Level Up at Your Library
Mon. June 23 - Sat. August 16, 2025
For ages 11-18
(Middle & High School Students)
Congratulations on reading for over 920 hours in 2024!
This year's theme focuses on sports & gaming!
New this year - Reading Dragons!
Questions? Email Casey at cpetipas-haggerty@minlib.net or call 978-897-1010 x102
About the Teen Summer Library Club
How it works:
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Log your reading¹ on Reader Zone. Paper reading logs will be available for anyone who wants to track their reading offline.
- 5 hours of Reading = 1 prize
- Read within various featured genres, formats, or topics (called Categories), and/or participate in activities found in the Teen Room and online (called Summer Challenges). Log these activities & titles on Reader Zone. For a full list of Challenges, Activities, and Categories, click here.
- 5 Summer Challenges = 1 prize
- 3 Categories = 1 prize
- Visit the library, attend a library event or read 2025 Teen Choice Book Award Nominees for bonus prizes!
- 2 library visits/events or Teen Choice Book Award titles = 1 prize.
¹ Reading includes anything related to Summer Homework; print books & eBooks; audio & digital audio books; magazines & newspapers; comics, graphic novels, mangas, & webcomics; Wikipedia articles; fanfiction... ANY READING COUNTS. Even wordless picture books & graphic novels!
New this Year: Reading Dragons!
It's Pokémon meets Rocks-Paper-Scissors.
Earn card sets by reading for 2 hours. Each set features the 4 evolutionary stages of a dragon, designed by artist Carey Pietsch of Lumberjanes and The Adventure Zone fame. Each dragon is either a Fire, Water, or Leaf type
Collect all 8 sets and battle - Fire beats Leaf, Leaf beats Water, Water beats Fire!
No additional logging is needed - just log minutes on Reader Zone.
How to Join:
This year's online Summer Library Club tracker is hosted by Reader Zone.
To join, download the Reader Zone app and create a profile. Be sure to include an e-mail address and phone number so you can be contacted about prizes.
OR go to ReaderZone.com and click the "Sign Up" button.
If you participated in the Children's Summer Reading Club or Teen Summer Library Club last year, that account still works! Library staff are not able to reset passwords - you will have to do that - but they can tell you what email address is associated with your account.
To join Maynard's Teen Summer Library Club, enter the code: 8c48d
Did You Know?
Reader Zone has an app that lets you track your reading right on your phone!
It's available in the App Store and in Google Play.
For an overview of how to use Reader Zone, visit the Reader Zone Help Page
Prizes
Prizes will be available starting Monday, June 30, and will be available until Thursday, August 21. You can stop by the 3rd Floor to choose your prize(s) anytime, and can select multiple prizes at once.
You will receive an award on Reader Zone indicating that you can come choose a prize.
Prize options include:
Books
Art Supplies
Craft kits
School/office supplies
Keychains
Puzzles
Posters
Pins
and more!
Scavenger Hunts
Roll a Scavenger Hunt
Begins Monday, June 30
Roll a pair of dice (found in the Teen Room) to determine what you need to find! It's a new scavenger hunt every time you visit!
Pokémon Scavenger Hunt
Begins Monday, July 14
Find the Legendary Pokémon hidden around the 3rd Floor!
Sports Scavenger Hunt
Begins Monday, August 4
Find the pieces of sports equipment hiding around the 3rd Floor and correctly identify which sport it belongs to!
Mr. Mark's Scavenger Hunts
Be a little kid again and complete any of Mr. Mark's scavenger hunts on the 3rd floor.
Scavenger Hunts are one of the Summer Challenges - completing them can help you earn bonus prizes! For a full list of Summer Challenges and other ways to earn prizes, go to Summer Challenges, Activities, & Categories Page
Summer Events
Be sure to check www.maynardpubliclibrary.org/calendar
for more library events you may be interested in, such as the summer concert and author visits.
All events listed below are for ages 11-18/middle & high school students, unless otherwise specified.
DIY Travel Games
Thursday, July 10
2:30pm in the Trustees Room
No registration needed.
Make reusable, easy to transport games perfect for summer travel!
Friday Movie Matinees
One Friday each month
11:30am in the Roosevelt Room
No registration needed
Enjoy a movie & popcorn... plus activities and crafts related to the movie.
Dates are listed below.
Friday, June 27: Wreck-it Ralph
Friday, July 18: Sonic the Hedgehog
Friday, August 8: Pokémon: The First Movie
Silent Book Club (plus) Snacks
One Monday each month
3:30pm in the Storytime Room
No registration needed
Make yourself a treat, then read independently. It's a great chance to read from the 2025 Teen Choice Book Award Nominees!
Dates & snacks are listed below.
Monday, June 30: Chips & Salsa
Monday, July 28: Ice Cream Floats
Monday, August 18: Cupcakes
For information on ingredients, please email Casey at cpetipas-haggerty@minlib.net
Double Puzzle Challenge
Tuesday, July 1
6:30-8:00pm in the Roosevelt Room
Ages 8-Adult
Complete a 300 or 500 piece jigsaw puzzle (choose which puzzle at registration) faster than your friends and neighbors! Each team will receive the same 300 or 500 pc puzzle. The team that finishes first or completes the most before time is called wins!
Adults, teens, and families with kids aged 8+ are welcome to participate. (Limited to 10 teams, up to 4 members per team)
To keep the competition fair, please select the puzzle size that best meets the skills of your team.
Light refreshments will be served.
Dragon Eye with Popup Art School
Friday, July 11
11:00am-12:30pm
Ages 11-18
Who's that peeking out from the cave? Sculpt a Dragon eye that's fierce or friendly using a glass eye, air dry clay and metallic paint. If time allows we'll also make a Dragon egg.
Presented by Popup Art School
4th Annual Tiny Art Show
Kits available beginning Wednesday, July 16
OR attend an In-person Creating Event:
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Monday, July 21, 1:00-4:00pm in the Storytime Room
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Tuesday, July 29, 6:00-8:00pm in the Storytime Room
All Ages, No registration needed.
Show dates: Saturday, August 2 - Saturday, August 16
Artists' Reception: Tuesday, August 5, 7:00pm
Create artwork no larger than 4" at home or attend one of the two In-person creating events. Return the artwork by 9pm on Tuesday, July 29 for it to be included in a gallery show in the Roosevelt Room.
Family Board Game Night
Thursday, July 17
6:30-8:00pm in the Roosevelt Room
Ages 8-adult
No registration neded
Drop in and play a wide variety of board and card games, from old favorites like Connect Four to classics like Monopoly, from games that are just plain old like chess*, to recent releases like Exploding Kittens. Learn a new game or play a favorite. Come with friends or find new opponents.
Some games that we'll provide: UpWords, Boggle, Exploding Kittens, BananaGrams, Set, Quiddler, Uno, Pass the Pigs, Cranium, Maynard-opoly
*Chess was invented in the 6th century and evolved to the game we know in the the 15th century.
Monthly Tween Crafts
Meets one Tuesday each month
6:00pm in the Storytime Room
Ages 9-14
Registration required
Join Ms. Casey for a craft program for upper elementary and middle school-aged kids!
Dates:
Tuesday, July 22: Pixel Art
Tuesday, August 19: Bag Charms
Minute to Win It
Thursday, July 24
2:30pm in the Trustees Room
Ages 11-18
No registration needed
You have 60 seconds! Can you stack enough cups, flip coins, or bounce a ping-pong ball enough times to win? Prizes will be awarded.
By the Sea Soap Making Workshop with Kulina Folk Art
Saturday, July 26
11:00am-12:00pm
Ages 13-adult
Registration required - Opens for Maynard residents on July 12, opens for everyone else on July 19
Join us as we explore the world of soap creation using glycerin based soap. Our process eliminates the need for traditional soap making techniques because we won’t be using lye. Each participant will have the opportunity to craft their own unique and fragrant soapy creation. With a variety of vibrant colors, glitter, and scents at your disposal, the possibilities are endless. Dive into the immersive experience, as we work together to embed white soap sea shells into the colored soap, creating a whimsical element. At the end of the workshop, you will have a 4.50 oz. soap, which may be cut into three sections. Easily remove your creation from the mold the following day and use it right away. Let your creativity shine as you design your own personalized soap masterpiece!
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION from Kulina Folk Art:
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Melted soap is hot. The registering of children under 18 years old for this program indicates that the parent/guardian acknowledges the possibility of safety concerns while handling hot soap.
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No children will be allowed in the room, only the registered participants.
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Program starts promptly, no admission is allowed after instructions are given.
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No exceptions will be made to these rules.
Take & Make Craft Kits
All kits are available for pick-up at the Circulation Desk beginning on Wednesdays while supplies last. Kits contain most, if not all, of the supplies needed. Scissors, glue, or other items may be needed.
Check the library calendar for more information.
June 23: Popsicle Stick Beach Scene
July 2: Tabletop Basketball Game
July 9: Design Your Own Puzzle
July 16: Tiny Art Show Kit
July 23: Paper Popsicle Mini Box
August 6: Plush Dice
August 13: Sports Necklace/Keychain
Summer Resources
Maynard Library Booklists
Diverse Books & #OwnVoices: A list of recent books that feature a diverse cast of characters.
Book to Movies: A list of books that have been turned into movies, mini-series, and tv shows.
Short Stories: A list of short story and essay collections on many different topics and genres
2025 Teen Choice Book Award Nominees
Read the books now, vote for your favorite in September!
YALSA stands for Young Adult Library Services Association, and it mostly provides resources for librarians. However, every year they compile lists of the best books in various categories, including the Teens Top 10 - chosen by teens around the country.
Sponsors
Thank You!
Level Up at Your Library, the Massachusetts Statewide Summer Library Program, is funded by the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. It is also sponsored by the Friends of the Maynard Public Library.
The theme of "Level Up at Your Library" and related artwork is provided iRead and the Illinois Library Association. Artwork created by Carey Pietsch. Reading Dragons is organized by Dover Public Library, Dover, Ohio, with artwork by Carey Pietsch.