summer reading club

Themes and Slogans

• 2027: Theme – Mystery/Detective/Suspense
• 2026: Unearth a Story- Dinosaurs ( Kaylani Juanita )
• 2025: Color Our World : Colorea Nuestro Mundo – Art ( Mike Mullan )
• 2024: Adventure Begins at Your Library : La Aventura Comienza en tu Biblioteca – Adventure ( Juana Martinez-Neal & Rob Donnelly )
• 2023: All Together Now : Todos Juntos Ahora – Kindness/Friendship/Unity ( Frank Morrison )
• 2022: Oceans of Possibilities : Océanos de Posibilidades – Oceanography – oceanografía ( Sophie Blackall )
• 2021: Tails and Tales : Colas y Cuentos – Animals ( Salina Yoon )
• 2020: Imagine Your Story : Cuéntame Tu Historia – Fairytales/Mythology/Folklore ( LeUyen Pham )
• 2019: A Universe of Stories : Un Universo de Historias – Space ( Leeza Hernandez )
• 2018: Libraries Rock : Las bibliotecas tienen ritmo – Music ( Brian Pinkney )
• 2017: Build a Better World : Construye un mundo mejor – Construction (David Macaulay)
• 2016: On Your Mark, Get Set, Read : En sus marcas, listos, LEAN (Children/Early Literacy) – Matt Tavares Get in the Game: Read : Entra en el juego: ¡LEE! (Teen) Exercise Your Mind: Read : Ejercita tu Mente (Adult)
• 2015: Every Hero Has a Story (Children/Early Literacy) – Jarrett Krosoczka Unmask (Teen) – Hope Larson Escape the Ordinary (Adult)
• 2014: Fizz, Boom, Read! (Children/Early Literacy) Spark a Reaction (Teen) Literary Elements (Adult)
• 2013: Dig into Reading (Children) – Scott Nash Beneath the Surface (Teen) – Duncan Long Groundbreaking Reads (Adult) – Shane Rebenschied
• 2012: Dream Big; Read (Children) – Brian Lies Own the Night (Teen) Between the Covers (Adult)
• 2011: One World, Many Stories (Children) You Are Here (Teen) Novel Destination (Adult)
• 2010: Make a Splash; Read! (Children) Make Waves at Your Library (Teen) Water Your Mind; Read (Adult)
• 2009: Be Creative @ Your Library (Children) Express Yourself @ Your Library (Teen)
• 2008: Catch the Reading Bug (Children) Metamorphosis @ Your Library (Teen)
• 2007: Get a Clue (Children) YNK @ Your Library (Teen)
• 2006: Paws, Claws, Scales, and Tales (Children) Creature Feature (Teen)
• 2005: Dragons, Dreams & Daring Deeds (Children) Joust Read (Teen)
• 2004: Discover New Trails
• 2003: Laugh It Up at Your Library
• 2002: Join the Winner’s Circle; Read!
• 2001: Road Trip USA
• 2000: Cosmic Connections at Your Library
• 1999: Treasure Your Library
• 1998: Rock ‘n Read
• 1997: Thrills and Chills at the Library
• 1996: Get in the Game… At Your Library
• 1995: Sky’s the Limit at Your Library
• 1994: Go Wild for Libraries
• 1993: Hook a Book at Your Library
• 1992: Library All Stars
• 1991: Hats Off to the Library
• 1990: Wheelin’ Thru Summer
• 1989: Dino-Soar into Summer
• 1988: Looniest Summer Ever: Dive into Your Library
• 1987: Paws at Your Library

Member-Driven Themes and Slogans

Since 1987, the Collaborative has chosen its themes and slogans through member feedback.  As we’ve grown, so has the scale of that feedback collection process.  The Theme & Slogan Committee produces a national survey that is sent out via our State Reps for suggestions from member public libraries across all the states.  Here’s our process outline:

• January – Planning begins on national survey
• February – National survey deployed to State Reps
• March- Meeting to clean up/narrow down raw list
• April- Listening Sessions for all members
• May- Meeting to narrow list using Listening Session feedback
• June- Finalist slogans go out for professional translations and copyright vetting.
• August- Wordsmithing Sessions for all members with vetted/translated options
• September- State Reps vote on final selection
• September- Results announced after our Annual Meeting

It’s peak order season! Please view our shipping information before contacting us about the status of your order. Order by May 1st and your delivery will arrive by June 1st.

The Scholastic Summer Reading Promise

We know summertime can provide tremendous opportunities for kids to accelerate reading, to experience the social-emotional impact of good literature and stories, and to make up for any lost learning time as access to instruction and reading has had to be completely rethought due to the pandemic. Research has proven that in a typical year, summer reading supports skill gains, and its absence leads to widening skill gaps.  With this in mind, our Scholastic Summer Reading Promise is to help you get books in the hands of kids, support social-emotional well-being, build skills and create community among kids.

Scholastic’s work with all of our partners has changed dramatically this past year, reflecting the dedication of school leaders, teachers and families to address the needs of children in the face of great challenges. Together, we found new ways to get millions of books to children who were unable to attend schools while also supporting remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. We would like to use our proven summer reading resources combined with these learnings to ensure that your children have opportunities for reading acceleration, gain motivation and experience the confidence that reading success brings.  Explore this site to learn more and you can also call us at: 1-800-SCHOLASTIC

A Fun, Free and Safe Program for Kids

From monday, april 26 to friday, september 3 kids can participate in the scholastic summer reading program where they will be encouraged to read, celebrate their achievements and help increase access to books for their peers..

Join  Home Base

By creating an account on  Home Base ,  kids can join a community of readers and will be able to read books and stories; attend weekly author events ; interact with their favorite characters; play book-based games and activities; join dance parties; and more! 

Keep a Reading Streak™

Kids will be able to track their summer reading by maintaining a Reading Streak in  Home Base . The longer a child extends their reading streak, the more digital experiences they earn!  Kids can read any book of their choice and download and print a report of their reading progress at any time.

Help Donate Books

By keeping reading streaks in Home Base, kids will unlock a donation of 100,000 books from Scholastic to Save the Children for kids in rural America with limited or no access to books.

Program Resources

Kids Home Base Experience

Downloadable & Printable Program Information

About Scholastic Summer Reading

About Scholastic Home Base Summer Zone

Scholastic Summer Reading Certificate of Achievement

5 Questions to Kickstart Summer Reading Conversations

Virtual Event: Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading

Save the date: wednesday, may 26 at 7pm et.

Join Scholastic authors, education experts, and booksellers for a virtual panel where they will give tips and book recommendations that will keep kids excited to read all summer long!

Be sure to tune in for:

A book recommendation speed-round with an indie bookseller - Ask for recommendations based on your child's likes and needs!

Interviews with beloved authors Varian Johnson (Twins and The Parker Inheritance) and Kelly Yang (The Front Desk series)

Tips and tricks to keep your kids reading all summer - and loving it!

Swag! All attendees will receive digital activities, brochures and more.

Summer Reading Book Fairs

Bring the joy of reading to families this summer by hosting a  Scholastic Summer Reading Book Fair June 1–July 30, 2021!  Whether you’re in school or on break we’ve got a Fair that’s right for you. It's the perfect way to provide students with access to new books, favorite characters, and series to keep them reading all summer long.

With a Summer Reading Book Fair, parents get to fuel their children’s love of reading and also help raise critical funds for books and resources that will benefit their school. We know how busy you are during a normal year, so we created a book fair that’s easy to arrange and easy to host—with some summer flair. 

In-person Book Fair options that are easier than ever, and Virtual Book Fair orders are delivered right to students' doorsteps and shipping is  FREE  on book-only orders over $25. Your school gets 25% in rewards for each purchase during the Summer Reading Fair and 2% throughout the rest of the year.

For Educators

Grab and Go Book Packs!

My Books Summer Reading Take-Home Packs

Scholar Zone

Scholastic Digital Solutions

5 Steps for Using Stories to Help Kids Navigate their World

How to Keep Kids Engaged With Virtual Read-Alouds

Teachers’ Favorite Books to Encourage Reluctant Readers

Best-Selling Books About Kindness

Tips for Curbing Educator Burnout

Dr. Karen Mapp Shares Her Tips for Building Powerful Partnerships with Families

The Scholastic Summer Learning Resources Catalogue

Supporting Social-Emotional Learning Over the Summer

7 Strengths to Support Our Students and Families at Home

Stay-on-track book packs for reading and math

Weekly Reader: Summer Express Workbook

Classroom Magazines: Print &Digital Resources

For parents & caregivers.

How to Use Books to Spark Your Child's Curiosity

Fun Reading Activities Your Family Can Do Together

+20 Engaging Books for Your Advanced Reader

The Best Books for Reluctant Readers in 1st and 2nd Grade

The Best Books for Reluctant Readers in 3rd to 5th Grade

Expert-Approved Books for Beginning Readers

For Public Libraries & Partners

Stories Are Good Medicine: Literacy, Health, and Representation

2020 School Librarian of the Year Cicely Lewis Discusses the Crucial Role of Libraries

How “Going Global” Can Support Multiple Literacies and Digital Citizenship

Librarican™ Spotlight: Cicely Lewis

Librarians: Making Hearts Large Through Story

The Librarian of Congress: Why Representation Matters

Most Checked-Out Library Books of All Time

Literacy Grounded in Community Brings Kids and Families Together

Inviting the Community In: How Engaging Volunteers Can Improve Literacy Outcomes

Literacy Partnerships Free Membership Program

My Books Every Day Book Packs

School Readiness Kits

Read and Rise

Resilience resources for families from the yale child study center + scholastic  collaborative.

Family Help Desk

Experts answer questions about trauma, anxiety, early childhood, reading development and beyond.

First Aid for Feelings Workbook

Available in English, Spanish, and French, download this free workbook to help children ages 4–10 express their thoughts and emotions.

Summer Reading Favorites

Keep kids reading all season with favorites for every age.

Keep kids reading all season with favorites for every age

Spark Student Engagement this Summer

We are here to help you get books in the hands of kids, social-emotional well-being, build skills and create community among kids.

We are here to help you get books in the hands of kids, support-emotional well-being, build skills and create community among kids.

Clifford the Big Red Dog – Official Trailer

Save the date: february 2, 2022 world read aloud day.

Visit  www.scholastic.com/worldreadaloud  for more details and resources to celebrate the day!

Additional Resources

Scholastic Kids Press

Kid Reporters around the world write news “for kids, by kids.” Discover news stories from these intrepid young journalists!

The Scholastic Reads Podcast

Looking for some literary inspiration? Our award-winning podcast is all about the joy and power of reading. 

Research on Summer Reading

The Scholastic Teacher & Principal School Report

Ninety-six percent   of educators agree that providing year-round access to books at home is important to enhancing student achievement.

The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report ™

Ninety-four percent of parents agree reading over the summer can help their child during the school year. In addition, more than half (59%) of all kids ages 6–17 say “I really enjoy reading books over the summer.”

Summer Reading Programs: Home

• Bibliography
• Reading Lists

"Make an important part of your summer's work the inviting children who do not use the Library to do so. A great many boys and girls [...] often do not know what to do with themselves all day long. Tell them of all the pleasure they can get from the stories, the books of adventure, the histories, and the books telling how to do and make things which will add to their vacation good times; tell them of the best books you have read, and explain to them how they can get library cards and draw books themselves."  - Linda Eastman , American Library Association president (1928-29) and head librarian, Cleveland Public Library

This guide provides an overview of summer reading programs, including research and resources on the benefits of programming, sample programming, and a bibliography and resources on starting a library summer reading program.

Summer Reading Program Resources

• Adopting a Summer Learning Approach for Increased Impact: a YALSA Position Paper This position paper is meant to help guide libraries as they re-envision the services and programs they provide youth during the summer months.
• Collaborative Summer Library Program The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children, teens, and adults at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.
• National Summer Learning Association The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is the only national nonprofit exclusively focused on closing the achievement gap through high-quality summer learning for all children and youth.
• Reading Rockets - Summer Reading Resources and articles provide information about summer reading and summer learning loss. Plus discover great activities to encourage kids to learn, read, and have fun in the summer sun.
• Summer Meals at the Library Libraries are natural spaces for serving meals to children whose access to lunch disappears when school ends and summer begins.
• Thinking Outside the Book: Summer Reading In an effort to prevent regression, encourage summer reading by providing literacy-rich activities to keep students motivated. Using online resources is one way to keep literacy activities fresh this summer.

Program Evaluation

• Evaluating Summer Reading Programs While there is a plethora of literature pertaining to Summer Reading Programs (SRPs), there is little literature that focuses on the evaluation of these programs. What literature there is can be conveniently divided into two broad categories: summer school programs and public library SRPs.
• Make a Splash with Project Outcome: Measuring the Success of Summer Reading Programs This free webinar is designed to teach participants how to administer Project Outcome surveys to measure outcomes for their library’s summer reading program. By successfully administering surveys, libraries are able to use the results to showcase program successes and influence future summer reading programs.
• Next: Benefits >>
• Last Updated: Apr 30, 2024 5:38 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ala.org/summer-reading

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Enter Today's Teacher Appreciation Giveaway!

2024 Summer Reading Programs To Earn Free Books, Movie Tickets, Pizza, and More

Encourage the love of books!

Digging into a great book under a sun umbrella, preferably poolside, is one of the joys of summer. And the benefits of reading still hold true even when school isn’t in session. Thankfully, a number of summer reading programs help keep the learning going over the summer months, and kids can earn free goodies along the way! Here are our picks for the best summer reading programs for kids.

1. Reading Is Fundamental

Soar with reading while summer is out with Reading Is Fundamental , the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit. From RIF reading lists and a collection of free e-books to interactive materials on Literacy Central and the Literacy Central app for on the go, RIF helps kids master the reading skills they need to succeed.  

Learn more: RIF Summer Reading

2. Showcase Cinemas Summer Reading Program

Read a book and earn a ticket for a free summer flick on Bookworm Wednesdays! Kids can earn free admission to a select children’s film when they present a book report at a participating Showcase Cinemas box office.

Learn more: Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesdays

3. Barnes & Noble

Every summer, Barnes & Noble curates an excellent list of books that make for fun (and secretly educational) summer reads for kids of all ages. Kids can earn a free book after they read eight books and log them on the downloadable reading journal. The Barnes & Noble kids’ summer reading program is available for students in grades 1–6. Only one book is available for each child who completes a reading journal, and the choice must be made from the selected books available at the store.

Learn more: B&N 2024 Summer Reading Journal

4. Half Price Books

The Half Price Books kids’ summer reading program, aka Summer Reading Camp, offers kids the chance to earn Bookworm Bucks for reading during the months of June and July. The program website also features printable coloring sheets, online story times, and mystery book recommendations for ages ranging from preschool to teens.

Learn more: Half Price Books Summer Reading Camp

5. Professional Sports Teams

Many professional sports teams sponsor summer reading programs, including the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Fire FC. Check with your local team to see if they offer a reading program.

Learn more: Reading With the Rays and Chicago Fire Kids Club

6. Scholastic

Scholastic has a summer reading digital home base where kids can build an avatar, make new friends in a fully moderated online space, and earn virtual rewards. All you need to do is sign up and keep a Reading Streak in Scholastic Home Base over the summer.

Learn more: Scholastic Summer Reading Home Base

7. Public Libraries

Check your local library for more free kids summer reading programs with activities and incentives for all ages. Most libraries also have story times and other reading-themed activities.

Learn more: Collaborative Summer Library Program 

8. Camp BOOK IT! With Pizza Hut

Join BOOK IT summer camp to encourage reading all summer long. Track kids’ reading for the summer months in their digital dashboard. If they meet their monthly reading goal, kids then receive a free Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut!

Learn more: Camp BOOK IT!

9. Sonlight Summer Reading Challenge Kit

Homeschool curriculum publisher Sonlight has created a printable Summer Reading Kit packed with reading activities that’ll keep your child engaged with books all summer long. Printables include punch cards, reading bingo cards, templates for bookmarks and bookplates, book brackets, and book award certificates. 

Learn more: Sonlight Summer Reading Kit

10. Start your own book club

Reading is more fun with friends! Why not start your very own book club ? Gather 8 to 10 friends from school, summer camp, or your neighborhood who are all around the same reading level as your child. Chicago Parent magazine offers some great tips for starting your own summer reading club. 

What 2024 summer reading programs for kids have we missed? Come and share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out these scratch-off reading challenges and  free downloadable bookmarks., you might also like.

Is Summer Slide Real? (Plus Free Toolkit To Fight Summer Learning Loss)

Is it really as bad as they say? Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

12 of the Best Summer Reading Programs of 2023

Gia R. is from Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated with two business degrees. While studying, her short nonfiction story was published in 2018 in Write On, Downtown, an ASU journal. Since then, she taught preschool students abroad. Now back in AZ, you’ll find her writing, reading, and adoring digital art.

View All posts by Gia R.

Kids are on summer break, and they have a lot more time on their hands. Reading is a great escape and chance to explore different worlds. But for kids and teens, reading can sometimes just be another thing on their to do list. After a school year filled with reading, it can be easy for young readers to take a step back and read less over the summer. However, this is a great time for them to exercise their skills, maintain them, and hopefully grow them. 

It can be hard to motivate kids to read, especially if they want to spend their summer doing something else. After all, they’re off school and want a break. That’s where summer reading challenges come in! There are many options available for middle school and high school readers. I’ve got a few of them here. Some are free, while others are paid. Some focus on reteaching and maintaining reading skills, while others provide some nice prizes as they track their reading. If you don’t like any of them, you can do it yourself with some tips I have at the end. 

Now let’s check some of the best summer reading programs in 2023!

Best Summer Reading Programs: 2023

1. local libraries and libraries across the county.

Always, always, always check your local library to find what they do for summer reading programs. Many will offer a few prizes, a reading list, and fun challenges. If your local library isn’t doing much, check out the others in your area or county. For example, Maricopa county set up Maricopa County Reads , which is a summer reading program available across 65 libraries in the county. The program starts June 1st and lasts until August 1st. Last year’s program offered prizes according to points. Kids can earn points by reading and engaging in community events (in person and online). They can acquire prizes like a lemonade coupon, Arizona State Park pass, or a free book. They also have drawings for other prizes. 

2. Half Price Books Summer Reading Camp

This is a free summer reading program that starts June 1st and ends July 31st. The HPB Summer Reading Camp is all digital, so you don’t need to live close to one of their locations to access their resources. During the summer, they’ll provide reading lists and a variety of activities like this Camp Creativity bundle . If you’re interested, register at their website to get all the updates.

3. Camp Book It! With Pizza Hut

This one is also free, with resources available online. Camp Book It is simple: you set a reading goal and keep track of your reading progress. If you reach your goal for the month, you get a personal pizza. This is available for June, July, and August. You can also find some activities as you progress towards your goal.

Pssst…teachers, there are some Camp Book It materials for your class too.

4. Barnes & Noble Summer Program

Barnes & Noble provides a pretty hands off summer reading program ! Just read a certain number of books and complete a reading journal to get a free book. This one is for kids in first grade through 6th grade. You can check out last year’s reading journal for a better idea of the reading goals. There’s not much information on the website, so I suggest you go to your nearest B&N and ask them about how they do their summer reading program.

5. Scholastic’s Home Base App for Summer Reading

You can go into the summer zone on Scholastic’s free app . The app provides books, games, music, and opportunities to connect with other readers. Kids read books on the app and earn digital experiences as they continue their “reading streak.” It’s available from May 9th to August 19th. Bonus: Scholastic will donate books as kids keep up their “reading streaks.”

6. AudiobookSYNC for Teens

AudiobookSYNC is a summer reading program that runs from April 27th to August 2nd. During this time, teens 13+ years old can enjoy two free audiobooks each week. This will be available via SORA (the student reading app). Once the audiobooks are downloaded, they are yours! One of the books will be Alice Oseman’s Loveless .

Many of these programs are great ways to get your students to read a variety of books, but what if you want something with more structure? What about reading intervention programs that help your child further develop their reading ability? I have a few of those below as well.

7. Fordham University Online Summer Program

Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies offers weekly online classes to help kids advance their reading skills over the summer. You can select a program based on the grade level they will enter when summer is over. The programs are focused on helping them gain the skills to be successful in the following school year. Additionally, students enjoy interesting books with exciting characters during their live lessons. To get more information and pricing, check out the classes offered and schedule .

8. Scholar Within

For another paid program that focuses on developing reading skills according to grade level, check out the Scholar Within . This one is also all online. This program is designed to help students read and maintain their skills with short lessons four days a week. This program provides a schedule that students follow throughout the summer. You can access these all online and fit into your schedule. This is good for reinforcing and reteaching those foundational skills like phonemic awareness!

If none of these options seem quite right for the kids in your life, you can DIY this summer’s reading challenge!

9. Utilize Local Library Ideas

Even if your local library doesn’t have a formal summer reading program, they often will have great ideas for adding some creativity to your summer reading challenge on their website, like offering museum passes. Ask your local library or museums to find out if they do any special events for children in the summer. Another option is to make a summer to do list or visit some landmarks.

10. Focus Summer Reading On Special Tasks

Instead of creating a list of books, create a list of activities or tasks — which will include reading a book — that your kid can check off throughout the summer. One example is telling your little reader to become an animal expert. Take a trip to the library, gather materials, and see how they read and read to become the expert you know they can be! A few other project ideas and the corresponding book can be found at the American Library Association website .

11. Create Your Own Summer Reading Bingo Card

You can find summer reading bingo cards online, or you can make a list of the types of books, genres, and authors that your child could benefit from. Better yet, have them create the list and make the bingo card together. A few examples are: read a book about a real person, read a book that takes place in a cold setting, and read a book about friends. You can download this one or use it for some inspiration!

12. Plan a Book Scavenger Hunt

This is a great idea to get your child in the library. You can create a book scavenger hunt where your kid must find certain books that match a certain description. Once they’ve accomplished the task, they could be rewarded by reading that book. Schedule a scavenger hunt every week or month of the summer to inspire more reading and increase knowledge of the library. Not sure where to start? Here are a few great scavenger hunts that you can do with older kids. Choose between exploring the fiction or nonfiction section. There are so many opportunities to personalize this and simply educate your child about the library and its resources.

When it comes to summer reading, there are so many choices. You can check out all the different challenges that provide prizes. Maybe you could sign your child up for a class. You also don’t have to choose: do a bit of both and add in several events to get them really excited about reading! For more ideas, check out 15 Excellent Summer Reading Ideas For Young Readers .

You Might Also Like

17 Best Online Summer Reading Challenge Ideas for Kids

17 summer reading challenge ideas & summer reading programs for kids.

Ah, the dog days of summer. Memories of long, luxurious days in the warm sunshine with the pool sparkling and ready. I'm ready for popsicles, watermelon, and a beach vacation. Are you?

The nice thing about a day at the beach, by the pool, or inside with the air conditioner blasting is - they all go very well with a good book, and a summer reading challenge for our kids!

Here are some great ideas for summer reading programs - I hope one or all of them will work for you and your family as they have mine. Enjoy!

• Do summer reading programs work?

The dreaded summer reading slide is a big deal and yes - it's a real thing. When kids are not exposed to reading and learning over long breaks of school, such as over the summer months, they can backslide.

But the great thing about the summer months is the amazing amount of great learning opportunity all around you!

When you are on vacation, learn about the places around you. Search for facts about places you haven't been, even in your own hometown.

And of course - READ! Make sure your child's summer is full of reading and great books. This will give your child such a boost in their growth and education.

Here is a video I found on YouTube about a great mom who is not letting her kiddos take a vacation from learning, even though they are on vacation from school!

Planning a summer reading program  

Start in May or earlier to really have a great, solid reading plan in place to make your child's summer reading more successful. But of course, if you are reading this in June or July, just start today!

There are so many options for getting creative with summer reading challenges. You really only have to pick the program (or programs you want to do, print out whatever information is need, and go for it!)

If there are several programs you and your child choose to do, you can either do them at the same time and have books count for the same reading challenges, or plan to work the programs consecutively. You can't go wrong either way!

Don't forget your local public library for the reading programs they will put on, and you can always join or create a Kid's Reading Club too, for some added fun!

Get your Reading Summer Challenge here, plus all kinds of bookish freebies, like Popsicle bookmarks and Fourth of July bookmarks!

Online summer reading programs

I did a little research looking for online programs to get kids reading. Here is a list of options for choosing reading programs, although I'm sure you can find more! Lots of companies host reading programs as an incentive for customers and also to boost communities. 

• Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

The Barnes and Noble Summer Program is a great option to earn a free book! You can fill out this form to earn your book, and then take it into a Barnes and Noble store to redeem.

This is a great way to get your child reading this summer!

- Go here for more details.

• Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program from Half Price Books.

Half Price Books has a great 15-minutes-a-day reading program to get kids and teens reading through the summer. Available are reading logs, online storytimes, weekly social giveaways, and free coloring sheets.

- Go here to find out more details.

• Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

Here's a great way to keep kids engaged in summer reading - The Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza! Kids are encouraged to track their reading in a free online Scholastic-provided resource with books, games and events. As kids reach tracking goals, they receive rewards and unlock book donations for others. Double win!

Head here to find out more about this fun program.

• Coaching for Literacy Summer Reading Program

Not only does this one get your kiddo reading, but you are making an impact to increase literacy rates. Coaching for Literacy exists to raise awareness about the problem of illiteracy and funds for literacy programs serving students in grades K-3. They are connectors bringing individuals closer to the issue of illiteracy, with a core belief that literacy is a fundamental right of every individual. Here are the points to know about their summer reading program..

• This summer, Coaching for Literacy is challenging readers – young, old and in-between – to push their reading habits by committing to read as many books as they can having started May 31st – September 7th.
• Readers are invited to ask friends and family to support them by pledging per book read or by making a donation. This campaign is free and fundraising is optional.
• Everyone who signs up to challenge their reading habits automatically gets entered into a drawing for a Barnes & Noble gift card. PLUS, every 2 books a reader completes throughout the summer, their name automatically gets re-entered into the drawing!
• Every donation made will be matched 3x up to $5,000!
• Readers can join at any time and do not have to commit to the entire summer.

Go here to find out more.

• Join the Ultimate Book Adventure

Want your child to be independently reading? Then sign him up for this Ultimate Book Adventure - virtual delights await with this fun, free program.

Sort of a fun "gaming system" where kids who read at home log their reading, take little quizzes and make their way further into the game. A great positive reinforcement platform for encouraging kids to read. I particularly like the "virtual reading pet". Looks fun!

• Broncos Bookworms Summer Reading Program

Calling all football fans! The Denver Broncos have a fun summer reading program where kids get to log 10 books they read over the summer in their playbook.

Rewards include a certificate, bookmark, attendance at an event at Empower Field, plus other prize possibilities, presented by IHOP!

• Read Your Way to Fenway

Or.. maybe you are a Boston Red Sox fan? If you live in the area, or are traveling to the Boston area this summer, check out this deal for kids to read books and earn the chance to be entered into a drawing to win tickets to a baseball game!

This is a golden opportunity for baseball fans. Details look to be released in June.

Go here to find out more at the Boston Public Library.

• Books A Million Summer Reading Adventures

You know those funny Dog Man and Captain Underpants books that kids love? Well, last year the author Dave Pilkey teamed up with Books A Million to get kids reading in summertime. It will be interesting to see what they come up with in the summer of 2021~

• HEBuddy Summer Reading Club

I think you can do this one, even if you aren't from the great state of Texas! 

Use the available reading log on their website to record 10 books that your child reads, mail it in and get an awesome t-shirt!

Go here for more info.

• SYNC Summer Audiobooks for Teens

For teens ages 13+, this fun program gets teens reading with one free audiobook a week. That is a GREAT deal!

Go here to sign up and get more info.

• Showcase Cinema Bookworm Wednesdays

If you live near or will be by a Showcase Cinema, check out their Bookworm Wednesdays! Kids can show up with a written book report on Wednesdays to get a free movie ticket.

Movie lovers, this one is perfect for you!

• Free Online Outschool Summer Camps

Consider these amazing virtual (and free!) summer camps for your kids. There are just a ton to look over, and find out which one would fit your child.

This is a great way to keep learning over the summer, and to have fun doing it. 

• Lifeway Summer Reading Program

Get a free Bible and a free book with this summer reading program! 

Check out the page to find out when they update information for 2021.

• DOGObooks Summer Reading Adventure

This fun website is all about kids reading books and giving kid's book reviews. Join in on the fun by reading books, and giving as many book reviews as you can to be eligible to receive prizes.

Go here to find out more info.

• Reading Horizons Summer Reading

Check out the Reading Horizons summer reading program! Perfect for not only beginning readers, but older readers. Also great for anyone who struggles with reading to learn how or focus on strengthening skills.

Information for 2021 yet to be posted, but keep this page bookmarked for info soon!

• The Pizza Hut Book It Program

This program has been around for many years - I can even remember working on getting my pizza coupon as a kid back in the 80's! So you know it's a good program - and let's face it - pizza will never go out of style.

I'm calling this one a bonus because it's actually a Spring and Fall program. They also have a "Give Me 20" program for early readers to look into.

Go here to find out more about this deal.

• Braums Book Buddy Reading Program

Not a summer program, but a school-year program, like the Pizza Hut Book-It, the Braums Book Buddy Program is a great idea to keep kids reading, providing wonderful goal incentives to get lots of reading in, and being proud of book-reading accomplishments.

A great way to read good books, and enjoy up to 6 ice cream treats while doing it!

Go here for more info about the Braums Book Buddy Program.

• Local summer reading programs

Want to find a local summer reading challenge idea or program? Head over to your local public library to see what is available (or look for them online), or you can even Google it.

I can almost guarantee that your local library is going to have something fun planned for the summer, even if it is digital only!

Type it into the search bar of Google, check the map below, or click here >> Summer Reading Programs Near Me

More fun summer reading ideas:

~~ Reading Rewards Chart - Monthly Rewards Charts for the year!

~~ 1 2 Ways and Benefits of Reading with your Child - A Parent's MUST-READ!

• Summer reading challenge ideas

Come up with your own incentives at home to make up your own reading challenges, and/or try some of the local or online reading programs that you can find!

• Summer reading challenge printable

Come up with a challenge for your kiddo that is tailored to what she might like. Put up a reading chart or some kind of incentive to have a goal for reading a certain number of books or amounts of time.

The Great Summer Reading Challenge that I put together is sort of an "all the places you can read" challenge. It's free! Just print it out, tweak it, and use it to motivate your reader. That link signs you up for all sorts of free bookish goodies for your kids.

I also found a few other fun printable reading challenges for you! Check out:

25 Day Reading Challenge for Kids

Summer Reading Challenge

Highlights Summer Reading Bingo

Get your creative juices flowing to come up with your own ideas for a summer reading program!

As you can see there are lots of options that you can use for your own to create a reading program for your child. You can make one up at home, tape it onto the fridge and go for it, you can join online programs that help kids make great reading progress, or you can join local programs in your own community!

Whatever you choose for your summer reading challenges, be sure to MAKE IT FUN!

Let me know what your summer reading goals are in the comments and remember to download your Great Summer Reading Challenge printable for FREE!

Table of Contents

• Planning a summer reading program 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Overview

Official website of the State of California

Resources for California

• Key services
• Health insurance or Medi-Cal
• Business licenses
• Food & social assistance
• Find a CA state job
• Vehicle registration
• Digital vaccine record
• Traffic tickets
• Birth certificates
• Lottery numbers
• Unemployment
• View all CA.gov services
• Popular topics
• Building California
• Climate Action
• Mental health care for all

California for All Kids

First Partner’s Summer Book Club

Launched in partnership with the California State Library, the First Partner’s Summer Book Club is an initiative to reduce summer learning loss and encourage children to read all summer long.

When we read with our children early and often or encourage young readers to dive in and explore a new book on their own, we instill in them a life-long love of reading.

2024 Fun & Free Summer Reading Programs for Kids

Summer is the perfect opportunity to jump-start your kids’ interest in reading or keep them reading. See this year’s current reading programs.

Free Summer Reading Programs for Kids

Summer is the perfect opportunity to jump-start your kids’ interest in reading or keep them reading if it’s something they already enjoy. Summer reading programs are plenty, so you’ve got lots of incentives out there in the form of prizes and awards to keep your kids interested.

Reading not only keeps them interested in books, but it will give them some downtime to relax and curl up with a good book.

PLUS… this quiet time will help you (My Favorite Part). Maybe you can clean the house for a few minutes or even cook dinner. Sounds great, right? Reading programs are a bonus for everyone. Time to get your kids signed up today.

Below you’ll find a list of summer reading programs that will get your kids’ free stuff like free books, money, gift cards, movies, and more. Plus, don’t forget to check out your  local library . I know ours offers a great program we take part in every year.

2024 Best Summer Reading Programs for Kids

(Upstate New York, Sayre, PA & Connecticut only). Select locations offer a reading-focused reward program that encourages students ages 10 or younger to read (and record) at least 10 books on their Bookworm Club record card.

This program can be used by schools, and/or libraries as educators deem fit. Once a student completes all 10 books, they will earn a free kid’s meal at participating Applebee’s locations (when accompanied by an adult making a purchase)

Audio Books

 Audio Book Sync is giving teens ages 13+ two  FREE audio books downloads every week . Hold on… read that again… a FREE AUDIOBOOK EVERY SINGLE WEEK during the summer! New titles are released every Thursday.

I personally love listening to audiobooks, they are so captivating! My kids love this program because it still “counts” as reading, even though they are actually listening.

Barnes & Noble’s Summer Reading Program  

This summer reading program requires kids to read eight books and record them in a  reading journal . Turn in your completed Reading Journal and choose a FREE BOOK from the selection on the Reading Journal list at the store.

Books-A-Million

This summer, when you read any four books from the Books-A-Million Summer Reading Challenge selection in-store and online, you’ll receive a free Because of Winn Dixie Notepad! Note that you must present the completed reading journal in-store to receive the freebie, while supplies last.

Cap Com Credit Union

Year-Round & Summer Reading Programs – Students in grades Kindergarten through 12 can earn up to $10 ($2 per book) by reading! You can take part in this reading program all year long and earn up to $30 per year! For reading?!!

You can submit the request form at any Cap Com branch location or by simply emailing the form to them as well. Talk about an easy $30!

Chuck E Cheese Summer Reading Program

 offers a Reading Rewards Calendar (along with several other  rewards calendars ). Once a child has completed two weeks of reading, he or she can submit the completed Chuck E. Cheese calendar for 10 free tokens.

Junie B Jones Reading Club

Sign up and get a FREE starter Kit that includes a copy of Junie B Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Activity sheets, and a membership ID card while supplies last.

Local Public Library

Don’t forget to check out your local libraries to find out which programs they’ll be offering this summer. My kids have participated in several Summer reading Programs through our local library and it always includes FREE books & prizes.

Pizza Hut Book It! Program.

This program offers free reading adventure packs for parents to download. Kids can read, do activities and create recipes based on certain books, and more.

You can enter your zip code and see if your local school has requested participation . It looks like schools can win free pizzas for participating. I remember participating in this one myself. It has been around for a long time. Homeschoolers can also enter this program!

Scholastic’s Summer Reading Program

This summer reading program lets kids log their reading minutes to win digital prizes. They can also enter sweepstakes for gifts like Klutz books and other fun rewards. Parents can register along with their children to track progress.

Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesdays

Your child can earn a FREE movie ticket from National Amusements Theaters when they read a book and complete a book report.

Sylvan’s Book Adventure Reading Program  

This reading program called  Book Adventure  encourages children to read books and then take online quizzes on books to earn points. They offer over 40,000 different quizzes. WOW! These points can then be redeemed for prizes like books, magazine subscriptions, tattoos, candy, CD’s, and games.

TD Bank Summer Reading Program 

With this summer reading program, TD Bank will deposit $10 into a Young Savers account when your child reads at least 10 books and submits his reading list. You must have either an existing Young Savers account or be willing to open one for your child.

Keeping your kids active this summer

There are lots of options to keep the kids learning and engaged during the summer! Programs like these are a great way to encourage our children to continue reading throughout the summer months.

Does anyone else know of other programs for 2024? I will keep this list updated as new ones pop up, so be sure to check back often!

Have a great summer. , other frugal kids’ ideas.

FREE Online Learning Websites for Kids

Budget-Friendly Things To Do In The Capital District – Over The Summer

How To Take Family Road Trips on The Cheap

The post 2024 Fun & Free Summer Reading Programs for Kids appeared first on Inspiring Savings .

Mayor’s Summer Reading Club

The mayor’s summer reading club (msrc) is a program for children ages birth to five and their families that takes place in various locations throughout the city of atlanta each summer..

COMPLETE THE PARTNER APPLICATION

What is the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club?

The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club (MSRC) is a program for children ages birth to five and their families that takes place in various locations throughout the City of Atlanta each summer. Every year, we announce a city-wide book choice for infants and children ages 2-5 to share with their families. We work with direct service programs to distribute copies of the books at no cost to children, and we encourage schools and early education programs to introduce the story and distribute the books to the children they serve.

Throughout the summer, libraries, museums, farmers’ markets, child care programs, and other institutions in Atlanta hold “book club reads” to model research-based methods of reading books with children and host enrichment events based on the stories. The books come to life as children enjoy arts and crafts activities, drama exercises, and other hands-on activities designed to make the language in the stories meaningful to children.

Who sponsors the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club?

GEEARS: The Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students convenes and coordinates the MSRC, which is funded by PNC with support from the United Way of Greater Atlanta . This summer, the MSRC also received grant funding from WorldReader and the LuluMa Foundation. Along with the funding, the real keys to the program’s success are the efforts of the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Speech School , the Alliance Theatre , and the dozens of partner organizations who work to sponsor individual activities, distribute books, and spread the word to parents and children. Finally, the MSRC owes special thanks to the Mayor’s Office of the City of Atlanta for its continuing partnership and support.

How can I participate as a partner?

We need civic organizations and institutions to partner with us! Partners agree to do at least one “read” during the summer and host at least one activity related to the books selected. These events are intended to be low-cost and easy for the sponsoring organizations. 

In addition, partners agree to send us information about their event to include on our summer reading calendar, assist us in promoting MSRC events and program information on social media, and encourage participant engagement after book club activities. In addition, partners agree to complete a short survey after their event so that we can keep track of attendance and other information.

Applications for the 2024 season are now open.

2024 MSRC Contributors and Funding Partners

Questions? Send us an email at (function(){var ml="%b2ngElaoei041usw53-DFpCd97t8yr.mc",mi="0BG?F7302;:H0BD022@FPKCBBA 10 *protected email* .

Construction Notice

The Clark Family Branch (formerly Headquarters) will open to the public on July 9. The Post Events Center will open on June 1. History & Genealogy will suspend services beginning Monday, May 20. Services resume at the Clark Family Branch on July 9.

2023 Summer Reading Club

St. Louis County Library’s popular summer reading clubs kick-off on June 1 and run through August 5. The program offers great prizes for the whole family! Sign up beginning June 1 and receive a free book when you register. You'll also be entered in an electronic raffle for a chance to win a $50 Target gift card each week. 

Hours Today at the Library

Breadcrumbs

Summer reading club.

This adventure, May 23-July 28, will be everything you imagine

Everything you imagine!

There's no need to register for the 2024 summer reading club, making it easier than ever to participate. Start your journey as early as May 23 by visiting any Worthington Libraries location to pick up a reading record and sheet of weekly raffle tickets, then go forth and seek adventure!

Worthington Libraries' 2024 Summer Reading Club is presented by the Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries .

Additional support is provided by California Pizza Kitchen; Columbus Museum of Art; Dairy Queen; Experience Worthington; Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens; Fun Town Play and Learn Cafe; Learning Express Toys and Gifts; Lion Cub's Cookies; Marco's Pizza; Mardi Gras Homemade Ice Cream; McConnell Arts Center; Mrs. Goodman's Baking Co.; Peace, Love and Little Donuts; Rita's Italian Ice; Skate Zone 71; Worthington Parks & Recreation; Worthington Pools; and ZipZone Outdoor Adventures.

Available at

Recommended for, more like this, baby lap time, get in touch.

Need help? Ask us! We have lots of ways you can reach us, even after hours.

Get ready for summer reading!

Visit your local public library this summer to get ready to explore the  World of Curiosities! 

Welcome to BC Summer Reading Club

Learn about all the ways that you can participate by watching the video above. Be sure to check back in this summer for new activities, contests, and events. And don’t forget to check in with your local public library to see what they have in store for your community.

Meet the 2024 BC SRC Artist: Meneka Repka

Meet Meneka, our 2024 BC Summer Reading Club Artist! Meneka is an artist, illustrator, and teacher!

Explore Previous BC SRC Themes

Did you Journey through Time  last year? Explore some past BC SRC themes like Funny Business and Book a Trip by clicking the link below.

The Summer Reading Guide

When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic .

T r a n s p o r t Y o u r s e l f t o A n o t h e r P l a c e

Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani

I Capture the Castle

by Dodie Smith

Cassandra Mortmain, 17, lives in a crumbling medieval castle in 1930s England. Her father purchased it with the royalties from his one successful novel, the income from which has long since run dry. As an escape—and as practice for her own novel, which she hopes might spring her family from its now-less-than-genteel poverty—Cassandra has dedicated herself to “capturing” the characters around her in a diaristic, curious first person: irascible, blocked-writer father; bohemian stepmother; beautiful, dissatisfied older sister; lovelorn farmhand. Cassandra’s circumstances are at odds with her romantic temperament, but they animate her narration; charm, humor, and frustration spark off of every page. I Capture the Castle has the enjoyably familiar trappings of the Jane Austen marriage plot—there are wealthy bachelor neighbors and sisterly schemes in the damp yet charming English countryside. But in this book, the tropes collapse in on one another in comic and quietly poignant ways as the reader is welcomed into the nostalgic mood of interwar Britain, with its tea cozies and tweeds and trousseaus bought in London. It’s a novel that you sink into like a chintz armchair, only to emerge warm but wistful as the light fails and the evening mist appears.  — Christine Emba

Add to Reading List

Wandering Stars

by Tommy Orange

Orange’s previous novel, There There , conjured an interconnected cast of characters who were a part of a widespread Native community in Oakland, California. Wandering Stars , a sequel of sorts, is in part an exploration of what happens after the earlier book’s dramatic and painful ending—but it is also Orange’s attempt to provide a deeper, historical backstory to the contemporary, urban reality he described so well. The novel rewinds more than 100 years, beginning in the 19th century with a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre and following his bloodline through the decades, with characters wandering to and around California until they end up back in the present day, in Oakland. You can’t understand these people unless you delve into the years of brutality and assimilation that brought them here, Orange implicitly argues—and he brilliantly captures the confusion of the youngest generation, which feels disconnected from its roots even as its inheritance weighs heavily.  — Emma Sarappo

Someone Like Us

by Dinaw Mengestu

At one point in Mengestu’s new novel, the main character, Mamush, having missed a flight from his home in Paris to Washington, D.C., decides on a whim to buy a ticket to Chicago instead. He’s not dressed for the freezing cold, which provokes a stranger’s concern, but Mamush remains nonplussed: “What she saw was a shadow version of me,” he thinks. “My real self was hundreds of miles away in the suburbs of northern Virginia.” The soul of this short, disorienting book, which drifts between continents and cities, does indeed lie in the anonymous, dense suburbs north and south of Washington, D.C. These communities are where Mamush, a failed journalist, grew up in a milieu of Ethiopian immigrants. Mamush’s French wife, Hannah, struggles to wrap her mind around these American nonplaces —and even Mamush fails to describe them with anything but the blandest words. “We lived in apartment buildings, surrounded by other apartment buildings, behind which were four-lane highways that led to similar apartments,” he remembers. His trip home, meant to be a family reunion, becomes a sobering and eerie voyage after a sudden tragedy. But as his visit unlocks long-buried memories and secrets, these places that began as ciphers end up specific enough to make the hairs on one’s neck stand up in recognition.  — E.S.

Learn Something Completely New

The Secret Life of Groceries

by Benjamin Lorr

Great nonfiction books take you into worlds you could never otherwise know: deepest space, Earth’s extremities, the past. The best nonfiction books explore places you know intimately but haven’t thought nearly enough about. The Secret Life of Groceries begins elbow-deep in trout guts and melting ice, a smell “thick in the air like you are exhuming something dangerous, which perhaps you are,” as the low-wage laborers who make a Manhattan Whole Foods fit for the daily rush do their best to clean the fish case. Lorr starts there because it’s a near-perfect metaphor for the American grocery store and its global machinery: It is gross, it is miraculous, it is where plants and animals become products , and where desire becomes consumption. After following him from specialty-food shows to shrimping boats to new-employee orientation, you’ll never think of groceries the same way again.  — Ellen Cushing

Becoming Earth

by Ferris Jabr

In his new book, Jabr invites the reader to consider the true definition of life . Earth doesn’t just play host to living beings, in his telling; it’s alive itself because it is fundamentally made up of the plants and creatures that transform its land, air, and water. “Life, then, is more spectral than categorical, more verb than noun,” he explains. It is “not a distinct class of matter, nor a property of matter, but rather a process—a performance.” Plankton release gases that can alter the climate; microbes below the planet’s surface sculpt rock into caverns and, Jabr suggests, might have even helped form the continents. Jabr is a science journalist who has written searching articles on inter-tree communication, the possibilities of botanical medicine, and the beauty of certain animals; here, he travels from the kelp forests near California’s Santa Catalina Island to an observatory high above the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to his own backyard in Portland. Along the way, he makes a convincing, mind-opening case that “the history of life on Earth is the history of life remaking Earth,” which means that humans are just one part of a changing, multifarious whole—and that we must work urgently to mitigate our disproportionate effects on the planet.  — Maya Chung

by Anne Truitt

Truitt’s sculptures—tall wooden columns of pure color—are almost mystically smooth. But her writing, especially in her first published journal, Daybook , flies in the face of those unbroken surfaces: She chronicles her complex experiences as a mother and a working artist, giving readers an intimate look into how her biography and her process cannot be separated. Daybook , which covers Truitt’s life in the late 1970s, emerges directly from her maxim that “artists have no choice but to express their lives.” In her case, that means capturing serene meditations on the creative spark, recounting the labor of applying 40 coats of paint to her forms, and groaning over the financial discomfort of raising three kids. Most spectacular are her ruminations on how life is what we feed to art in order to make it grow. Watching her daughter take a bath is a source of inspiration. “I had been absorbing her brown body against the white tub, the yellow top of the nail brush, the dark green shampoo bottle, Sam’s blue towel, her orange towel, and could make a sculpture called Mary in the Tub if I ever chose to,” she muses. Daybook is full of all the luminous colors Truitt, who died in 2004, evoked—the soothing lilacs, blaring yellows, revolutionary reds. It’s a powerful lesson that an artist is not only a person who planes towering poplar sculptures but also someone who removes a splinter from a child’s finger.  — Hillary Kelly

Delmore Schwartz: The Life of an American Poet

by James Atlas

You might not ever have heard of Schwartz, and it doesn’t really matter. Atlas’s biography of him is such a psychologically acute, stylishly executed portrait of a doomed genius and his milieu of New York intellectuals that it effortlessly propels the reader through its pages. Schwartz was supposed to become the American W. H. Auden; he had the potential to be the greatest poet of his generation, and his work provoked the awe of peers such as Saul Bellow (who loosely based the novel Humboldt’s Gift on Schwartz’s troubled life). Atlas depicts a legendary conversationalist, a brilliant wit (Schwartz coined the aphorism “Even paranoids have real enemies”), and a life brutally overtaken by mental illness.  — Franklin Foer

S t a r t the Book You’ll Read All Summer

At the Edge of Empire

by Edward Wong

For years, the only uniform that Wong, The New York Times ’ former Beijing bureau chief, could imagine his father wearing was the red blazer he put on to go work at a Chinese restaurant every day. Then he saw a photo of young Yook Kearn Wong dressed as a soldier, and two stories opened up. His nonagenarian father had once been in Mao’s army and witnessed firsthand the Communist attempt to resurrect a Chinese empire; he dramatically left China in 1962 for Hong Kong and then Washington, D.C., disillusioned with what he had seen. This mix of memoir and efficiently recounted history covers 80 turbulent years. Wong is especially detailed about the decades his father spent in the People’s Liberation Army; he was sent to Manchuria, where he trained with the Chinese air force, and Xinjiang, where he met the Muslim populations of Uyghurs and Kazakhs that the state has struggled to subdue. Along with his father’s history, Wong unpacks his own years reporting on Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power and quashing of dissent—a mirror of what his father saw. This book’s power comes from Wong’s broad sense of the patterns of Chinese history, reflected in the lives of a father and son, and from his ability to toggle effortlessly between the epic and the intimate.  — Gal Beckerman

Kristin Lavransdatter

by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally

Kristin, the pivotal character in Undset’s historical 1,000-page trilogy, is introduced as a young girl in 14th-century Norway. She is the adored daughter of Lavrans, a widely respected nobleman who runs their family’s estate with wisdom and faith, and a member of a well-drawn social world of relatives, friends, and neighbors with defined feudal roles. As she grows up, she becomes beautiful, bighearted, and religious, though she is also willful and disobedient in ways that will bring her deep sorrow for the rest of her life. Kristin’s saga, rich with detail, has shades of Tess of the d’Urbervilles ’ tragedy and Brideshead Revisited ’s piety, but more than anything, the story is deeply human . Readers follow an imperfect, striving, warm, petty, utterly understandable woman from her childhood during the peak of medieval Norwegian strength to her death during the Black Plague, a time when Catholicism ordered social and political life but pagan traditions and beliefs were not yet forgotten. Her journey from maid to sinner to pilgrim to matriarch, first published in the 1920s, is gorgeous, fresh, and propulsive in Nunnally’s translation. A century later, spending weeks or months tracking the years of Kristin’s life remains wildly rewarding.  — E.S.

The Bee Sting

by Paul Murray

The setup for the Irish author Murray’s fourth novel is a classic one: Take one family and explore its dynamics in intimate detail, turning it over to reveal all of its flawed facets, and expose it as a microcosm of larger social and cultural forces roiling us all. Jonathan Franzen is the current American master of this particular novelistic gambit, but Murray brings new energy to the enterprise with his portrait of the Barneses, Dickie and Imelda, and their two children, Cass and PJ. They’re a once-prosperous family living in a small Irish town; they’ve been suddenly struck down by the 2008 financial crash, which sends Dickie’s chain of car dealerships and garages into freefall. You could read this book in a week, and you’ll want to, but give yourself the whole summer to appreciate how fully Murray inhabits the perspectives of each family member chapter after chapter. Their psychologies—scarred in so many ways, both subtle and dramatic—become impossible to turn away from. After 600 pages, the elements Murray has been putting in place build to a wrenching climax, one that, like in all great tragedies, was foretold from the first page of this beautifully crafted book.  — G.B.

I m m e r s e Y o u r s e l f in a Cult Classic

by Rachel Ingalls

If nothing else, read In the Act for the fights. Helen and Edgar, who are unhappily married, have developed a caustic fluency in the art of spiteful exchange. “You’re being unreasonable,” he says at one point. “Of course I am. I’m a woman,” she replies. “You’ve already explained that to me.” But also, read Ingalls’s sneakily brilliant 1987 novella for the absurd plot, which begins at a grouchy, oddball simmer—Edgar is adamant that Helen give him privacy to work on a mysterious project in the attic; Helen, suspicious of the sounds she hears up there, is determined to learn more—and ultimately reaches an exhilarating, tragicomic boil. In between, we discover the particular, creative way in which Edgar is two-timing Helen, the equally creative way in which she takes revenge, and just how delightful a story can be when each lean, mean sentence carries its weight.  — Jane Yong Kim

Let’s Talk About Love

by Carl Wilson

What might a music critic with a knee-jerk distaste for Celine Dion stand to gain from careful, open-minded consideration of her work? This is the premise of Wilson’s 2007 touchstone of cultural criticism, which proved so popular that an expanded edition, released in 2014, includes response essays by luminaries such as Mary Gaitskill and James Franco. Let’s Talk About Love focuses on the singer of “My Heart Will Go On,” yes, but at its core it’s an investigation of taste: why we like the things we like, how our identities and social status get mixed up in our aesthetic preferences, and how one should wrestle with other people’s wildly different reactions to works of art. The book will have you scrutinizing your own preferences, but its true pleasure is unlocked simply by following along as a critic listens to music and thinks deeply about it—particularly one as intelligent, rigorous, and undogmatic as Wilson.  — Chelsea Leu

Ripley’s Game

by Patricia Highsmith

The suave serial murderer Tom Ripley’s actions can be notoriously hard for readers to predict—but in Highsmith’s third novel about the con man, Ripley surprises himself. No longer the youthful compulsive killer of The Talented Mr. Ripley , the character is aging and getting bored. So when a poor man named Jonathan responds coolly to him at a party, Ripley fashions an elaborate drama for his own amusement: He cons the mild-mannered and entirely inexperienced Jonathan into taking a job as a freelance assassin targeting Mafia members, but the more Ripley watches Jonathan struggle with the task and his morals, the more Ripley itches to get his own hands dirty again. When I revisited Highsmith’s books ahead of their (rather dour) Netflix adaptation , I found myself unexpectedly drawn most to Ripley’s Game and its absurd humor. The novel explores a classic Highsmith preoccupation: how reducing strangers to archetypes can feel irresistible. Ripley is as much a petty meddler as he is a cold-blooded murderer—and that makes him endlessly fun to follow.  — Shirley Li

Sirena Selena

by Mayra Santos-Febres

In 1990s San Juan, Puerto Rico, the drag queen Martha Divine hears a young boy singing boleros while picking up cans. She helps transform him into Sirena Selena—a beguiling drag performer who is soon invited to sing at a luxury hotel in the Dominican Republic and inspires an erotic obsession in one of its rich investors. Santos-Febres has pointed out that the Caribbean has long “been a desire factory for the rest of the world,” and her story looks squarely at the power dynamics inherent in these fantasies, especially those between tourists and locals. When it was published in 2000, Selena’s story was immediately heralded as crucial Puerto Rican literature, and it remains beloved partially for the force of its central allegory: Tourism, it argues, forces Caribbean people into a performance of exoticism—yet another type of drag. Santos-Febres will make you reconsider gender and the travel industry while luring you in with prose so sumptuous that reading it feels like putting on a pair of delicate satin gloves.  — Valerie Trapp

Feel W o nder About the Universe

You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World

edited by Ada Limón

This collection of verse defines the natural world loosely: Here, yes, we have lovely descriptions of ancient redwoods and the “buttery platters of fungus” ascending their trunks; sparrows and spiderwebs and “geckos in their mysterious work.” But the book is largely about human nature , and our place in a world that contains so many other living things. An address to a saguaro becomes a meditation on immigration; a walk with a baby is tinged with sadness for the climate disasters surely to come; bearded irises give someone the strength to keep living ; lilacs and skunk cabbage are envisioned through the haze of distant memory—it’s an ephemeral act, “like wrapping a scoop of snow in tissue paper.” Who are we, the poets ask, as individuals and as a species? How have our surroundings shaped our pasts and our presents, and what can they tell us about how to exist in the future? The Earth here is rather like a supporting character—a foil—who can surprise us, devastate us, and bring us back to ourselves. As Limón writes in a gorgeous introduction, she started repeating “You are here” to herself after seeing the phrase on a trail map. When I feel like a disembodied mind this summer, I’ll take myself to the ocean, this book in hand, and try doing the same.  — Faith Hill

Lives Other Than My Own

by Emmanuel Carrère

Carrère’s books demand some surrender on their reader’s part. You have to be okay not knowing exactly where the story—to the extent that there is anything resembling a traditional story—is going. You are there to spend time with his mind. Lives Other Than My Own , my favorite of his works, is no exception. It begins in Sri Lanka in 2004, where Carrère was witness to the tsunami that pulverized the island. Amid the immense death and destruction, Carrère befriends a French family whose little girl drowned in the waves. But just as Carrère pulls us into this grieving family’s emotional upheaval, his mind drifts. He returns from Sri Lanka to Paris and shifts his attention to his girlfriend’s sister, Juliette, a judge who has just died of cancer; he then carries out an investigation of sorts about the life she lived and the loved ones she left behind. The two strands don’t obviously connect—but they also make perfect sense next to each other. Each one fundamentally shakes Carrère, forcing him to ponder death, love, and how a meaningful existence comes together.  — G.B.

by Rita Indiana, translated by Achy Obejas

Tentacle may be a bit of a spooky read for this summer: In its world, initially set a few years into the future, the island of Hispaniola was devastated by a tidal wave in 2024 that wiped away coral reefs and food stands. But as you read on, the story asks you to let go of your attachments to chronology, flitting among three time periods: a post-storm island that is livable only for the ultrarich; an early-2000s milieu of beach-town artists; and a colonial-era past centered on a band of buccaneers. The book was originally written in Dominican Spanish and sprinkled with Yoruba and French, and the English translation retains a fiery love for the dynamic Earth. In one of the timelines, “an enormous school of surgeonfish” shoots out of a coral reef like “an electric-blue stream.” In another, the same sea is described as “a dark and putrid stew.” Holding voltaic awe in one hand and profound grief in the other, Indiana helps us see how the years behind us have led to our present climate crisis, and ignites a desire to fight for all we can still save.  — V.T.

D i v e Into Someone Else’s Mind

Among the Thugs

by Bill Buford

Every time I come across footage of January 6, I think of this book, the greatest study of mob violence ever written. Since its publication in 1990, English police have largely eliminated what was once euphemistically called “hooliganism” from the soccer stadium, but Buford’s first-person account of embedding with the Inter-City Jibbers, a group of pugilistic Manchester United fans, remains as readable and relevant as ever. He unforgettably recounts the experience of being pummeled by Italian police in Sardinia—and he describes the human capacity for brutality with terrible candor and compelling empathy. The violence he experiences is addictive, adrenaline-induced euphoria, as is his technicolor, emotionally vibrant account of it.  — F.F.

Broughtupsy

by Christina Cooke

By the time that 20-year-old Akúa travels back to Jamaica to see her estranged sister, she’s spent half her life in the United States and Canada. Before Akúa even arrives at her sister’s house, she begins to realize how difficult the transition to her birthplace will be. In the cramped taxi ride from the Kingston airport, other passengers joke with one another in patois, “their words flying hot and quick.” Akúa’s inability to join their banter leaves her feeling like she’s “listening through water,” one of many such indignities detailed by her evocative, searching narration. But language isn’t the only thing that weighs heavily on her relationship with the island; she also has to confront the grief and familial resentment that have unmoored her in the years since her mother’s death. Cooke’s vibrant debut novel is a queer coming-of-age story and a chronicle of diasporic rediscovery: Akúa makes new memories with her sister—and with rebellious strangers whose lives challenge the religious conservatism around them all. Along the way, Akúa’s loneliness starts to lift, and the island’s misfits help make Jamaica feel like home again.  — Hannah Giorgis

Mina’s Matchbox

by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen B. Snyder

In 1972, a young Japanese girl named Tomoko is sent by her mother to live with her aunt’s family in the seaside town of Ashiya. Things are a bit odd in their house: Her wealthy, half-German uncle disappears for long stretches; her sickly cousin, Mina, spends much of her time hidden away indoors, but rides a pygmy hippopotamus named Pochiko to school; her aunt searches for typos in books and pamphlets, obsessively identifying these “jewels glittering in a sea of sand.” Most enchanting are Mina’s many matchboxes, hidden underneath her bed, each of them featuring an intricate, beautiful picture. Mina collects them like talismans and writes devastating stories about the characters that appear on their illustrated labels. Everything, from the eerie events that happen at home to the bigger, global events such as the terror attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics, is filtered through a child’s perspective—curious but lacking adult judgment. Tomoko’s narration is subtle, almost detached, but the reader is immersed in her ardent love for her fragile cousin, and comes to appreciate how history seeps into every life, even the most sheltered ones.  — M.C.

This Is Salvaged

by Vauhini Vara

The physical experience of being a human is pretty weird, with our little flappy arms and occasional runny noses. To read Vara’s short stories is to briefly inhabit a mind attuned to the fumbling and freedom of having a body. One character draws our attention to “a crust clinging in the tiny bulbed corner” of an eye. Another pronounces that we don’t “talk enough about labial sweat.” Even flowers are not immune to the indecency of physicality: “ Blooming seemed too formal for what the flowers were doing on their stems. They were doing something obscene: spurting; spilling.” Vara injects that same irreverence into all of her characters’ situations: Two girls work as phone-sex operators after the death of one of their siblings. One woman transforms into a buffalo. “I felt wet, porous, as if the world were washing in and out of me, a nudity of the soul,” says another character. These stories, similarly, reveal the leaky boundaries between our bodies and the universe, and bare what’s vulnerable, and beautiful, underneath.  — V.T.

Indulge in a Breezy Beach Read

by Marisa Meltzer

There was a brief moment in 2017 when The Atlantic ’s London bureau shared a WeWork floor with the U.K. marketing team for Glossier, and this was when I first became fascinated with the cult beauty brand, its playful tubes of color, and its virtuoso Instagram presence. Meltzer’s 2023 book, Glossy , is a rich, gossipy history of the company’s rise. But it’s also a fairly succinct examination of womanhood in the 2010s: the cursed girlboss ethos, the growth of social media, the aesthetic nature of aspiration in a moment when feminism was a trend more than a movement. Meltzer thoroughly examines how Glossier’s founder, Emily Weiss, ascended seamlessly from her supporting role on The Hills to blogging to founding a billion-dollar brand; the book delivers thrilling details and structural analysis along the way. (Beauty is a business with extremely high profit margins, which explains a lot about its ubiquity in our culture when you think about it.) Mostly, the book left me marveling at how selling a business in this environment was as much about selling yourself as any particular product.  — Sophie Gilbert

by Yasmin Zaher

“Woman unravels in New York City” is hardly an innovative storyline for a novel. Yet The Coin , the Palestinian journalist Zaher’s debut—which is, yes, about a woman unraveling in New York City—feels arrestingly new. Its unnamed protagonist, a Palestinian multimillionaire who teaches at a middle school for gifted, underprivileged boys, is a neat freak, a misanthrope, a dirty-minded isolate who dislikes the United States profoundly but lives there because “I wanted a certain life for myself … Wearing heels was important to me.” Her narration is spiky and honest, her choices gleefully, consciously bad. The pleasure she takes in making those decisions and then recounting them is what makes The Coin both unusual and compelling. Our protagonist denies herself nothing she wants, and she denies her audience no detail. The combination renders the book tough to put down.  — Lily Meyer

The English Understand Wool

by Helen DeWitt

My copy of The English Understand Wool came with a little silver sticker on the front proclaiming it actually funny . Perspicacious sticker: This book is funny in the sense that it will make you laugh—for real, out loud, more than once—but also in the sense that it’s a little off-kilter and unlike anything else. Its narrator is Marguerite, a 17-year-old who has been taught by her elegant, commanding maman to play piano and bridge, spot fine tailoring from a distance, and live a life unmarred by mauvais ton : “bad taste.” On a trip to London from their home in Marrakech, Marguerite learns something that elevates the novella from a charming comedy of manners to a truly divine combination of psychological thriller, caper, tender coming-of-age story, and barbed publishing-industry satire. It also does all of this in just over 60 pages, making this a book you can actually finish over a single drink from your beach cooler—though once you do, you may well return to the beginning to try to figure out how DeWitt pulled it off.  — E.C.

The Birthday Party

by Laurent Mauvignier

Despite its title, The Birthday Party isn’t … fun , per se. It’s violent and exceedingly dark; when it was longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, the judges said , “It is a very scary book.” And it’s not a quick read—following a couple, their young daughter, and that family’s lone neighbor as they’re visited by three menacing men, the plot is unspooled detail by minute detail over the course of roughly 500 pages. Single sentences stretch on so long that by the end of one, you might have forgotten its beginning. But the novel, in its own way, is breezy: Mauvignier drifts gently as a leaf in the wind among characters’ perspectives, swirling acrobatically through their interior worlds and sketching their psyches finely before he plunges them into terror. The first explicitly frightening event happens about 100 pages in; by that point, I’d come to care about these people a great deal, and my jaw hurt from anxious clenching, knowing something bad was on the way. The action is made more suspenseful because it explodes in slow motion—gripping enough to make you forget about the sand in your teeth and the seagull circling your sandwich. That’s my kind of beach read.  — F.H.

Category : Gorodok factory

Subcategories.

This category has only the following subcategory.

• Gorodok pipe bridge ‎ (7 F)

Media in category "Gorodok factory"

The following 41 files are in this category, out of 41 total.

• Factories in Pavlovsky Posad
• Gorodok (Pavlovsky Posad)
• 1900s architecture in Russia
• Weaving mills in Russia
• Brick architecture in Pavlovsky Posad
• Uses of Wikidata Infobox
• Uses of Wikidata Infobox with maps
• Pages with maps

Navigation menu

Fulham targeting ‘three to four’ positions in summer transfer window – Marco Silva

Fulham will be targeting “three or four” different positions this summer including two centre-backs, according to head coach Marco Silva.

The west London club are set to lose centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer next month, after the 26-year-old informed the club he will depart when his contract expires. He is currently in talks with Newcastle United .

Advertisement

Silva outlined that Fulham will seek a replacement during the transfer window.

“100 per cent sure and probably not just one,” Silva said when asked about signing a centre-back during his pre-match press conference on Friday. “We are going to look for two. It’s one of the positions, not the only one.”

Silva said that the club had other targets in mind for the summer but that there would not be wholesale change at Craven Cottage.

“Sometimes when you change too much, it’s not a good sign,” he said. “I know we did that in the first season, because we needed Premier League experience. For next season, we have three or four target positions that we clearly want to improve.”

The Fulham head coach is keen to build on a season that will see Fulham finish between 12th and 14th, down on last season where the club finished 10th but clear of relegation.

How much is each Premier League finishing position worth?

“I’ve analysed the season and in our best moments I felt we were stronger than last season in terms of performance,” he said. “But we showed a lack of consistency. Next season, we have to step forward and clearly try to finish in the top half of the table. For us to achieve it, we have to prepare differently.”

Last summer was a tumultuous one for Fulham as they had to fend off interest in key players and staff, including Silva himself, and they ultimately sold striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal for a club record £45milllion.

Silva is keen for Fulham to keep improving but also acknowledges the need to be realistic with the club’s ambitions, considering the strength of the sides above them.

“I told the board that we have to prepare completely different to last season,” Silva said, when asked about the next step for the club and pushing into the conversation for Europe. “The plan is there again. Let’s see what we are capable of doing, what are ambitions will be. I’m not saying depending on how much we will spend, because it’s not just that, it will depend on many things that are not in my hands.

“Looking at the club overall, we have to see improvements. When you talk about European competitions and the Premier League you have the top six. Then you have two clubs that are really close to the top six. One played Champions League last season, Newcastle, and Aston Villa will play (this year). That’s eight clubs. I can put more there if you want.

“To be just competitive in the Premier League depends on the way we prepare, the ambition that we show in the market, and your ability to convince players to come here, depending on many many things. But to fight for something more that right now is not realistic, you have to do everything perfect in the next two or three months.”

Fulham travel to Luton Town on Sunday for their final match of the season. They will be without Sasa Lukic (calf injury) and Issa Diop (suspended). Youngster Josh King, according to Silva, will be in the matchday squad after his under-21 team-mates secured the Premier League Cup on Thursday night, defeating Tottenham 4-0.

“A great feeling, firstly for Hayden (Mullins, under-21s coach) and the boys,” said Silva. “A good number will be with us in preseason.”

(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

Peter Rutzler is a football writer covering Paris Saint-Germain and Fulham for The Athletic. Previously, he covered AFC Bournemouth. He joined The Athletic in August 2019. Follow Peter on Twitter @ peterrutzler