2025 Summer Reading Wrap-Up

Our 2025 Summer Reading Challenge has come to a close, and we want to thank you for a summer full of creativity, connection, and reading. You colored our summer by participating in art-related programs and collaborative library displays, and beat the summer slide by logging millions of minutes in reading. No matter your age, Summer Reading is a fun and helpful tool to set reading and learning goals for ourselves. Congratulations on a great summer! If you participated in Summer Reading and haven’t already taken our survey, please give us your feedback. There’s even a chance to win a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card.

Read on to learn more about your collective accomplishments and this year’s Grand and Branch Prize winners.

FINAL CHALLENGE NUMBERS & GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

All together:

• 6,600 of you participated in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.
• You logged a total of 5,607,949 minutes.
• You shared 4,519 book reviews on Beanstack.

Grand Prize Winners:

• Wonder Magnetic Building Tiles and Light Table (Pre-Readers): Anwita A. (Twin Hickory)
• Apple iPad (10.9 inch) 64GB with Apple Pencil (Kids): Loralai G. (Tuckahoe)
• Creality K1 SE 3D Printer (Teens): Kemi K. (Varina)
• Cricut Maker 3 Crafting Machine (Adults): Kevin R. (Fairfield)

Branch Prize Winners:

• Deluxe Brick Box (Pre-Readers)

  • Autumn H. (Fairfield)
  • Lucy L. (Gayton)
  • Ellie S. (Glen Allen)
  • Grayson S. (Libbie Mill)
  • Trudy E. (North Park)
  • Artahmos W. (Sandston)
  • James C. (Tuckahoe)
  • Navaneeth M. (Twin Hickory)
  • Lily K. (Varina)

• Vibrant Creative Brick Box (Kids)

  • Emory H. (Fairfield)
  • Olivia C. (Gayton)
  • Roma J. (Glen Allen)
  • Penelope D. (Libbie Mill)
  • Porter P. (North Park)
  • Chloe N. (Sandston)
  • Ivy B. (Tuckahoe)
  • Devyani S. (Twin Hickory)
  • Eliana A. (Varina)

• Polaroid Go Mini Instant Film Camera (Teens)

  • Olivia D. (Fairfield)
  • Joseph P. (Gayton)
  • Kaylee G. (Glen Allen)
  • Yeardley H. (Libbie Mill)
  • Adrienne M. (North Park)
  • Genevieve (Sandston)
  • Michael G. (Tuckahoe)
  • Naj P. (Twin Hickory)
  • Savannah F. (Varina)

• $50 Gift Card (Adults)

  • Dominic F. (Fairfield)
  • Bonnie B. (Gayton)
  • Mike R. (Glen Allen)
  • Georgia G. (Libbie Mill)
  • Erica A. (North Park)
  • Bert R. B. (Sandston)
  • Sarah B. (Tuckahoe)
  • Liz B. (Twin Hickory)
  • Tina T. (Varina)

Finishing Prizes

Of course, all Summer Reading Challenge finishers are winners. Stop by your library before the end of August to pick up your finishing prize:

• 5-Color Fun Crayon (Pre-Readers)
• Colored Pencil Set (Kids)
• Clip-On Ring Light (Teens)
• Collectible Coffee Mug (Adults)

BOOK REVIEWS

One of our favorite things about the Summer Reading Challenge is learning about what you’ve been reading. With over 4,000 reviews submitted, you’ve given us no shortage of books to add to our reading list! Here are just a few of your favorites from this summer:

• The Coworker by Freida McFadden - “This book was my first Freida! I thought it started off with a bang right away. Towards the middle it started to get predictable, but because incidents kept happening it hooked me in to finish. I give this book 4 stars.” – Lucretia D., Fairfield

• River of Books: A Life in Reading by Donna Seaman – “A very interesting book by an author who has chronicled her journey thru life as an avid reader. The book leaves no doubt as to her success in life and what she gained by her love of books. It made me stop and think about my own reading adventures!” – Tom G., Gayton

• Kid-ventors by Kailei Pew – “This book is about many kids all over the world who used their inventions to change the world. I learned that even if people are young like eight or ten like me, they can make a difference with their inventions, thoughts, and ideas. You have to be creative to make an invention or create something to help the world. I have always wanted to be an inventor since I was 6 years old, so this book really helped me understand what it means to be one and how I can use my ideas and creative skills to get praised. Some kids made very impressive and important inventions like a girl named Remya Jose, who was a fourteen-year-old who lived in Kerala, India. She made a pedal-powered washing machine because her new chore was to do the entire family’s laundry. Her mother would usually do it, but she fell sick leaving the challenging task to Remya. Using a washing machine would be easier than doing the chore with bare hands, but her family could not afford one, since washing machines were expensive at that time. She studied every day and found a solution… Overall, this book was amazing to read!!!” - Vasundhara R., Age 10, Glen Allen

• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune - “I loved the first book, so I figured I would love this one too. I was correct. It had all of the found family from the first book, plus expanded lore and new characters. Sweet, charming, and a perfect book to kick off the summer.” – Mollie M., Age 17, Libbie Mill

• “The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods is a whimsical book that takes you on a beautiful journey through hardship and finding oneself. It teaches you to embrace who you are and let others in.” – Rebekah C., North Park

• Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek - “Dark and delicious. Exciting plot. Believable characters and good twists.” – Elizabeth T., Sandston

• “Wildoak by C.C. Harrington is a great story because it is a story of a little girl that overcomes her stutter by finding peace in nature and caring for animals.” - Carmen S., Age 12, Tuckahoe

• “Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is a dangerously suspenseful novel with a perfect dose of romance. It dips into the tragedies of society and how that creates the people of today. Taking place in the world of Grishaverse, it's perfect for fans of the series Shadow & Bone, The Cruel Prince, and Caraval. The romantasy series revolves around a heist that Kaz Brekker and his friends must perform to both maintain the world as they know it today and for the money. Leigh Bardugo weaves a clever story filled with love, heartbreak, and revenge that teaches readers exactly what friendship truly is. – Anne Katherine R., Age 15, Twin Hickory

• Ice Cream Face by Heidi Woodward Sheffield – “One of our favorite cheery summertime reads! Silly and a great ending emphasizing the joy of sharing!” - Brooks N., Age 3, Varina

WHAT NEXT?

Continue to set reading goals for yourself with our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and 100 Books Before Graduation programs, and use the momentum from summer to kick-off a year full of reading. Plus, stay tuned for details about our upcoming Haunted Henrico reading challenge. How many booo-ks can you read during spooky season? And last but not least, find recommendations throughout the year by subscribing to genre-specific newsletters, or trying out HCPL’s My Next Read service for personalized book lists from our librarians.