DeKalb County Public Library Kicks Off Summer Reading Challenge

Events, Activ­i­ties, Shows and Prize-Win­ning Oppor­tu­ni­ties Slat­ed for All Ages

DECATUR, Ga. – (May 23, 2023) – DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library (DCPL) is delight­ed to announce the start of the annu­al Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge on June 1. Under the theme of All Togeth­er Now, the library has planned a diverse array of pro­grams, with a focus on pro­mot­ing read­ing, cel­e­brat­ing uni­ty and build­ing community. 

“The shared love for read­ing and the library brings us all togeth­er, and we expect an enthu­si­as­tic turnout for all the excit­ing activ­i­ties,” said DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library Direc­tor Ali­son Weissinger. ​“For our youngest patrons, it’s a time to get off to a strong start to build­ing ear­ly lit­er­a­cy. For chil­dren and teens, Sum­mer Read­ing helps pre­vent the ​‘sum­mer slide’ that can occur dur­ing school breaks. For adults, it’s a chance to dis­cov­er many library offer­ings that they may not be aware of.”

This sum­mer fea­tures engag­ing events and per­for­mances, includ­ing a vis­it from award-win­ning children’s book author J. Dil­lard, musi­cal per­for­mances, the fam­i­ly-friend­ly Mag­i­cal Poo­dles show, and more. 

All age groups are eli­gi­ble to be entered into prize draw­ings upon com­plet­ing activ­i­ties and reach­ing chal­lenge milestones.

Sum­mer Read­ing for Children

Two events are planned to kick off Sum­mer Read­ing for chil­dren – a Kind­ness Car­ni­val for ages 0 to 5 and a Scav­enger Hunt for school-age children.

Kind­ness Car­ni­val. Sat­ur­day, June 3 for Ages 0 to 5.

Infants, tod­dlers, preschool­ers and their fam­i­lies and care­givers are invit­ed to join us at Tuck­er-Reid H. Cofer Library on June 3 for the All Togeth­er Now Kind­ness Car­ni­val. Kids will have fun at inter­ac­tive sta­tions with activ­i­ties for enhanc­ing ear­ly lit­er­a­cy and lan­guage skills. Chil­dren can have their pho­to tak­en with Dog in the Woods, the library mas­cot, and every­one will take home a Take & Make craft kit. Reg­is­tra­tion is required for this event. 

All Togeth­er Now Scav­enger Hunt. June 1 – 10 for Ages 6 to 12. 

School-age chil­dren (ages 6 to 12) can vis­it any branch from June 1 to 10 to par­tic­i­pate. By find­ing the clues to decode a secret mes­sage, they will receive a bilin­gual edi­tion (Eng­lish-Span­ish) Sum­mer Badge Book, a sil­i­cone wrist­band and their first of eight col­lectible charms. The Sum­mer Badge Book works in con­junc­tion with the Beanstack web and mobile app.

Sum­mer Read­ing for Teens and Adults

Teens can sign up for Sum­mer Read­ing using the con­ve­nient Beanstack web or mobile app. Teens who com­plete the chal­lenge by July 31 will receive a prize pack, which includes a book and oth­er items. Fin­ish­ers will also be entered into draw­ings for items such as book­store gift cards, Blue­tooth speak­ers and a Kin­dle Fire.

Adults can play Sum­mer Read­ing bin­go using paper or vir­tu­al bin­go cards from the library or through the Beanstack app. Read­ing books, attend­ing pro­grams and explor­ing online library resources make them eli­gi­ble for prize draw­ings for a Kin­dle Fire, iPad mini, gift cards and prize bags. 

Reg­is­tra­tion and More Information 

Library patrons can pre-reg­is­ter now for the Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge using the Beanstack web or mobile app. Some pro­grams require reg­is­tra­tion. Sup­port is pro­vid­ed by DeKalb Library Foun­da­tion and oth­er spon­sors for select events, pro­grams and activ­i­ties. Find more infor­ma­tion on our Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge page.