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At the Carrollton library, 9-year-old Caleb Thomas knows summer reading is about more than prizes.
“It takes all the sad things or anything that’s just on my mind, and I just get into reading,” he said. “Lost in the books.”
His sister, 8-year-old Hailey Thomas, has her own reasons. She likes “Dog Man” and “Cat Kid Comic Club” because of “the comics and the fighting.” In some of her favorite stories, she said, the characters “suit up to fight villains.”
Their mother, Carrie Thomas, said that is why her family keeps coming back to summer reading.
“It gives them a reason to read over the summer,” Thomas said. “It helps me get back into reading too. We hang out together on the sofa for 30 minutes or whatever and read. It’s nice.”
In Carrollton and Farmers Branch, libraries are offering summer reading programs while school is out. Both use prizes, challenges and events to keep readers coming back.
The Carrollton Public Library’s 2026 Summer Reading Challenge runs June 1 through Aug. 1. Participants read and log minutes through Beanstack. E-books, magazines, newspapers and audiobooks count.
Rachel Young, Carrollton Public Library director, said the challenge brings more people into the library during a season when family schedules often change.
“The multi-generational use and enjoyment of our libraries, resources, programs and services is a wonderful thing to see,” Young said.
In 2025, Carrollton’s Summer Reading Challenge had more than 2,000 individual participants who logged minutes, Young said. The city reported participants logged 3.78 million minutes of reading, setting a record.
Participants earn prizes at reading milestones, including books or drawing tickets. Carrollton residents do not need a library card to join, though the city encourages residents to get one.
Young said the program is designed for people who may not think of themselves as readers.
“Do you listen to audiobooks on your drive sometimes? That’s reading,” Young said. “Do you simply love comic books, but don’t want to read a full text chapter book? That’s OK, it’s still reading.”
Thomas, an English teacher, said Carrollton’s minutes-based system works well for children who move between graphic novels, chapter books and longer novels.
“I really like that it measures minutes and not the number of books that you’re reading,” Thomas said.
She said the program also helps during a long break from school.
“There’s a huge summer slide, and I think anything that keeps kids’ brains going and keeps them off their devices is awesome,” she said.
The Thomas family has participated for several years. Hailey said she is looking forward to the next “Cat Kid Comic Club” book. Caleb said he likes graphic novels because they have more pictures than traditional novels and are shorter. He also reads other books, including “The Dead Pets of Rex Dexter.”
In Farmers Branch, the Manske Library’s 2026 Summer Reading Club, “Unearth a Story,” uses challenge cards. Participants complete cards and turn them in for prizes. Completed cards are due by July 31.
Ariel Wallace, communications manager for Farmers Branch, said the challenges include reading five books, attending three programs, checking out a kit, completing a mix-and-match activity or checking out a book from a display.
“Each challenge card is essentially a ticket toward a prize, and our prizes range from one to three cards in price,” Wallace said. “For example, one challenge card will get you a dinosaur pencil, while three challenge cards will get you a tote bag.”
This year’s theme centers on dinosaurs, treasure, archaeology and the unknown. Wallace said the library wants the theme to spark curiosity through books, media and programming.
“Our theme this year is ‘Unearth a Story,’ which is all about digging into the rich world contained in books and media,” Wallace said.
The Farmers Branch program also includes events for different ages. Wallace said the summer schedule includes live animals, science experiments and magic shows.
“There is something about the unbridled enthusiasm and energy people bring into the library during summer that make everything worth all the good work we put into organizing the events,” Wallace said.
Last year, Farmers Branch readers helped the library exceed its challenge card goal of 1,400. The reward was “Color the Librarian with Dustin.” Participants chased a librarian with squirt guns filled with colored water.
For Dustin Nordt, a Manske Library staff member, the best summer moments come when children have space to create.
“Some of my favorite moments every summer come from seeing how creative the kids can be when you give them resources, an idea and the flexibility to make it their own,” Nordt said.
He said programs such as “Lego & Friends” and “Make It, Take It” give children a chance to build and experiment away from screens.
“Plus, I feel that it’s more important than ever to give kids an ‘offline,’ ‘no AI’ outlet to practice that creativity,” Nordt said.
Carrollton’s challenge ends with an End of Summer Reading Party on Aug. 7 at Rosemeade Rainforest Aquatic Complex. Participants earn an invitation after logging any number of minutes toward the challenge.
But for the Thomas family, the program’s value starts well before the final celebration. The summer challenge is not just about minutes logged or prizes earned. It is about making room for books, together.
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