2024 Summer Reading Clubs for Kids and Teens

My local library, for example, has different challenges depending on the age of the child. The youngest complete logs that track books read and various literacy-related activities, while older readers are encouraged to track how many books they read. As those logs and trackers fill up, young people are encouraged to bring those logs back into the library and pick up any number of prizes. The biggest prizes for children and teens include free books and entries into various raffles for bigger prizes.

Bonus: a lot of public libraries also have adult reading programs you can take part in as well. Sign up your kids, then see if you can sign yourself up for a challenge. One year, I won what was one of my all-time favorite prizes for participating in summer reading: a cruise of a local lake that included an ice cream sundae. It was such a fun thing to take my best friend to and all because I read a few books I was going to read anyway.

There is a limit on this program, meaning that young readers can only redeem their logs for one free book. But this is where you can get clever and creative — there’s no reason that you cannot double up the books read in this program with those read for a local library’s summer reading club. Read eight books for the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Club, redeem your free book, and then count those eight books (and/or any additional books read during the time!) for your library’s club.

Although the program is for children and teens, anyone can participate. That includes teachers, educators, and book lovers nationwide. All you need to do is sign up, and you, too, can be eligible for those sweet little $5 rewards in June and July.

Grab all of the information you need over on the Summer Reading Camp website.

With Camp BOOK IT!, children and their parents set a reading goal for the months of June, July, and August. As more books and other reading materials are consumed during the summer, keep track of the progress. When children meet their goal, they’ll be rewarded with a certificate for that yummy pizza.

Camp BOOK IT! has a wealth of resources and tools for a summer of reading. To sign up, you’ll go through the enrollment, selecting the option for enrolling in the summer program (yellow), followed by “sign up for Camp BOOK IT!”

There’s nothing against doubling up your reading from other programs with this one to reach a goal and end your summer with free pizza!

There’s no formal challenge or prizes to be redeemed, but this list is a treasure trove of modern reads, from picture book to young adult. The criteria for the list, which was created in conjunction with the Collaborative Summer Library Program — one of the organizations behind the themes you might see at your local library’s summer reading program — is simply “books that are impossible to put down.”

Check out the full list below and/or download a copy for yourself.

You could easily use this list to help guide what to pick up at the library/bookstore for your respective prize earning.

Jenna’s picks offer a wide range of titles, and she herself has talked about how sometimes, her oldest chooses books that might make her, as a parent, slightly uncomfortable because of their themes. But instead of refusing to let her daughter read them or insisting that those books be banned or inaccessible, Jenna instead reads those books with her daughter and discusses them.

As she said to Today.com following the release of her Read With Jenna Jr. list, “I would so much rather my kids read something and get to come to their mom’s bedside and say, ‘Hey Mom, I didn’t quite get this,’ and me be able to lead the conversation than her having ‘influencers’ do that for her.”

Book recommendations are collected in eight categories on their website, including on-the-go books featuring travel and movement, fun in-the-kitchen books featuring food and cooking, and books that take place under the stars and/or in space. Each category includes an activity corresponding to it. For travel and movement, young people and their adults are invited to watch a video about dune buggies; for food and cooking, they’re encouraged to create a new recipe and plan a week of meals; and for under the stars, they’re able to create their own constellation.

Check out all of the lists, activities, and events–including weekly read aloud times from RIF staff — over on the Reading Is Fundamental website. Note that this program is geared toward younger readers, rather than teen readers.

Home Base includes opportunities for reading books and stories, playing games based on some of their favorite books, getting to engage with some of their favorite authors, and more.

There is also a reading challenge embedded in Home Base. Kids are encouraged to track their reading and as they build up reading streaks, they’re able to earn digital rewards through the program. This can help them earn more digital experiences in Home Base.

Home Base is available through the App store, through Google Play, or right in browser. It is arguably the least angled on reading books among the clubs listed here, but it will likely have huge appeal for those readers who might be a little more reluctant and/or who simply prefer to play around in the worlds of the stories they love. There’s nothing wrong with educational and enriching digital fun!

One other summer reading club that might offer up more information soon is one through Showcase Cinema, called Bookworm Wednesdays. It entitles young readers and their parent/guardians to a free movie showing on Wednesday mornings by showing off a short book report on their reading. Information about that program on their website is from 2023, though it indicates it will be back in 2024. Keep your eyes here for more information.

Looking for more summer fun with the young people in your life? Here are 15 excellent summer reading program ideas you can try out this upcoming season.