Digging Deeper, Growing Stronger: Adult Summer Reading 2021
This summer, the Boston Public Library is encouraging our community to dig deeper and grow stronger through reading and other activities! Adult Summer Reading is for all Boston Public Library cardholders age 18 and up, and runs June 1 to August 31.
We hope you'll enjoy reading with your Boston Public Library community this summer! Send any questions about the program to bingo@bpl.org.
Participation Details
Adult Summer Reading at the Boston Public Library is a bingo card of 24 challenges to complete between June 1 and August 31. Sign up online and download your bingo card in English, Español, 中文, or Português.
Three ways to fill out the card:
- Fill it out on your computer using Adobe Acrobat or any other PDF software.
- The downloaded card can be printed and filled out by hand.
- You can also pick up a bingo card from your local library and fill it in by hand.
Fill out each square as you complete the challenges, and turn in your card:
- Online,
- Via email to bingo@bpl.org,
- At your local library.
You must have at least one completed line of squares to be eligible for the Grand Prize. You can submit your card online as many times as you want to update your progress. All cards must be submitted by end of day on August 31 in order to be included in a prize drawing.
Prizes
Participation Prize: Sign up online immediately to enter a drawing for a $20 gift card to your choice of local independent bookstore.
Grand Prize: Turn in your bingo card with a completed horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line to enter a drawing for a $200 gift card to your choice of local independent restaurant or grocery store.
You can submit your completed bingo card:
- Online
- Via email to bingo@bpl.org
- In person at your local library
You will receive one entry per completed line, up to twelve entries for a completely filled out card. You may submit your card multiple times to record your ongoing progress.
Prizewinners will be contacted via email in early September.
Programs and Events
You can find all sorts of library programs in our events calendar. However, a few highlights this summer include:
City Natives Gardening Series - Wish you could garden, but don’t think you have enough space? Join City Natives for a virtual gardening series as they explain how to create gardens in city environments.
Writers Without Margins Workshops - Stressed out? Attend one of these expressive writing workshops run by Writers Without Margins. Sometimes getting it out on paper is the release you need!
StoryWalks® – Take a walk and read a story at the same time! Check out this series of public literature installations for both youth and adults.
Reading Together: A Yearlong Reading Challenge – That's right, there are two reading challenges you can count your books toward this summer! Read and recommend books according to 12 monthly themes.
Mapping Our Boston Histories
Part of "Digging Deeper, Growing Stronger" is digging into our own history and growing together as a community by sharing that history with each other. The Adult Summer Reading Program is working with the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center to create a map of Boston locations that are significant to Boston Public Library patrons. To do this, we need your stories!
You can participate in this project by sharing a story about your favorite place in Boston. Share your story online or by filling out the Mapping Our Boston Histories section of your bingo card before submitting it.
If you consent to sharing your story publicly, it may be displayed online as part of a digital map and/or included in a data set archived by the Leventhal Map & Education Center for public use.
Get Help with a Summer Reading Challenge
We have put together suggestions for how to complete all 24 of the different challenges on this year's bingo card below. You do not have to follow our suggestions! They are only meant to help you if you're having trouble deciding what to read or how to complete an activity.
