The Erie County Public Library’s (ECPL) 2023 Summer Reading Challenge launches Monday, June 12^th and runs through Saturday, August 12^th, 2023.

The library encourages Erie County readers of all ages to register for the Summer Reading Challenge. Participants can complete the challenge by reading for a minimum of 12 hours, documenting activities they’ve attended this summer, as well as writing book reviews of their summer reads.

Participants may log their time spent reading or listening to written material in any format. This includes books, eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, graphic novels, and comics.

Age categories for the ECPL Summer Reading Challenge are 0-5, 6-12, 13-17 and 18+.  All participants in each age group will be eligible for a prize drawing (to be announced) on August 16th, 2023. There will be grand prize drawings for each age category at each ECPL location. 

This annual program is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Erie County Public Library, and UPMC Health Plan.

“UPMC Health Plan recognizes communities that support early reading programs are healthier communities. We encourage all Erie-area children to participate in the Summer Reading Challenge”, said Katie Bool Shafer, Manager, Community Relations, UPMC Health Plan.

Our voices have power. We use our voices to share stories, express ourselves, and spark change. Our voices include not only the sounds we make, but the words we write, the art we create, the movements we perform, and the actions we take each day to impact our world.

The mission of the Summer Reading Challenge is to help students maintain the learning acquired during the school year. Studies estimate that summer breaks contribute to the average student losing up to one month of instruction. Some students, particularly those from disadvantaged households, lose up to three months of learning. Summer learning loss is greatest in math computation, reading, and spelling. The Erie County Public Library is focused on supporting our local children and students, through quality books, collections, resources, and programming.

For more information, please contact the Youth Services department at 814-451-6936 or email library-reference@eriecountypa.gov.

or click the link here.