Brunswick County Library Invites Youth to ‘Unearth a Story’ with 2026 Summer Reading Program

Free nine-week literacy initiative brings dynamic live shows, escape rooms, and physical reading logs to five county branch locations starting June 1.

By BC News Staff Writer

May 27, 2026

BOLIVIA, NC — The Brunswick County Library system is officially inviting young readers from birth through grade 12 to embark on an interactive journey of discovery this season with the launch of its 2026 Summer Reading Program: “Unearth a Story.”

The free, nine-week educational initiative is scheduled to begin across the region on June 1 and will run consecutively through July 31, 2026. Activities, learning milestones, and prize redemptions will be fully hosted across all physical library branches, alongside tailored distributions from the county’s mobile community bookmobile.

Organizers emphasize that the program is strategically structured to prevent the traditional “summer slide” – a well-documented trend where students lose core reading proficiency during extended school breaks. By blending fundamental literacy benchmarks with high-energy community events, the library aims to make learning both highly accessible and intrinsically rewarding.

To match the varying interests of the county’s youth, the library branches have segmented their activity tracks into age-appropriate experiences:

• For Children (Ages 0 to Elementary): Young participants can engage in specialized weekly themed Storytimes, educational music and magic shows, structured hands-on crafts, and live animal encounter events designed to introduce biological science concepts.

• For Teens (Middle to High School): Older participants are invited to join focused interest clubs, collaborative escape rooms that utilize logic and problem-solving skills, and visual arts workshops led by local instructors.

A comprehensive, day-by-day directory of these scheduled events can be accessed directly via the library’s central online events calendar.

The core objective of “Unearth a Story” centers on encouraging participants to read regularly while actively attending community programs to earn structured tier prizes. To maximize accessibility, Brunswick County Library is offering dual tracking mechanisms at no cost to local families.

Families preferring a physical, off-screen experience can pick up a paper-bound reading log from any of the five local library branch locations. Alternatively, participants can choose a streamlined digital format by registering online through READsquared – the county’s dedicated, ad-free online reading challenge platform and mobile application. Progress tracking and registration are standard across both systems.

County residents can participate in the program, redeem prizes, and check out reading materials at any of the following physical branch addresses during normal business hours:

For more details regarding specific operational hours, event registration guidelines, or digital app setup instructions, residents can visit the dedicated summer program page at BrunswickCountyNC.gov/summer-reading

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