.S. have entered the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program, which aims to encourage kids to set reading goals that earn them a personal pan pizza. Kids would fly through their summer reading list at the opportunity to get enough stickers to win their coveted prize.

.@SLOTUS discusses her Summer Reading Challenge in which children who read 12 books this summer will be sent a prize and be entered into a drawing to visit the White House. https://t.co/DEJtfJfFc1 pic.twitter.com/7x1BYRDFLs

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 5, 2025

There were other rewards, too, but it was the chance to walk inside a Pizza Hut and possibly get your parents to upgrade your personal pan to include access to their famous buffet that really seemed to drive participation.

It was a smart business plan for Pizza Hut, but to children, it gave them a guaranteed night out, and all they had to do was read.

Vance’s reading challenge is open to children in kindergarten through 8th grade. To enter, kids need to read twelve books of their choice between June 1 and September 5, 2025, fill out their reading log, draw a picture to describe what they read, and have a parent sign and email it to the White House. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)

It doesn’t indicate what the small prize is for reading the twelve books. However, one lucky reader will be chosen to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, DC.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, are the first Millennials to take residence in the Naval Observatory. It seems very fitting that Usha Vance’s new reading program would emerge from this younger generation, who lovingly remembers how great our middle-class eateries used to be.

The Second Lady Summer Reading Challenge is here! Click the link in bio for additional details 📖 #2ndLadySummerReads pic.twitter.com/FgNHA3YFwe

— Second Lady Usha Vance (@SLOTUS) June 1, 2025

Pizza Hut phased out its buffet bar and slowly lost loyal customers who would go on Friday nights after a long week to enjoy the all-you-can-eat pizza, salad, and desserts. The establishment had its famous red cups and kitschy decor, which made it feel like you were part of the community once you stepped through those doors. (ROOKE: Pentagon Melts Left’s Golden Calf During Their Holy Month)

Gen X and Millennial kids didn’t eat out as much as kids do now, and going to Pizza Hut felt like a treat. But as the buffet and quirky chandelier lighting went away for more modern aesthetics, so did a large swath of their dine-in repeat customers. Those Friday nights when you’d see neighbors rounding the pizza sections for another slice of pepperoni went away, and families instead opted for takeaway at home.

Pizza Hut still runs the BOOK IT! program, but too many of its stores no longer offer buffet programs, and the lightning that struck in bringing communities together has long since faded.

Vance’s reading challenge reminds me of this era that our country may never see again. Still, this program, with its promised prize and opportunity to go to the White House, could be the spark that reignites a love of reading in our children again.

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