Summer Reading 2026: June 5-August 14
This year’s summer reading theme, Plant a Seed, Read is rooted in the concept of farm to table. A farm grows food that nourishes our bodies; a library grows ideas that nourish our minds. Both food and stories connect us to our family, culture, economy, and ecology.
Feed your curiosity, grow new ideas, and earn fun prizes this summer by joining our reading programs. We have activities and challenges for readers of every age.
Kid's Summer Reading
Kids entering 4th grade and younger, who have a River Forest Library card, can register on Beanstack, then pick up a reading log. Collect a prize after you read 5 days in a week. There are 10 weeks total, and 10 prizes to collect. The amount of time you read each day is up to your family. You can read to yourself, to someone else, have someone else read to you, or even listen to an audiobook. We want reading to be fun!
Middle School/Teen Summer Reading
Students entering Grades 5-12, who have a River Forest Library card, can stop by the Library and pick up a reading log or track reading on Beanstack. For every 4 hours read between June 5 and August 14, earn a small prize as well as a raffle entry for one of our bigger prizes. Earn up to 3 bonus raffle entries for writing book reviews. Please follow these book review guidelines.
Adult Summer Reading
Adults can participate in the summer reading challenge by logging books on Beanstack or picking up a paper reading log on the second floor. Each book you log will enter you into a raffle to win one of five prizes.
The more you read, the higher your chances of winning!