DeKalb County Public Library Launches Its Largest Summer Reading Challenge Yet

DECATUR, Ga. – (May 22, 2025) – DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library (DCPL) announced today the launch of its annu­al Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge, start­ing on June 1. This sum­mer, the library will pro­vide oppor­tu­ni­ties for peo­ple of all ages to read more, explore library resources, and con­nect with their community.

The theme, ​“Col­or Our World,” cel­e­brates the many ways in which art enrich­es our lives. DCPL branch­es will offer themed pro­grams to inspire read­ers, and par­tic­i­pants can earn prizes for meet­ing read­ing and activ­i­ty goals.

DCPL will also host a wide vari­ety of tal­ent­ed per­form­ers and pre­sen­ters, who will cap­ti­vate audi­ences with a range of activ­i­ties, includ­ing sto­ry­telling, musi­cal per­for­mances, mag­ic shows, cul­tur­al events, crafts, and edu­ca­tion­al programs.

“As we cel­e­brate DCPL’s cen­ten­ni­al, it’s only fit­ting to make this the best Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge yet,” said Ali­son Weissinger, direc­tor, DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library. ​“Beyond the fun and prizes, this pro­gram helps pre­vent sum­mer learn­ing loss, keep­ing young minds sharp and active. It’s a fan­tas­tic way for peo­ple of all ages to enjoy read­ing, with some­thing for every­one to try or explore.”

Two fam­i­ly kick-off events are sched­uled for ear­ly June. Reg­is­tra­tion is required for these programs:

• “A Rain­bow of Rhythm” Sum­mer Read­ing Kick-Off Cel­e­bra­tion will take place on June 4 at 10 a.m. at Stonecrest Library; 2 p.m. at the Decatur Recre­ation Cen­ter; and 6 p.m. at Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library.
• Award-win­ning local children’s book authors Car­men and Lau­ren Agra Deedy will read from and sign copies of their books on June 13 at 11 a.m. at Decatur Library.

Sign-Up Infor­ma­tion and Pro­gram Schedule

Par­tic­i­pants can sign up for the chal­lenge, track their read­ing, and earn dig­i­tal badges using Beanstack. Beanstack can be accessed at dekalbli​brary​.beanstack​.org or by down­load­ing the mobile app.

For the full sched­ule, vis­it the Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge page on the library’s web­site at dekalbli​brary​.org. Please note that some pro­grams require reg­is­tra­tion. Print­ed pro­gram guides will be avail­able in branch­es by the end of May.

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