Summer Reading Program

Adventure begins at Iowa City Public Library - child reading in a tent at sunset

ICPL Reads

May 28 - August 10, 2024

Stay busy this summer reading and attending events!

Available to readers of all ages and abilities, babies through adults. Participants will receive a gamecard to track their summer reading goals.

Prizes available starting Monday, June 3, 2024.

Track your reading online

If you have time for a quick question, let us know how did you hear about the summer reading program?

Downloads

Resources

Sponsors

A big thank you to the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation for sponsoring the prizes!

Come read with us!

Upcoming Events

All library patrons, regardless of age or neurodiversity can participate in our Summer Reading Programs. We will be happy to customize reading programs and activities to meet the individual needs of our patrons. Please contact Angela Pilkington for more information.

Upcoming events

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 1:00pm

Teen Center

Each Thursday in June, middle and high schoolers are invited to explore creativity through art, tech, design, and more. All supplies will be provided for this event and no experience is needed. This is a dynamic and engaging youth workshop, where...

Teens

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 1:00pm

Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C

Mikayla Oz is one of the best magicians in Iowa! She offers unique performances that combine fresh, new magic tricks with amazing sleight of hand techniques, all delivered with her engaging and welcoming personality. In her show you will see thing...

Tweens Kids Families

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 4:00pm

Teen Center

Bring a team or be paired up once you get here and compete for top Swiftie spot. Winning team earns a home-made trophy and candy.

Teens Gaming & Pop Culture

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 4:00pm

Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C

Do you love Squishmallows, the plush toy that's loved the world over for being super soft, huggable, round, and aodrable? We'll play Squishmallow bingo (with prizes!), then create a piece of custom Squishmallow fan art by painting in mini...

Tweens Arts & Crafting

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 9:30am

Bookmobile, Mercer Park

Join us for Stories in the Park all summer long! Note the new Stories in the Park time at 9:30 to beat the midmorning heat! We will offer the same Storytime over the course of the week, so please choose one park location a week to attend. We will be...

Kids Families Storytimes

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 10:30am

Storytime Room

Join us in the Storytime Room for Summertime Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs at a...

Kids Babies Families Storytimes

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 11:00am

Teen Center

This summer, take a dip into the realms of math, biology, chemistry, and astronomy! Our weekly program, tailored for middle and early high school students (grades 6 to 9), invites young minds to get excited about STEM and make friends through...

Teens Science & Technology

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 1:00pm

Teen Center

Every Friday throughout Summer, we'll explore food, create a recipe and watch a movie. Food: Mediterranean Rainbow Pasta Salad Movie: Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When...

Teens Gaming & Pop Culture

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 1:00pm

Storytime Room

Take a break from the summer sun and join us every Friday for a matinee movie showing! Catch the original Inside Out just in time for the release of the sequel! After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her...

Kids Families Movies

Saturday, June 15, 2024 - 11:00am

Other

Join ICPL staff and supporters are we celebrate Pride. Bring signs, wear your bling and get ready to march in IC's Pride Parade. Please email victoria-fernandez@icpl.org to ensure you receive the most current details about the itinerary of the...

Teens

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 1:00pm

Teen Center

Each Thursday in June, middle and high schoolers are invited to explore creativity through art, tech, design, and more.

All supplies will be provided for this event and no experience is needed.

This is a dynamic and engaging youth...

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 1:00pm

Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C

Mikayla Oz is one of the best magicians in Iowa! She offers unique performances that combine fresh, new magic tricks with amazing sleight of hand techniques, all delivered with her engaging and welcoming personality.

In her show you will...

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 4:00pm

Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C

Do you love Squishmallows, the plush toy that's loved the world over for being super soft, huggable, round, and aodrable? We'll play Squishmallow bingo (with prizes!), then create a piece of custom Squishmallow fan art by painting in...

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 4:00pm

Teen Center

Bring a team or be paired up once you get here and compete for top Swiftie spot. Winning team earns a home-made trophy and candy.

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 9:30am

Bookmobile, Mercer Park

Join us for Stories in the Park all summer long! Note the new Stories in the Park time at 9:30 to beat the midmorning heat! We will offer the same Storytime over the course of the week, so please choose one park location a week to attend. We will...

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 10:30am

Storytime Room

Join us in the Storytime Room for Summertime Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs at...

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 11:00am

Teen Center

This summer, take a dip into the realms of math, biology, chemistry, and astronomy! Our weekly program, tailored for middle and early high school students (grades 6 to 9), invites young minds to get excited about STEM and make friends through...

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 1:00pm

Storytime Room

Take a break from the summer sun and join us every Friday for a matinee movie showing!

Catch the original Inside Out just in time for the release of the sequel! After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco...

Friday, June 14, 2024 - 1:00pm

Teen Center

Every Friday throughout Summer, we'll explore food, create a recipe and watch a movie.

Food: Mediterranean Rainbow Pasta Salad

Movie: Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he...

Saturday, June 15, 2024 - 11:00am

Other

Join ICPL staff and supporters are we celebrate Pride. Bring signs, wear your bling and get ready to march in IC's Pride Parade.

Please email victoria-fernandez@icpl.org to ensure you...

Thursday, August 8, 2024 - 6:30pm

Digital Media Lab

try this: make animated gifs

You know those little looped videos you see on social media? You can make your own!

Learn how to create simple animated GIFs in Photoshop with us.

Instructor: Charlie, Digital Media Lab intern

Registration is required to...

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 - 7:00pm

Other

Psychological Suspense is often told from the point-of-view of a psychologically stressed character who's unstable or delusional mental or emotional state becomes more evident as the book unfolds. The plot may revolve around deception,...

Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 1:00pm

Teen Center

Each Thursday in June, middle and high schoolers are invited to explore creativity through art, tech, design, and more.
All supplies will be provided for this event and no experience is needed.

This week, Environmental Educator,...

Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 6:30pm

Digital Media Lab

Recover an ugly book

Bring in a couple of your paperback books with misleading or unpleasant cover designs, and we'll create custom book jackets!

After measuring your book, we'll use Canva to make a template you can fill with their clip art, background images...

Friday, June 21, 2024 - 11:00am

Teen Center

This summer, take a dip into the realms of math, biology, chemistry, and astronomy! Our weekly program, tailored for middle and early high school students (grades 6 to 9), invites young minds to get excited about STEM and make friends through...

Friday, June 21, 2024 - 1:00pm

Meeting Room A

We have a very special visitor from Prairie Patch Farm...a llama! Meet, greet, and learn about all things llama!

Friday, June 21, 2024 - 2:00pm

Teen Center

Every Friday throughout Summer, we'll explore food, create a recipe and watch a movie.

Food: Cheese Fries. Is butter a carb? Whatever, we're making cheese fries, inspired by Regina!

Get into character and read sample parts...

Saturday, June 22, 2024 - 2:00pm

Teen Center

At Silent Book Club, there's no assigned reading. All readers are welcome—ebooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books... it's BYOBook. We'll read in silence for 40 minutes, then snack and discuss all thing books. No pressure, just...

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 11:00am

Teen Center

This summer, take a dip into the realms of math, biology, chemistry, and astronomy! Our weekly program, tailored for middle and early high school students (grades 6 to 9), invites young minds to get excited about STEM and make friends through...

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 1:00pm

Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C

Each Monday in June, middle and high schoolers have to opportunity to make something new.
All supplies are provided and no experience is necessary.

“Youth Djembe" is coming to the Iowa City Public Library!

Area youth will...

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 3:30pm

Teen Center

Each Thursday in June, middle and high schoolers are invited to explore creativity through art, tech, design, and more.
All supplies will be provided for this event and no experience is needed.

Create your own one-of-a-kind tattoo...

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 - 1:00pm

Teen Center

Tuesdays in June are for healthy competition, co-operation, strategy, and innovation through console, table top, and good old fashioned board games.

Take part in a series of 60-second challenges and win mediocre prizes

Friday, June 21, 2024 - 1:00pm

Storytime Room

Take a break from the summer sun and join us every Friday for a matinee movie showing!

This third installment of the Trolls franchise finds friends Poppy and Branch as a couple. But as they get to know each other more, it is revealed that...

Sunday, June 23, 2024 - 2:00pm

Storytime Room

Join us to craft colorful fish using paper plates, paints, glitter, and more. Unleash your imagination and make a splash with your own underwater masterpiece!

Sunday Fun Days are suitable for all-ages, but younger children should make the...

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 9:30am

Bookmobile, Willow Creek Park

Join us for Stories in the Park all summer long! Note the new Stories in the Park time at 9:30 to beat the midmorning heat! We will offer the same Storytime over the course of the week, so please choose one park location a week to attend! We will...

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 10:30am

Storytime Room

Join us in the Storytime Room for Summertime Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs at...

Monday, June 24, 2024 - 1:00pm

Storytime Room

Our friends from snapshots literary magazine will be here to help us design our very own magazine in this special three week workshop. The first week we will work on the writing for the magazine, the second will be the art, and finally the third...

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 - 10:30am

Storytime Room

Join us in the Storytime Room for Summertime Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs at...

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 - 1:00pm

Meeting Room A

Elementary-age kids are invited to join us each Tuesday at 1:00 to learn a little bit about a fun skill or hobby that maybe they haven’t tried before! We have experts from the community here to teach you the basics!

Learn Origami skills...

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - 9:30am

Bookmobile, Wetherby Park

Join us for Stories in the Park all summer long! Note the new Stories in the Park time at 9:30 to beat the midmorning heat! We will offer the same Storytime over the course of the week, so please choose one park location a week to attend. We will...

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - 10:30am

Storytime Room

Join us in the Storytime Room for Summertime Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs at...

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - 2:30pm

Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C

Sparkles is an adaptive and inclusive cheer and dance team for students with and without disabilities. Join members of City High and UI Sparkles to watch a performance, learn some cheer terminology and movements, and learn a short cheer routine...