Summer Reading Challenge

Cedar Rapids Reads: Summer Reading Challenge

Celebrate the love of reading all summer long! Enjoy special events for all ages, earn reading badges, and visit the library for special rewards.

How to Participate:

Register in person or online and pick up your free Summer Reading kit at the library (beginning June 7).
Start reading and log your minutes.
When you reach 300 minutes, visit the library for a free book (for kids/teens) or coupon to the Friends of the Library Book Nook.
When you reach 600 minutes, claim a prize AND get an entry to grand prize drawings.
Keep reading! You can complete the challenge as many times as you want until Aug. 2. Each completion earns more prize drawing entries.

Find us at parks around the city from Monday, June 9 to Friday, Aug. 1 for books, games, fun, and a few surprises, too. Each stop will feature an all-ages story time at the start of the program, followed by activities, games, and giveaways with our Mobile Technology Lab.

A child crouches down while holding a tablet in front of a Cedar Rapids Public Library tent.

Mega Readers

Build a bunch of Mega Readers this summer for your youth group, summer camp, or daycare!

Encourage daily reading and learning all summer to help kids build important literacy skills.

Learn More

Early Literacy Resources

Father and daughter reading together at a library table

Looking for quick, ready to use resources to help develop early literacy skills with your toddlers and preschoolers? Reading into Success has excellent tools for you.

Learn More

Story Guides

A boy smiles as he looks at a book outside the Downtown Library

Story Guides are a wonderful resource to increase the benefit of reading with your child.

Learn More

Cedar Rapids Reads Summer Reading Challenge

Register

Log and track your reading minutes on the Beanstack app.

Beanstack

Library Programs

Join us for a full slate of summer programs and visit our Mobile Technology Lab at area parks in the summer.

We invite you to explore our programs for all ages on our calendar or call (319) 261-7323 for updated information.

Events Calendar

Severe Weather

The Cedar Rapids Public Library values and prioritizes the safety of our patrons and staff. During extreme weather, outdoor outreach programs will be cancelled in accordance with Iowa Department of Public Health guidelines, including:

Tornado or Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
Heat Index above 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Wind Chill below 10 degrees Fahrenheit
Air Quality Index over 150

Outdoor outreach may also be cancelled at the discretion of the Library Director or library management.

All decisions will be made no later than 30 minutes before the start of an outdoor program. Cancellations will be communicated on the library’s social media channels and the online events calendar.