Los Alamos Public Library launches flexible summer reading challenge

Los Alamos families, teens and older adults now have a free summer routine that can turn reading into prizes, library visits and a little structure between June and July. Los Alamos Public Library launched its 2026 Summer Reading Program on June 1, and it runs through July 26 for library card holders of all ages.

The challenge is built to be flexible. Participants can track reading and activities through Beanstack, and adult readers can also use a paper log. In-person help is available at either library location, a practical option for residents who want staff support at Mesa Public Library in Los Alamos or the White Rock Branch Library in White Rock. The library says the program is incentive-based, not a narrow one-size-fits-all contest.

This year’s theme is “Plant a Seed, Read!,” tying the program to farm-to-table ideas and to plants, food, stories, family, history, art and community. Readers can register in four age categories: adults, teens in 7th through 12th grades, early readers through 2nd grade, and grades 3 through 6.

For households looking for low-cost summer activities, the draw goes beyond logging pages. Adult participants can earn registration prizes and five grand prizes. Those prizes include a Kindle Paperwhite bundle, an indoor garden bundle, a botanical art bundle, and book bundles that come with a $100 gift card to Samizdat. Registration prizes include items such as a sturdy canvas tote bag, a farmers market produce mesh bag, a recipe card collection, a red chile pen, or a garden tool pouch, while supplies last. The library says audiobooks count as reading in the adult challenge.

The summer calendar also gives the program shape beyond the reading logs. Youth will see the return of the “Reading with…” series at the White Rock Branch, along with Stuffie Sleepover, Family Fun Night, Creative Studio and a visit from the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Wonders on Wheels bus. Adults will have their own social options, including a library-sponsored chapter of Silent Book Club for an outdoor community picnic in June and the first Silent Book Club meeting in White Rock in July. Two puzzle competitions are scheduled for June and July, and the annual puzzle exchange is set for the White Rock Branch Library in July.

Senior librarian Eva Jacobson said the program lets the library highlight the full range of collections, databases, streaming resources, programs and activities it offers. The structure is simple enough to join late, catch up after missed days or use as a steady summer habit, and the county has made clear that reading season in Los Alamos is meant to be both practical and rewarding.