Summer Reading Program

Back for its third year, our 2026 Summer Reading Program is all about connecting the pleasure of reading and reading aloud with real-world activities and discoveries!

Welcome to the Story Lab!

Our 2026 Summer Reading Program, Story Lab: Where Books Bring Curiosity to Life, invites your family into a summer filled with discovery, creativity, and hands-on fun. This free summer reading program turns reading into an exciting exploration of the real world – from mixing colors and launching rockets to observing wild animals, exploring weather, and inventing new things. Over 6 weeks, enjoy engaging book recommendations paired with guided STEM activities designed to bring stories to life! Story Lab is the perfect way to escape into stories, encourage outdoor exploration, and create memorable family moments together. Plus, participating families can enter for a chance to win a $100 Barnes & Noble gift card!

Ditch the Screen-Time Brain-Drain

Summer often comes with an over-reliance on screens. Whether it’s kids zoning out to endless shows, scrolling through apps, or getting lost in video games, the summer time “brain-drain” is usually a result of too much screen-time.

Does any of this look familiar?

Glazed-Over Eyes

Irritability or Mood Swings

Easily Distracted

Lack of Energy or Interest

You can transform all of this into curiosity, joy, focus and excitement – all through the power of stories. Escape from screen fatigue and immerse your family in story-powered discovery!

Story-Powered Discovery

Download your free copy of our summer reading program, Story Lab: Where Books Bring Curiosity to Life, and you’ll replace screen-time overload with adventure, learning, and creativity… plus, you’ll stimulate your child’s ever-developing brain with fuel and fun.

Turn off the screens and escape into wonderful stories! After that, extend the fun by trying an easy STEM activity that brings to life elements of the stories! This summer is all about following curiosities and opening the door to real-world fun! Imagine a summer that’s filled with:

Curious Pursuits

Instead of zoning out to screens, your kids will dive into the fascinating world around them through the pages of a book. From launching rockets and mixing colors to discovering wildlife, weather, and inventions, every story sparks new questions, bigger thinking, and exciting opportunities to learn through play.

Fun STEM Activities

Each week, Story Lab pairs exciting books with simple STEM activities that bring learning off the page and into the real world. Kids will love reading about science, nature, animals, and inventions and experiencing hands-on fun that keeps them moving, thinking, and curious in ways screens simply can’t match.

Encouragement to Explore

Instead of passive screen time, kids will dive into books that explore science, nature, animals, weather, inventions, and the fascinating world around them. Through stories, activities, and outdoor discovery, Story Lab inspires kids to ask questions, explore boldly, and stay curious all summer long.

Family Memories

Instead of disappearing into separate screens, bond with your family through shared stories, hands-on activities, and meaningful moments of discovery. Read together, create together, explore together, and spark conversations that build lasting memories all summer long.

Embedded Learning

Without even realizing it, your kids will be making connections to the real world, building reading skills, and enhancing their creativity! The experience of getting inspired through books and following curiosities to the kitchen, the backyard, or the local park creates a lasting foundation for meaningful learning.

Personal Growth

Through stories and crafts, children will develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Whether they’re following characters as they problem-solve, or discovering their own capabilities in a STEM activity, kids will discover something new about themselves - and the world around them - every week.

Take a Peek Inside the Story Lab

This isn’t like any ordinary lab. Story Lab is filled with exotic animals, vibrant colors, swirling storms, and billions of stars. Whole families can step inside the Story Lab and discover something new about the world around them – as well as the beauty inside them.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

6 weeks of real-world, book-based themes

24 recommended books, great for Toddlers – Middle Schoolers

Weekly STEM activities, easily done at home

Step-by-Step guidance to follow along

3 Chances to win $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble

Enter the Lab (No Lab Coat Required!)

This summer, your home becomes a curiosity lab where reading leads to discovery, and stories spark hands-on exploration. Each week, kids dive into themes like animals, space, weather, and inventions—then bring what they read to life through simple STEM activities designed for real-world fun and learning.

These read-aloud moments do more than fill time. They build connection, fuel imagination, and help kids see themselves as capable thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers.

Best of all, Story Lab is completely FREE. No travel, no stress, no cost—just meaningful time together and a summer full of experiments in curiosity. (And don’t forget, it also includes your chance to win $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble!)

Ready to step into the Lab?