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A person reading a book with a bigfoot reading over his shoulder

Summer Reading 2024: Adventure Begins at Your Library

Ends in:

June 1 - July 31

As always, summer reading is open to all ages. You can sign up any time between now and July 31 - but you can't start logging your minutes until June 1!

Sign up online or at your branch! You'll earn a raffle ticket for each hour you read - plus some smaller prizes along the way.

Read to Earn Prizes

Kids dressed as pirates exploring the pages of a bookEarn a raffle ticket for each hour you read! You can log your reading and submit tickets online, or visit your favorite branch for an old-fashioned paper tracker.

Each ticket can be submitted for a chance to win one of our fabulous Grand Prizes!

But that's not all - everyone can also earn the following prizes:

Kids and Teens Prizes:

1st hour of reading: A Railcats ticket + a discounted ticket to Deep River Waterpark* 

2nd hour of reading: Beach ball

3rd hour of reading: Free book

4th hour of reading: Bear or bumblebee backpack (while supplies last)

*discounted waterpark tickets are for ages 6-18 only

Adult Prize:

At 4 hours of reading: 3 free books

la aventura comenza en tu biblioteca. Person in a tent shaped like a book reading

FAQs:

Q: What if I read to someone else?

A: Both of you get credit for that reading time!

Q: Do audiobooks count?

A: Yes! Time spent listening to a book is time spent reading.

Q: I can't read for a whole hour at a time. Can I log smaller units?

A: Yes! You can log as little as 1 minute at a time (and no more than 900 minutes in a day).

Q: When do I find out if I won a Grand Prize?

A: Grand Prize winners will be contacted August 5.

Special Events
Mon, Jul 15, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room
Join us at the library for a Star Wars Party! Enjoy Star Wars themed activities, games and crafts. Snacks will be provided. All ages are welcome!
Registration is now closed

Mon, Jul 15, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Hobart - Large Meeting Room
Children, with the assistance of caregivers, can build a fort structure and read stories under their fort. Materials for the fort will be supplied.
Registration is now closed

Tue, Jul 16, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Merrillville - Meeting Room A
Patrons are invited to engage in a livestream conversation with Max Brallier about The Last Kids on Earth - both the book series and the Netflix show. The event will be shown on a large screen.

Tue, Jul 16, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Dyer-Schererville - Meeting Room Whole (A & B)
Be the fastest jigsaw puzzlers at the library! Teams of 2-4 will have 2hrs. to complete a 500 pc. puzzle. First team to finish wins! Registration is required!
Please contact the library to register for this event.

Wed, Jul 17, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Munster - Large Meeting Room
Join us for a puppet show! Mark Nichols with The Puppet Place presents "The Magic Onion".
This event is full

Wed, Jul 17, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Branch Library - Library Patio
Ages 6 and older can bring a plain white, pre-washed, cotton article of clothing , and maybe an adult to help. Come in anytime between 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Wed, Jul 17, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Hobart Community Center - 111 E Old Ridge Road, Hobart, Indiana 46342
Join us for a puppet show! Mark Nichols with The Puppet Place presents "The Magic Onion" at the Hobart Community Center.

Mon, Jul 22, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Munster - Large Meeting Room
Kids and their families will have an adventure going through our camp-out escape room, presented by the Teen Advisory Board. Please register.
This event is full

Tue, Jul 23, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Merrillville - Meeting Room A
Patrons are invited to engage in a livestream conversation with Elizabeth Acevedo about The Poet X, and the power of poetry. Attendees will watch the event on a large screen.

Wed, Jul 24, 6:00pm - 6:30pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room
Stuffed animals are invited to a campout with Cecily the Giraffe and Ray the Elephant.

Thu, Jul 25, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Meeting Room
Children, ages 5 and up, are invited to meet some local pond critters and do fun water experiments
This event is full

Fri, Jul 26, 10:00am - 10:30am
Dyer-Schererville - Meeting Room Whole (A & B)
A representative from Patti's All American Gymnastics will be visiting and doing an interactive program with an obstacle course, a craft, and a story for children ages 3-5!

Tue, Jul 30, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Merrillville - Meeting Room B
Patrons are invited to engage in a livestream conversation with Dan Santat as he inspires tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels. The event will be shown on a large screen.

Tue, Jul 30, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Online
Join a livestream chat with Dan Santat as he inspires tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels.

Wed, Jul 31, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Dyer-Schererville Branch - East Parking Lot
Come out and join us for our end of summer event!

Rescheduled
Wed, Jul 31, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
New date Tuesday, July 30, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Merrillville
Patrons are invited to engage in a livestream conversation with Dan Santat as he inspires tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels. The event will be shown on a large screen.

Wed, Jul 31, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Cedar Lake - Meeting Room A
This program will focus on the Indiana Dunes National park's plants, animals and general ecology. Children will learn about the natural world not so far from us and what park rangers do.

Wed, Jul 31, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Highland - Children's Programming Room,Meeting Room A
Join us as we say goodbye to Summer Reading 2024 with games, crafts and refreshments (including ice cream!) Registration is required.

Sat, Aug 03, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Highland - Meeting Room A
Operation Safe Kids presents the “Live scan Child ID”, a document containing a photograph, digitized inkless fingerprints, and vital identification information. Parents will leave with this card.

Sat, Aug 03, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room
Join us in welcoming Joe Rauen at the library! Joe will give a short presentation and then you can enjoy a musical performance. All ages are welcome! Check out his website: joerauen.com

Wed, Aug 07, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
LCPL Virtual Branch - Online
Join a livestream chat for a behind-the-scenes guide to space exploration with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Dr. Jennifer Levasseur.

Thu, Aug 08, 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville - Meeting Room A
The Friends Pre-Sale is from 4-7pm. You can pay to become a Friends Member at the door. Thousands of books, dvds, and cds are available at fantastic prices!

Fri, Aug 09, 10:00am - 1:00pm
Hobart - Hobart Historical Society
Please join us on this adventure as Paula of the Hobart Historical Society leads us on a walking tour of Hobart. Our walk will remain on paved areas for accessibility, and a signed waiver is required.

Fri, Aug 09, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Merrillville
The Friends Book Sale is open to anyone interested in browsing through thousands of books, dvds, and cds-- all at fantastic prices!

Sat, Aug 10, 9:30am - 4:00pm
Merrillville - Meeting Room A
The Friends Book Sale is open to anyone interested in browsing through thousands of books, dvds, and cds-- all at fantastic prices!

Mon, Aug 12, 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Merrillville - Meeting Room A
The leftover books from the Friends Fall Book Sale will be available for nonprofit organizations to pick up from 3:30 - 6pm.

Grand Prize Raffle

Thank you to the Friends of LCPL for providing this year's awesome prizes! For each hour you read, you earn one raffle ticket to put toward one of these prizes. You can also earn smaller prizes for your first 4 hours of reading!

Prize List

#1: Soft Zone Building Foam Blocks

#2: Rocking Floor Hammock

#3: 3-in-1 EZ Fold Wagon with Canopy

#4: Nintendo Switch Lite

#5: SIMATE Electric Scooter for Kids

#6: $200 Urban Air Gift Cards

#7: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones

#8: $200 GameStop Gift Card

#9: Amazon Fire Maz 11 Tablet

#10: $200 Visa Gift Card

#11: Core Equipment Six Person Tent

#12: National Parks Annual Pass

Summer Reading Grand Prizes
  • soft zone foam building blocks
  • National Parks Annual Pass
  • rocking floor hammock
  • core equipment 6 person tent
  • $200 Urban Air Gift Card
  • $200 Visa Gift Card
  • 3 in 1 e z fold wagon with canopy
  • Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet
  • simate kids electric scooter
  • beats solo 3 wireless headphones
  • nintendo switch lite
  • $200 Game Stop Gift Card
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