The best summer reading programs for kids and tween readers inspire summer reading all season long. And some of our favorites even offer amazing rewards like free books, free pizza and other prizes.
If you’re looking for the best summer reading programs to engage your reader this summer, check out our favorites below.
1. We Read Tween Books Summer Reading BINGO!
Of course our favorite summer reading program is our We Read Tween Books Summer Reading BINGO because who doesn’t like to play BINGO?
You can download our free BINGO board and start playing immediately. Just read five books (or four if you use the FREE space) and you’ve achieved BINGO.
*Don’t forget that you count your summer reading toward the 2024 We Read Tween Books Reading Challenge as well!
Grab your Summer Reading BINGO board below:
2. Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program
Every summer my tween readers love to participate in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program where they can earn a free book.
Kids in grades 1-6 are encouraged to read any eight books over the summer, record them in the B&N Summer Reading Journal and write which part of the book is their favorite and why.
Kids can then bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between July 1 and August 31, 2024 where they can choose a free book from the books listed in the Reading Journal.
There are usually over 10 book selections to choose from which offer kids a variety of options though we normally never leave with just this free book!
This program is also a great writing activity which you can expand to have your child write a full book review for each book they read.
Grab your copy of the 2024 Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Journal!
3. Camp BOOK IT
The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program is one that I remember participating in as a kid. The excitement that generated inside me when I earned that free personal pan pizza was like no other and it’s amazing that I can now help my own children participate in the same program.
The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program began in 1984 and has been dedicated to encouraging reading in schools nationwide throughout the school year and summer. It is the largest and longest-running corporate supported reading program which is pretty impressive.
Participation in Camp BOOK IT is easy, open to all families with PreK-6th grade students and is family-led. It runs June-August.
Parents/families set goals for their kids and tween readers based on their ability. This could be reading a number of books, a number of pages or for a number of minutes.
Families enroll on the Camp BOOK IT web site and log their child’s progress in the digital dashboard. Children can read books, magazines, ebooks, and anything fun.
When a child meets their goal, move the slider in the digital dashboard all the way over to receive their certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza. You can then present this to any Pizza Hut restaurant for redemption.
The BOOK IT web site also has fun, creative reading logs you can download and use to track your child’s summer reading.
4. Summer Reading Programs at Your Local Library
I absolutely adore the public library system and every summer many local libraries run summer reading programs for both children and teens. The 2024 library summer program theme is Adventure Begins at Your Library.
Check your local library for kick-off events and any information on how you can track your child or tween reader’s summer reading to earn fun prizes.
Do you have a favorite Summer Reading Program your kids and tweens like to participate in? Share in the comments below!