The Summer Reading Adventure Begins on June 1 at DeKalb County Public Library

Pro­grams, activ­i­ties, events and prizes for all ages give every­one some­thing to enjoy.

DECATUR, Ga. — (May 22, 2024) — Today DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library (DCPL) announced the start of the 2024 Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge, ​“Adven­ture Begins at Your Library.” Through the end of July, DCPL’s 23 branch­es will host more than 500 free pro­grams to encour­age every­one to read and explore the library’s many offer­ings. The Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge begins on June 1 and runs through July 31.

Chil­dren, teens and adults can pre­reg­is­ter now using Beanstack, the library’s online read­ing chal­lenge track­ing plat­form and mobile app, at dekalbli​brary​.beanstack​.org. Adults also have the option of using a paper bin­go card to track their progress. The cards will be avail­able for pick­up at all branches.

“While the Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge is for every­one, keep­ing young peo­ple read­ing and learn­ing dur­ing their sum­mer vaca­tion is espe­cial­ly impor­tant,” said Ali­son Weissinger, direc­tor, DeKalb Coun­ty Pub­lic Library. ​“Research indi­cates that stu­dents can lose about two months of read­ing achieve­ment dur­ing the sum­mer. That’s why the Sum­mer Read­ing Chal­lenge pro­vides incen­tives to help youth retain their read­ing skills in a fun, excit­ing way.”

Every­one who reach­es chal­lenge mile­stones can earn small prizes or dig­i­tal badges. Those who fin­ish the chal­lenge will be entered into draw­ings for books, book bags, gift cards, Kin­dles, Blue­tooth speak­ers and more.

The library has two spe­cial Sum­mer Read­ing kick-off events slat­ed for children:

• Tiny Tot Adven­tures (for ages 0 – 5 years) on June 1 at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. at Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library. The event will fea­ture a pup­pet show by Ngu­zo Babies; face paint­ing and glit­ter tat­toos; and pho­tos with the library’s mas­cot. Par­ents and care­givers can reg­is­ter to attend on the library’s website.
• Adven­ture Begins at Your Library Scav­enger Hunt (for ages 6 – 12 years) from June 1 to June 15 at all DCPL branch­es. Those who com­plete the scav­enger hunt will receive gifts to get them start­ed on their read­ing journey.

In addi­tion, many branch­es will host mag­ic shows, ani­mal encoun­ters, crafts, pup­pet shows, and more.

All events are free and open to the pub­lic. Some events require reg­is­tra­tion. Find more infor­ma­tion at dekalbli​brary​.org/​s​u​m​m​e​r​-​r​e​a​d​i​n​g​-2024.

###