Level Up Your Summer – Dive Into the Library’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge
By Aris Sherwood
The Whole Story
For many people, summer reading programs, hosted by their local public library, were a childhood staple.
In fact, summer reading programs have been in existence since the late 1800’s. According to a 2013 article posted on Public Libraries Online, a publication of the Public Library Association, summer reading programs were created to combat a phenomenon called “summer loss” – when a child’s reading skills decline during summer vacation, presumably the result of adequate reading practice.
Since its inception, summer reading programs have not only enhanced reading comprehension skills amongst school-age children but also has fostered a love of literature for not just children, but adults and teens as well, blending the joy of summer with the excitement of reading.
And the Huntley Area Public Library is no exception to this celebration.
By mid-20th century, summer reading programs began developing themed reading challenges, making participation more engaging and immersive. It also became common to include prizes to encourage participation and completion.
Since the Huntley Area Public Library first opened its doors in 1989, they have hosted summer reading programs every year, with themes such as “Ready, Set…Read,” “Here We Grow,” “Dig Into Summer” “Read, Renew, Repeat,” and more.
This year, they are getting ready for the 2025 summer reading challenge “Level Up at Your Library.”
This year’s theme, according to the Illinois Library Association’s iRead program, “reminds us that libraries are not just a space for knowledge, they are a space for fun!”
Programmers at the Huntley Area Public Library are very excited about this year’s theme, having already begun planning their decorations, events, and the actual challenge itself.
“I love the first day every time,” said Susan Riddle-Mojica, a Librarian at the Huntley Area Public Library and co-organizes the adult’s portion of the reading program. “It’s great to see many people excited about the new program.”
According to Riddle-Mojica, this summer, the adults reading logs will include playing reading bingo, with each square having a reading suggestion, which participants can follow or choose their own reading choices. Each completed prize earns a grand prize ticket to a drawing for a $50 gift card, a completed line earns a small completion prize, and a completely blacked out bingo card enters you into a special drawing for a $100 gift card from Barnes and Noble.
“For many adults, finding the time to participate can be challenging,” said Riddle-Mojica. “We’ve simplified our program to help with that.”
Karin Thogersen, the Teen Librarian at the Huntley Area Public Library who organizes the teen portion of the reading program, also had a similar sentiment.
“While many folks still prefer the traditional paper book logs, we have over the years added options for people to participate online (through Beanstack,)” said Thogersen. “We’ve also incorporated other fun optional activities (in addition to reading) that people can do to “complete” the summer reading challenge.”
Thogersen also said participants read in different ways, too, such as enjoying e-books or audiobooks, which both count toward fulfilling summer reading goals.
“One of our teen participants last summer said he liked to speed up the audiobooks he listened to and could read more books that way,” she added.
These modifications and reinventions of summer reading programs are necessary, as libraries nationwide have seen wavering participation in their reading programs.
According to a 2022 report published by the National Endowment for the Arts, there has been a decrease in reading for pleasure amongst all age groups.
According to Michele Whisenhunt, Head of Youth Services at the Huntley Area Public Library, summer reading is important for many reasons.
“It gives kids a sense of accomplishment and community,” said Whisenhunt. “The summer reading program is a community program- when kids participate, they are participating in the community and learning how to earn rewards and practice ethical behavior.”
Whisenhunt also said that kids enjoy a sense of freedom and fun when they choose what they want to read.
“Summer reading fosters a joy of reading,” she said.
“Summer reading programs have a lot of goals, but we mostly want to encourage everyone of all ages to read,” said Thogersen. “Read together, read alone, read for fun, be read to… kids will read more, too, if they see their parents or other adults admire reading. Getting the whole family signed up for summer reading is one way you can model how great reading is.”
And reading isn’t just one way you can show support for summer reading, according to Thogersen. You can also show your support by visiting the library, checking out library materials, attending library events, and volunteering.
“We would love to have you participate!” said Thogersen.
This story was featured in the May-June 2025 issue of our official HAPL newsletter ‘The Whole Story.’ Read The Whole Story Newsletter here.
