SJCPLS Presents a Summer Reading Program with Engaging Events and Rewards for All Ages

The St. Johns County Public Library System (SJCPLS) is pleased to announce the “Best Summer at Your Library” Summer Reading Program from June 5 through July 29 and invites youth and adults to participate in events that are fun for the whole family. Readers of all ages may pick up their free reading logs and bingo boards from any library branch or track their progress and play virtually through the READsquared app. Participants may earn free books for every six days read on logs, 60 points reached on READsquared, or for every row completed on the bingo boards.

More than 100 special fun and educational events are scheduled during this eight-week program in addition to regularly scheduled storytime, book club, and STEM programs. Families are encouraged to stop by any of the six SJCPLS branches and enjoy a variety of programs that offer:

  • Family mystery game nights.
  • Jumbo versions of popular games such as Angry Birds, Kerplunk!, Connect Four, Jenga, and more.
  • STEM with Legos and fairy tales.
  • Visits from partner organizations like Marineland, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park.
  • Up-close experiences with bees during Nature Detective workshops hosted by the Garden Club of St. Augustine.
  • Magic shows with Magician Mark Alan.
  • Arts, crafts, gardening, and so much more!

Virtual offerings invite book lovers to join the “Conversations with Authors” Zoom series to chat with New York Times best-selling authors from the comfort of their homes. To learn about all of our Summer Reading programming, visit https://sjcpls.org/events/tag/summer-reading-program/.

As a community partner in education, SJCPLS encourages the whole family to read together during the summer break. “Librarians understand that children who don’t read and learn during the summer months fall behind. It’s called the ‘summer slide,’” said Library System Director Debra Rhodes Gibson. “The ‘Best Summer at Your Library’ offers incentives to keep reading skills sharp ahead of the new school year.”

The “Best Summer at Your Library” is proudly sponsored by SJCPLS’s multiple Friends of the Library groups. To learn more about the Library’s 2023 Summer Reading Program and how to register for the various programs, please contact your local branch library or visit the Library’s website, www.sjcpls.org.