Move ahead one space to any Rock Island Public Library this summer for reading, great all-ages fun, and free experiences for all ages. Level Up at Your Library summer reading challenges and 150 free events start June 1 and run through July 31.
Level Up Your Summer at the Library! Free Summer Fun & Reading Challenges for All Ages, June 1 to July 31
Move ahead one space to any Rock Island Public Library this summer for reading, great all-ages fun, and free experiences for all ages. Level Up at Your Library summer reading challenges and 150 free events start June 1 and run through July 31.
Level Up at Your Library is an all-ages summer reading program based around puzzles and games. Starting June 1, the library’s all-ages Level Up Summer Reading Challenge offers rewards for moving through pre-set reading and activity goals. To register and participate, use the library’s Beanstack app/website, or ask for a paper reading log at any Rock Island Library.
Readers of all ages earn prizes for registering, reaching the half-way point of 5 badges, and earning 10 badges. Any combination of point badges can level a reader up, and the really committed can keep logging to add to the community reading goal of 500,000 minutes. (Readers in the 2024 summer program racked up an impressive 467,633 minutes, so every extra minute logged helps!)
All reading counts, including read-aloud stories and audiobooks, and there’s no set list of books. “Summer out-of-school reading is for fun and leisure, not an assignment. Leaving the options open allows the freedom to discover and explore new interests,” said Sue Foster, Youth Services Director.
The program’s game-based goals support learning by providing extra motivation to read more frequently. That keeps skills sharp, and reinforces the value of reading for fun. A national study by Dominican University directly linked the amount of time spent reading outside of school is directly linked to gains in reading achievement. The same study found that students who participated in any public library reading program scored higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year than those who did not participate.
The Level Up theme also recognizes the importance of play in learning, connecting with others, and fostering friendships. As a result, it’s game on for free summer fun with 150 events at the library.
School ages can drop in for weekly summer activities at the Rock Island Watts-Midtown Branch on Tuesdays at 3:30 pm, and there may still be openings in Summer Math Club, on Tuesdays at 3:15 pm at the Downtown Library. See library staff to register for Math Club, which runs from June 10 to July 15. Young adult events (ages 12 to 17) include a June 9 dissection lab that explores how sheep hearts work and the inner workings of small lizards, weekly STEAM on Wheels events for fun with science, technology, engineering, art, and math, and a hands-on art program with the Figge.
Events for all ages include two shows by Shadowland Serpentry, of Rock Island. The June 12 educational reptile program will be presented at 10:30 am at the Rock Island Downtown Library, 401 19th Street, and 1 pm at the Rock Island Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road. On June 18, kids can create and present a silly slideshow on any topic with a fun PowerPoint party at 6:30 pm at the Watts-Midtown Branch. And in a free Dragon Training Academy on June 27, kids will have a chance to travel back to the Medieval times and help deal with an overpopulation of dragons. The 10 am event at the Watts-Midtown Branch includes a post-show meet and greet with a baby dragon animatronic!
Other all-age events this summer include Sip n Paint events in June and July, Family Tie-Dye, the July Book Sale, mini-golf at the Downtown Library, a board game day, and more. Summer reading wraps up with a free Petting Zoo in Longview Park on July 26, presented in partnership with Rock Island Parks and Recreation, with sponsorship from Rock Island Township.
Highlights for adults to Level Up at the library this summer include a river history video series, A River Runs Through It, a nutrition and wellness series with the Illinois Extension Office, free lifesaving course from UTH Riders Foundation, the Your Mind Matters workshop on self-care and resilience, art shows at the Watts-Midtown Branch, the free non-fiction book club in Longview Park, multiple crafts, and a special D-Day battlefield tour with Kevin Braafladt of the Army Sustainment Command.
With summer also comes a new schedule for the Rock Island Library2Go bookmobile. The roving library visits Longview Park every Tuesday at 2:30 pm, and will be at the Hauberg Estates Bioblitz on June 27. New stops this summer for the bookmobile include Douglas Park, the Maple Ridge apartments/Pepsi parking lot, and rotating Milan stops at Milan Little League Park, Dickson Park, and High Cliff Estates. For full list of Library2Go stops, see the Hours and Locations page on the library website.
For more free events and services at your Rock Island Library this summer, visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ, or follow Rock Island Library on Facebook and Instagram.
Level Up at the Rock Island Library this summer for growth, connection, learning, and discovery. Involving the whole family in summer reading demonstrates reading as a fun leisure time activity that lasts for life. By motivating continued reading over the summer, library summer reading programs keep skills sharp and reduce summer learning loss, sometimes known as the summer slide. Move ahead to any Rock Island Public Library space for free summer reading fun, June 1 to July 31, 2025.