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iREAD on the Road

Jun 20, 2025

Tags Summer Reading Level Up at Your Library

Summer reading has begun and libraries are leveling up their decorations, displays, and programs. Hit the road with iREAD and let’s see what all of these fabulous libraries are up to!

Connecticut

Wilton Public Library - Willington, CT

Hoops, Tops & Rabbit Sticks: Native American Games: We're kicking off our 2025 Summer Reading Theme ‘Level Up at Your Library’ with musician and performer Michael Caduto!

This show is an exciting hour of immersion into the realm of play in the Native American tradition. Opening performances draw from such Native stories as "Turtle Races with Bear" (Seneca), "The Great Lacrosse Game" (Menominee) & "Gluscabe and Dzidziz" (Abenaki).

We'll chant to stories, sing along to music and move together in a round dance. Then everyone will have fun playing a variety of Native North American games, including hoops, rings, rabbit sticks, foot races and cat's cradle.

This engaging program for children & families explores the importance of games when growing up and how games help to keep us fit and sharpen our minds throughout our lives.

Summer Reading Story Time & Scavenger Hunt: Teaming up with our town's conservation commission, we'll be holding a story time and scavenger hunt at Fenton Ruby Parker on Burma Road in Willington CT on July 5th at 10AM (rain date July 19th). We'll be reading one of the keynote author's books 'Have You Seen Gordon?' before having kids and adults take part in a scavenger hunt. One adult and one child winner will each get a special themed iRead prize - A Gordon plush for kids and a Level Up at Your Library stainless steel water bottle for adults.

Illinois

Flagg-Rochelle Public Library - Rochelle, IL

Reading Dragons and Friends Kick Off Party: The Flagg-Rochelle PL started off Summer Reading with a ROAR! Our first big event of the summer featured a Reading Dragons and Friends Kick Off Party. Patrons of all ages had fun learning about the Reading Dragons program, decorating dragon cookies, making a box to keep their cards safe and going on a dragon scavenger hunt throughout the library. Everyone is really excited about meeting their reading goals this summer and earning their cards!

ItascaCommunity Library - Itasca, IL

Level Up Desk Decorations: Our patrons have been loving this year's youth desk decorations, inspired by some of their favorite video games! Making some elements three-dimensional really helped the whole display pop.

Paris Carnegie Library - Paris, IL

Decorations and Games: This is Alexandra’s first summer reading program as a children’s librarian - check out these amazing decorations and activities!

Watseka Public Library - Watseka, IL

Level Up Fashion Show Event: 'm very excited for our Level UP Fashion Show! We started this event last year with Read Renew Repeat. We have partnered with the local Harbor House Resale shop for this event. Harbor House provides programs,advocacy, prevention and emergency shelters for Domestic Violence. The library staff picked out a selection of clothing from the resale shop. During SRP Kickoff, participants can select items from the rack to upcycle (level up). We will offer two open sewing workshop days and then on Friday June 27 at 3PM we will host the fashion show! We show "before" photos on the big screen and then the models walk the runway!

For the more traditional interpretation of Level Up we have decorated the children's area in the style of Jumanji and will have an interactive screening of the movie on Friday June 6 at 2PM . We also have a Mario Kart Tournament, a D&D character workshop and a D&D club, and we have a MineCraft Escape Room. The Tween book club is Wanderlost and the Teen book club is Dungeons and Drama. I have attached a copy of our newsletter if you would like to read more about any of these programs. We are still decorating for SRP, but I have attached some photos of what we have so far.

Iowa

West Bend Public Library - West Bend, IA

Level Up Read decorations: Going old school withPac Man! Mario is also a hit!

Massachusetts

Wendell Free Library - Wendell, MA

Level UP at Your Library Summer Reading Kick-off Event: We had a blast at our all ages Level Up Summer Reading Kickoff Lawn Party. We had lawn games, chalk art, giant snakes and ladders, but the most popular was the ice cream cones and block print tee shirt creating with hand carved stamps based on the Level Up theme (and Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly for good measure). In our little rural town of not quite 900, we had 55 attendees! Game on!

Minnesota

Arrowhead Library System - Mount Iron, MN

Bookmobile Stops Picture Puzzle: The Arrowhead Library System in northeast Minnesota has 60 stops they go to. I took each one made them into a picture puzzle for patrons to try to solve. The answers on this picture are: Lake Venoah, Balsam, Deer River, Tower, Bear River, Fredenberg, Alborn, and Soudan. The rest are hung up around the interior of the Bookmobile.