Sign-up begins Monday, June 22. You can sign up anytime in June and through early August BUT if you sign up withing the first two weeks, you will be automatically entered into a raffle for Bronx Zoo tickets! Winner will be contacted in early July 2026.
Summer Reading Club Kickoff Party – Monday, June 29, no registration, just drop by between 5:30-7:00 pm.
Saturday, August 15 – Last day of the Summer Reading Club
Save the dates! Any child who participated in our reading club is invited to attend the Summer Finale Raffle on August 14, 15 or 17 during library hours. They will get free tickets to try to win great prizes, and can choose a free book to keep, while supplies last.
How Does the Summer Reading Club Work?
We have designed it so it’s easy for both parents/caregivers and children. It’s a simple way to keep kids engaged with reading during the summer. Children can earn a weekly prize by reading or listening for 20 minutes AND visiting the library each week during the club.
- Register at the Children’s Desk starting Monday, June 22 or any time after that. Registration is free, and open to children newborn – going into 5th grade in the South Country district.
- Children read/listen to books. They can read, and/or someone can read to them, and/or they can listen to audiobooks. They can choose the books they want.
- Mark the reading record for every 20 minutes spent reading/listening. You don’t have to write down the titles.
- Return to the Children’s Desk WITH the reading record each prize week. The recording record lists the dates for the six prize weeks. As long as children have read or listened for at least 20 minutes, they can choose a prize and get a sticker.
- If they read/listen extra, for every hour beyond the 20 minute minimum, we will enter them into a weekly raffle. They can earn up to 3 weekly raffle tickets per week.
- In addition to the weekly raffle, when the club ends we have a big Summer Finale Raffle on August 14, 15, and 17. Every participant in the Summer Reading Club is invited to it. Each child will get 3 free tickets to try to win great prizes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I have to pay for the summer reading club, raffles or programs? A. No, there’s no fee.
Q. Does a child have to have to have a library card to join? A. No, they don’t, but be aware that the club is for residents of the South Country School District.
Q. Can my baby join? A. Yes, children newborn through going into 5th grade are welcome to join.
Q. My child can’t read yet. Can we still join? A. Yes! Reading to a child is very important, and it counts for the reading club.
Q. Can we also join the reading program at Brookhaven Free Library? A. Sure! South Country residents are lucky – they have two great libraries and are welcome to use and go to programs at both libraries.
Q. Our home library is a different library on Long Island. Can we join the South Country Library’s reading club? A. Each library district has their own reading club, so we ask that you join your home library’s reading program. South Country’s programs are for the taxpayers within the South Country school district area.
Q. I want my nieces and nephews to join the South Country Library’s Summer Reading Club, but they live in another Suffolk County library district. Can they join here? A. No, they should join the summer reading program in their home district. Our reading club is for taxpayers, and while we try to be accommodating with grandparents and nannies, we have to draw the line somewhere.
Q. My grandchildren are visiting from out of state for the summer. Can they participate? A. Yes, as long as you, as the grandparent, are a resident of the South County Library district, that’s fine.
Q. I’m a nanny/au pair. How does that work? A. If you or the family of the child is a taxpayer in the South Country District, that’s fine.
Q. I’m a babysitter. The children I watch are in the district, but I live elsewhere. Can we join? A. Yes, as long as family are residents of the South County Library district, that’s fine.
Q. What if we forget the reading record at home? A. You do have to bring back the reading record to get a prize. But you can return any day during the prize week with the reading record.
Q. What if we miss a prize week? A. A child cannot get two prizes during a prize week. A prize is for reading/listening AND visiting the library each week. However, we have a make-up week from August 14-19 when you can make-up for one week that a child missed.
Q. We can only come back to the library 3 of the weeks. Is that a problem? A. Not a problem. Your child will pick a prize each of the weeks you can visit. They will miss out on the weeks when you cannot attend, although there is a make-up week at the end. And they will still be eligible for the Summer Finale Raffle.
Q. What if we lose the reading record? A. No problem! We’ll give you a new one.
Q. Do we have to check off all the spaces before returning for a prize? A. No. Whatever a child reads/listens to each week is fine, as long as they’ve read/listened for at least 20 minutes. So please return each week.
Q. When are the prize weeks? A. Prize weeks are listed on the reading record, but they are: Week 1 :June 29 – July 3 ; Week 2: July 6-11 ; Week 3: July 13-18 ; Week 4: July 20- 25 ; Week 5: July 27- August 1 ; Week 6: August 3-8 ; Make-up week: August 10-15. You can visit any time the library is open. Please note we are closed on July 4 and on Sundays during the summer.
Q. We will be away during the Summer Finale Raffle. Do we miss out? A. You can still participate! Email childrens@sctylib.org and we’ll send a form so you can still participate by selecting the prizes your child might want to win.
Q. Why is there only a 20 minute minimum for reading? That’s so low. A. Reading is an important skill for life, but some kids are reluctant or struggling readers. Making a low minimum allows them to participate too. And for busy families, the low minimum also encourages them to join. By setting an attainable weekly goal, more children join, and often end up reading beyond the 20 minute minimum anyway. Our goal is to keep the kids reading during the summer.
Q. Wouldn’t it be easier to just count the number of books we read? A. We chose to track minutes over tracking the number of books because a long chapter book shouldn’t count the same as a short board book. And some kids can’t finish a whole chapter book in a week, but they can still participate when we count the minutes.
If you have additional questions, feel free to ask a Children’s librarian, or email childrens@sctylib.org
Summer Tours
Yes, the Suffolk Cooperative Library System will be doing the Summer Tour where you can visit Suffolk County libraries with a special passport. Check back here in mid June for details.