Get Ready to Unearth a Story!

Submitted by Sarah Brubaker

The 2026 Summer Reading Challenge will run from Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, August 5. Early registration opens on Friday, May 1. 

Patrons can sign up for the challenge with the Beanstack app on any device, then start logging their reading. They will earn 1 point for each minute of reading, or 20 points for one book. All ages will also have the option to complete activities worth 10 points.

Beanstack Badges

• Points badges are awarded at 100, 250, and 500 points.
• Virtual badges will appear every 500 points to let patrons know they've earned additional raffle tickets for the grand prize drawings. 
• Activity badges:
• Branch Badges. Each branch has a unique badge that patrons can earn by visiting that location and completing an engagement activity.
• Where’s Loanie. Patrons can only earn the badge once in Beanstack, but they can visit Loanie all 4 times in June to receive each of the unique buttons.
• Dino-mite Reader. This badge will unlock the week of July 27. Patrons will earn it if they confirm that they earned over 1,000 points during the summer. 

Incremental Prizes

Preschool:

• 100 Points: “Dino Egg” (Shaky Egg)
• 250 Points: Mochi dinosaur toy
• 500 Points: Dinosaur fidget bracelet, prize book, and name on Wall of Readers
• Activity Badges: Stickers

Elementary and Middle School:

• 100 Points: Button + lanyard
• 250 Points: Button
• 500 Points: Button, prize book, and name on Wall of Readers
• Activity Badges: Buttons
• Secret Button (Code Phrase: “Dig It!”)

High School: 

• 100 Points: Sticker
• 250 Points: Sticker
• 500 Points: Stress toy and prize book
• Activity Badges: Buttons

Adults and Staff:

• 100 Points: Sticker
• 250 Points: Sticker
• 500 Points: Sticker and  $3.00 Friends Bookstore coupon
• Activity Badges: buttons

Grand Prizes

Tickets for the grand prize drawings are awarded every 500 points, up to 5000 points for a total of 10 entries. All tickets must be applied by midnight on Wednesday, August 5. Grand prize winners will be drawn on Thursday, August 6. The winners will have until Wednesday, August 19 to claim their prizes. If any prizes go unclaimed, new winners will be drawn on Thursday, August 20. To see this year's prizes, check out this flyer.

Beanstack Staff Tests

You can now test the Beanstack challenges! Log in to your Beanstack account using your staff credentials and you should see all the STAFF TEST challenges available to you. If you do not see the challenges, your Beanstack account may need to have its permissions updated, so please contact Sarah Brubaker to get your account updated.

Please choose one or more challenges to test and try out all aspects of the challenge, including adding tickets to prizes. These test challenges will be available  through Thursday, April 30. If you encounter any problems, please email Sarah Brubaker so she can fix them before the challenges go live on May 1.

Dress Code

Summer Reading Fun T-shirts are a part of the FCPL Dress Code from May 1–August 5. You are also welcome to source your own Summer Reading shirt as long as it has the theme "Unearth a Story." Please consult your supervisor if you are considering purchasing your own shirt.