Take the 2021 Summer Learning Challenge!

Your FREE Summer Learning Challenge books are now available to pick up at your library! Visit any San Mateo County Libraries location to pick up your reading log and receive your free books to share with your family – no appointment necessary. Happy Reading!

Summer Learning Challenge

Ahhhh, summer – a time for fun in the sun, having adventures, and lots of independent reading and exploring! And don’t forget to add completing  San Mateo County Libraries’ Summer Learning Challenge to your list of fun activities. Free books, live virtual events, your very own reading log to track your progress, and a chance to win a $1,000 college scholarship. It’s all happening this summer at your local library!

The Summer Learning Challenge runs from June 1 – August 31. All youth with a San Mateo County Libraries card will be automatically enrolled to participate. Don’t have a library card? Visit one of our 13 libraries to get your card today or get one online! Next, log onto www.summerlearners.org to print your summer log or pick one up at your local library.

Each time you complete a log, go back to the website and fill out the Finisher Form to be entered in the drawing for the $1,000 college scholarship prize. You can complete as many logs as you want. The more logs you complete, the better your chance to win! 

Free Books

The Summer Learning Challenge also means we will be giving you free books that will be yours to keep and read and re-read over the summer. Your FREE Summer Learning Challenge books are now available to pick up at your library! 

With every summer challenge log you complete, you’ll get a brand-new free book! We have a lot of terrific books to give out this summer – Shuri: Princess by Nic StoneCamp by Kayla MillerI Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, the graphic novelTwins by Varian JohnsonFlu Guy books by Tedd Arnold, and much more. Happy Reading!

Summer Learning Showcase

Did you know, on various Fridays this summer from June 4 – August 6 we'll have fun, live virtual events for youth and families? These special shows include taiko drummingmagicmusicians, science and animals, and more!  

Families Create

In addition to those shows, we’ll have Families Create “Take & Make” craft kits available for pick up every Monday from June 1 – July 26, while supplies last. These kits will have corresponding live virtual events on Tuesdays (for youth ages 6 – 8) and Thursdays (for youth ages 9 – 11) where we'll get to create items from the kits together! We'll learn about owls by dissecting owl pellets, explore insects with the Beetle Lady and make an insect pooter, make a Grass Friend and learn about plants and flowers, learn about the sun by making sun prints and a solar jitterbug, and explore wind by making a hovercraft and a pinwheel. For every virtual event, you attend, you’ll be given an extra entry into the grand prize drawing for the $1,000 college scholarship!

Can’t make it? You can learn all about science with the books on these librarian-curated lists about owlsinsectsplantssun, and wind!

Connect With Us

We have so many ways for you to connect with us! Our library team will be thrilled to see you all summer long be sure to tag us on Facebook, , opens a new window Instagram, opens a new window, and Twitter, opens a new window using @SMCLibraries!