Fiske Free Library invites children to summer reading program

Children in Claremont had a simple place to go for summer structure: Fiske Free Library at 108 Broad Street, where SAU 6 posted a June 9 invitation for the library’s summer reading program, Plant a Seed, Read! The notice asked children to stop by, sign up and pick up a copy of the Summer 2026 Events list, putting a free local option in front of families as school let out and the long stretch of summer began.

That matters in a town where reading practice can slip when classrooms close. A library program with no cost and no complicated sign-up gives parents an easy way to keep children connected to books, while also offering a ready-made calendar of activities tied to the season. The message from SAU 6 was brief, but its value was plain: a nearby place for kids to read, a reason to keep showing up, and a built-in community resource that does not depend on transportation or extra spending.

The program is rooted in a broader summer reading framework. The 2026 iREAD campaign also uses Plant a Seed, Read as its theme and includes programming tracks for children, teens, adults, early literacy, families and military audiences. At Fiske Free Library, that national structure gives the local program a clear shape while still leaving room for Claremont-specific events.

The city’s events listing placed a Library Summer Reading Program in the Gilmore Room at Fiske Free Library, reinforcing that the effort was not just a notice but an actual place where summer reading activity would happen. Michael Grace is listed as director of the library in the New Hampshire Library Directory, and the directory gives the library a direct contact number, 603-542-7017, for families seeking details.

Fiske Free Library has deep roots in Claremont. The City of Claremont says Samuel P. Fiske established the library in 1873 with 2,000 volumes from his personal collection, $5,000 for more books and another $5,000 for a permanent trust fund. That history gives today’s summer program a stronger backdrop: one of the city’s oldest civic institutions still working in the practical, everyday business of helping children read.

The Friends of the Fiske Free Library have continued that work as the volunteer group supporting the library and its children’s summer reading programs. They recently promoted an annual book sale that gave any child who attended a free book, then sold children’s books for 25 cents each, another sign that summer reading in Claremont is being backed with low-cost access to books as well as programming.