Shoot for the Stars with the Library's 2019 Summer Reading Program

Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Summer Reading banner graphic
The Library’s 2019 Summer Reading Program celebrates the spirit of discovery that half a century ago inspired humanity to do what once seemed only possible in stories: travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere and journey among the stars. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, we invite readers to enjoy out-of-this-world books, events, and activities from the final frontier: your local library.    

Our theme, Dare to Discover, is a nod to our collective spacefaring legacy and ambitions to explore the unknown. But it’s also an invitation — and a challenge — to use the Library and its resources to learn, grow, and endeavor to know more about our world and how it works. Science is the pursuit of knowledge with the goal of giving us greater understanding; libraries provide open access to knowledge so that everyone may pursue it. Discovery happens daily in libraries.

Adults and youth alike will be given a little space to read . We’ll be covering supernovas and super novels, rockets and robots, cosmic classics and futuristic fiction. Our mad scientist librarians have cooked up some stellar Suggested Reading titles to get you started.
SUMMER READING: DARE TO DISCOVER -  JUNE 1-JULY 31, 2019

YOUTH PROGRAM

The Library has put together a universe of stories for young readers of all sorts: Picture books, young adult fiction, graphic novels, and more. Plus, kids and teens who register for Summer Reading are eligible to have their existing fines and fees vaporized.

ADULT PROGRAM
Adult readers won’t only explore celestial shelves; we’re also tackling all things science fact and fiction. Blast off with books about how our bodies work. Learn about the wonders of the natural world, from amoebas to zebras. Experiment with titles about today’s technology. Open your mind to out-there ideas and theories posed by scholars, artists, and dreamers.
Whether your destination is a galaxy far, far away or a better understanding of earthbound issues, your learning adventure launches at the Library. Dare to Discover what awaits.

GET STARTED
 

Read five books, Earn a Prize!

  • The Summer Reading formula is simple: Read five books between June 1 and July 31, 2019. Pick enjoyable, lively reads in your preferred format, log them online, and earn a reward.  
  • Sign up yourself or the entire family, and everyone gets a free book just for registering.
  • Kids and teens participating in Summer Reading are eligible to have existing fines and fees erased.
  • You can select official Suggested Reading picks for youth, teens, or adults, but like the cosmos, your choices are infinite.  You can read any five books in any format – hardcover, audiobook, eBooks, graphic novels... everything counts!
  • Log your five reads online using the Beanstack service or the new Beanstack Tracker mobile app for iPhone or Android. (Paper forms also available at your neighborhood Library location. PDF download here.)
  • Earn an out-of-this-world prize:
    • Ages 0-5: Sippy cup (*Note: Cups available after June 15)
    • Ages 6-18: Light-up plastic cup
    • Adults: Pint glass
 
Beanstack graphic
Register and log your reads online using the Beanstack service.
 
Beanstack Tracker graphic
You can also use the Beanstack Tracker app for iPhone or Android.

Suggested Reading

Need ideas for books that fit this year’s theme? Library staff have chosen the right stuff for your to-read shelves. We've collected fiction and nonfiction, biographies and memoirs, genre fiction, and classics to provide a quality reading experience that is thoughtful and entertaining.

Whether the five books you select are from the Suggested Reading list or are other books you’ve always wanted to read, the goal of the Summer Reading Program is to promote the fun and discovery of reading for pleasure.

Want to explore strange new literary worlds? Let our librarian mad scientists cook up some reading, viewing, or listening engineered just for you. Try the Library’s Shelf Help service and get a customized list of recommendations tailored to your tastes.
 

More Adult Book Lists >

More Youth Book Lists >

PRIZES

 

Summer Reading prizes        
 

Books... and Beyond