Hillsborough County Summer Reading Challenge

Join the Library’s Summer Reading Challenge to Keep Kids Learning 

By Last Updated

Kids: Ready for a fun summer reading challenge? This year, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library will offer summer reading for all ages from June 1 – July 31. Reading over the summer supports children’s educational gains and offers a fun way for kids to read and learn when school is not in session. Here’s your guide to reading with your public library and helping your children build reading into their summer routine.  

 Sign up at HCPLC.org/Summer and track your reading progress through the library’s digital platform, Beanstack, or on the Beanstack app. Anyone can download the free Beanstack app for Android or the free Beanstack app on Apple to get started, or track on a computer on the Beanstack website.

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 Register your child or each family member and then log the time spent reading. For kids and teens, just track and submit the number of hours you read to them or that they read independently, and they can earn digital badges for reading and for participating in fun summer activities. There are prizes, too!   

Summer Reading Challenge

 Here’s how to get started with the Summer Reading Challenge:

  • Visit HCPLC.org/Summer.  
  • Register early and track your reading starting June 1. 
  • Borrow books from your local branch or download them from HCPLC.org/eBooks.  

Books aren’t the only option; kids can read magazines, audiobooks, comics, graphic novels and web articles for their reading hours. These reading materials can be especially beneficial to readers who are struggling or who need to be persuaded to pick up a book. 

 In addition to enjoying stories and providing an opportunity for family time, the library’s summer reading program aims to curb the “summer slide.”

 

Here’s what studies show about how to prevent summer slide:

  • Reading 20 minutes a day throughout the summer can prevent students from losing progress made during the previous school year.  
  • Students who read recreationally perform better academically than students who do not read outside of school. 
  • Even reading just four or five books over the summer can significantly impact middle school readers. 
  • Children read more when they can choose materials based on their own interests.  

If you need to coax your children to the library, there’s more to do than picking up books. Summer event highlights include animal encounters, magic shows and science programs that will both educate and entertain.  

Share your family’s summer reading adventures with us. Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @TampaHillsLib #813Reads #HCPLC23Summer.  

This year’s summer reading community partners are Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, Hillsborough County, Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc., and the Tampa-Hillsborough County Children’s Library Foundation.  

 

FIND YOUR NEXT GREAT READ HERE: 

Get a head start on the next school year with the 2023-2023 Sunshine State Reader or Florida Teens Read book lists:

 

Find more book suggestions here:  

You can also search the library website HCPLC.org/Books or chat with your local library staff about your reading interests for a personalized suggestion.  

 All photos provided by Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library.   | Originally published in the June 2023 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.