We’re planting the seeds for a summer full of stories, activities, and garden inspired fun with our Plant a Seed, READ! Summer Reading Challenge, running June 1 through July 31, 2026. Grow your reading skills and your love of good books, print or digital, and enjoy the season as readers of all ages discover and explore the beauty of nature, creativity, and imagination.
You can get a head start by setting up your Beanstack account and if you just can't wait, preregistration opens May 1.
If you're a D300 student, completing the AAPLD Summer Reading Challenge also qualifies you for finishing the D300 Reads Summer Program. When you receive your D300 certificate, scan the QR code on the back to let the district know you completed the challenge.
Bonus Perk: This year, your reading doesn't just earn prizes for you, it helps others! Through Heifer International's Read to Feed initiative corporate sponsors, your Summer Reading will help support access to real seeds for home gardens with fruits and vegetables, clean water for health and sanitation, flocks of chickens that can provide hundreds of eggs each year, and even honeybees that help pollinate future harvests.
Stay tuned, more details are about to blossom!
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?
Log your progress via the Beanstack tracker app:
If you prefer to track your reading on paper, print a log or pick one up at the library. They'll be available here beginning June 1, 2026
Keep track of your books or hours of reading. Then come to either library location or call at 847-458-6060 (ext 135 for Youth or ext 143 for Teen and Adult) to log your books with us. We will alert you to any prizes you've earned! Want to know more about the goals and prizes? Read on below.
Collect points online or advance through the paper game board by completing activities, reading 3 books, or reading for 1 hour. With each point/space AAPLD cardholders earn a ticket to enter in the grand prize drawings. Stop by the library when you get halfway done with 10 points/spaces for a mid-point prize. 20 points/spaces completes the challenge and earns prizes like a free book, a Kona Ice coupon, and a Summer Reading T-shirt (t-shirts are for ages 3 and up)!
After each block of eight (8) hours of reading, stop by for a small prize. Each hour (up to 24) gets AAPLD cardholders an entry to one of our grand prizes.
Read three books and earn coupons and prizes for each, plus your summer reading t-shirt. Each book gets AAPLD cardholders an entry (up to 15) to a drawing of their choice.
This year's GRAND prizes!
While all readers can enjoy the milestone prizes mentioned above, Summer Reading also earns AAPLD cardholders tickets for chances to win grand prizes such as a Here We Grow Basket, Lego Botanical Basket, Cubs Tickets, Campfire Basket, Movie Essential Night Basket, Gardening Basket, $50 Carter's Gift Card, $50 Amazon Gift Card, and more! The Summer Reading grand prize winners will be drawn and notified the week of August 10.
Baby/Toddler (Infants through 2 years)
Youth (3 years-Grade 8)
Teens
Adult
FAQs
Beanstack is our online reading program software where you can track all your reading progress.
You can reset your password yourself within the Beanstack sign-in page.
Still stuck? Contact the Library via phone at 847-458-6060 or fill out the Contact Us form.
Try your Library card number or email address.
If this doesn't work, contact the Library via phone at 847-458-6060 or fill out the Contact Us form.
While the Library has a wide variety of titles in our collection of over 225,000+ books, ebooks, & audiobooks for you to enjoy, books from anywhere (including your home or other libraries) count towards your goals this summer. Do you like to reread old favorites? Those count! Do you love graphic novels? They count! Does your toddler want to hear the same book five times in a row? Great! That counts as five books towards their goal. Do you read in multiple languages? That all counts! Do you prefer to listen to audiobooks? Audiobooks are reading, too!
For Baby/Toddler and Youth, anything they read or that is read-aloud to them by another counts towards their Reading Challenge.
For Teens, your challenge is based on how many hours of reading you are doing. Reading can take place in many formats. Novels, comics, magazines, newspapers, graphic novels, audiobooks, and ebooks all count towards your Reading Challenge.
For Adults, print books, eBooks, and audiobooks all count towards your Reading Challenge.
Yes. You can set up as many profiles as you like, for readers of any age. If you’re a parent who reads aloud to more than one kid at a time, you can credit that reading time to multiple children’s accounts with a single click—no need to log it in separately for each child.
No. An AAPLD library card is not required and all are welcome to participate whether your card is from another library or you don’t have a card at all.
However, prizes must be picked up in person and will not be sent via mail to participants. Eligibility for grand prizes is limited to AAPLD cardholders. Non-AAPLD participants are qualified for milestone rewards (e.g. T-shirts, coupons, etc.). For further clarification, please call us at 847-458-6060.
Log Online:
- Click on the Sign In button to get to your Beanstack account.
- Click the Log Reading and Activities button in the upper left corner. To log for different readers, change the reader in the drop-down menu on the upper right.
Log using the Beanstack Tracker app:
- Download the Beanstack Tracker app to get started: Google Play iOS
- To log your reading, flip your book over and use your phone to scan the barcode on the back. For Teen and Youth challenge participants, be sure to add the number of minutes or hours that you read where applicable.
You can print out a paper log or ask for one at the Harnish Main Library or Eastgate Branch Library beginning June 1, 2025. When you are ready to receive your prize(s), redeem them at either library location.

