Kids
SUMMER READING CLUB
Contact us
Questions for the Children’s Room can be answered by phone or by email: kids@maplewoodlibrary.org
MAIN LIBRARY:
51 Baker Street
973.762.1688 ext 5001
Jane Folger
Natasha Osborne-Boothe
HILTON BRANCH:
1688 Springfield Ave
973.762.1688 ext 5101
Jennifer Jacoppo
For the summer reading challenge, register on Beanstack.
You can download the Beanstack App to log your reading & writing on the go!
Have questions? See the Beanstack FAQ
2026 SUMMER READING CLUB:
UNEARTH A STORY!
A reading incentive program for kids
from birth through 5th grade
Prizes, activities, and programs!
June 15th - August 15th
Thank you to the Friends of the Library for making this program possible!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: June | July | August
Unearth some great stories at your library this summer! Log the TIME you spend READING or WRITING to earn badges, prizes, books, comics, and more! The more you read or write, the more chances you get to win prizes!
HOW IT WORKS for KIDS:
1. SIGN UP on BEANSTACK for Maplewood Library’s 2026 KIDS Summer Reading Challenge. Create a FAMILY account, then add child readers, so that you can all use the same email address (early registration starts on June 8th)
2. TRACK THE TIME YOU SPEND READING & WRITING to earn prizes, books, comics, and more! (Logging starts on June 15th)
3. Log your time in BEANSTACK or on a PAPER LOG (but preferably not in both)
4. Then come to the library to get your prizes (starting Monday June 29th)
5. Detailed instructions can be found below
EARNING PRIZES for KIDS:
Prize-giving for kids starts the week of June 29th!
For every hour you read or write, kids earn a sticker to solve the Pixel Puzzle Poster. You can get an unlimited number of Pixel Puzzle stickers if you keep reading and writing.
In addition, for every 3 hours that you read or write, kids can spin the prize wheel for a special prize. Come to the library to see what those prizes are.
At the end of the summer, the top readers and writers will win a Grand Prize (Grand Prizes include a $25 gift card from the Maplewood business of your choice, Elephant & Piggie bookends, or a Bluetooth speaker). Earn extra credit towards the Grand Prize by writing book reviews! The more time you spend reading and writing, the greater your chance to win a Grand Prize!
LOGGING YOUR TIME:
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR LOGGING IS: The most important elements that we need from you are: time spent reading + number of books + time spent writing.
BUT BELOW ARE THE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS ... IF THAT'S YOUR JAM ...
HOW TO LOG YOUR READING IN BEANSTACK for KIDS:
1. Click on the Log Reading button
2. Click on the SEARCH BY TITLE OR AUTHOR box to find a pic of the book you are reading.
Please don’t MANUALLY enter a title, unless:
• you are logging your WRITING TIME … then put “I wrote a story” in the title box.
• or you are reading a stack of books, and don’t want to type in every title … then put “5 books” in the title box
• Please do not use the Log without a title option
3. In the TIME SPENT READING box, type 15min (for 15 minutes of reading), or 1h 30min (for 1 ½ hours), etc. You can also use the BEANSTACK READING TIMER to time yourself!
4. Click on the Log Reading button when you are done
HOW TO LOG YOUR WRITING IN BEANSTACK for KIDS:
1. Click on the Log Reading button
2. Click on Manually Enter Title
3. In the TITLE BOX, write: “I wrote a story” , or “I drew a comic”, or “I wrote a letter” or “I wrote the alphabet”
4. In the TIME SPENT READING BOX, type 15min (for 15 minutes spent WRITING), or 1h 30min (for 1 ½ hours), etc. You can also use the BEANSTACK READING TIMER to add up your WRITING time!
5. You can upload what you wrote, if you want ... just press the + button)
6. Click on the Log Reading button when you are done
HOW TO USE A PAPER LOG for KIDS:
If you are unable to use Beanstack, we have a PAPER LOG option for Kids. You can print out a PAPER LOG here, but please just use one option for logging your child’s reading & writing time (either Beanstack or paper log).
• Register on Beanstack for Maplewood Library’s 2026 KIDS Summer Reading Challenge.
• Create a FAMILY account, then add child readers, so that you can use the same email address.
• Print out your paper reading log.
• In the TIME COLUMN: Color in 1 dinosaur for every 15 minutes you read or write.
• In the TITLE COLUMN: Keep track of the titles you are reading.
If you read a stack of books at one time, and can’t list them all, just write the NUMBER of books you read in the TITLE COLUMN – for example write “5 books”
• Make sure you fill out the NUMBER OF BOOKS column
• Bring your paper log to the library to pick up your prizes (Prize giving starts on June 29th)
SOMSD Summer Reading Lists for Elementary Age kids:
2026 Grades K-2 Suggested Reading List
Catalog version (easiest way to request items and see all the formats available)
2026 Grades 3-5 Suggested Reading List
Catalog version (easiest way to request items and see all the formats available)
Contact the Children’s Department:
Any questions? Please email us at kids@maplewoodlibrary.org or call
Main Library at 973.762.1688 ext 5001 or Hilton Branch at 973-762-1688 ext. 5101
For information about the Summer Reading Program by age group: