One of the Calgary Public Library’s longest-running programs, the annual summer reading challenge, is about to begin—and with it, a great chance to learn and earn.

The free challenge allows participants of all ages to sign up and earn opportunities to win prizes by reading from July 1 to Aug. 31.

While the prizes might be the cherry on top to get participants to stick with the program, the real benefit, especially for younger children, is greater retention of lessons learned at school and decreased summer learning loss.

“Part of the motivation for the program, too, is to help children and families and keep up that reading habit and also the learning they’ve achieved through the school year,” said Allison Comrie, librarian and project lead for the Ultimate Summer Challenge.

“Kids and teens can lose some of that learning they achieve during the school year. By making this challenge, we’re hoping to keep reading as a fun activity, keep that learning growing and blossoming over the summer months.”

The books don’t have to be what might be traditionally thought of as appropriate for reading, she said.

“It doesn’t have to be like an actual book. It could be an audiobook, a graphic novel, comics, a Reddit article, the gamut. We just want people to get in the habit of reading like every word counts,” Comrie said.

“It’s getting back to that habit part where it just doesn’t matter for how long every day, like maybe it’s like 10 minutes after you had lunch, or five minutes before you go to bed.”

That habit has been supported by research published in 2025, showing that when the habit is formed in Grade 1 and 2 students, that turns into better test scores later in high school.

Other research that looked at Ontario students in Grades 1–3 found that the summer reading slide, access to home learning resources such as books and newspapers over the summer, raised literacy levels.

Further research still shows that in adulthood, avoiding learning interruptions throughout a lifetime can have positive outcomes for adapting to change and in the workplace.

Building a lifelong love of reading

Adania Reyes and her seven-year-old daughter, Deidre, were among the participants from the 2024 challenge who were planning to take it on again for 2025.

“I think it’s great, because the more you read, the better your chances are at success in life, whether it’s finding a good job, doing well in school, or just finding help where you need it in books, whether it’s nonfiction or fiction,” said Reyes.

“I feel like I had a lot of fun when I was a kid reading, and I can’t wait for her to start discovering new worlds and new things through books.”

She said that ultimately it was better for parents to get their children involved in building the lifelong habit of reading, instead of having them always turn to instant gratification like YouTube, social media, or video games.

“It sometimes it feels hard to pay attention to them and to juggle all the stuff that we need to do to survive in life. But when you weigh what is better in the long run, reading will always be best, and it will help their imagination and their chances of doing well in life,” Reyes said.

“They get used to not being on the iPad and on YouTube, so they get used to not having those distractions, and on their own, they will reach for a book.”

Deidre said that she and her mom like to read a book every night, and getting to do that was more important than the prizes that come from the challenge.

“Reading is more important than just winning for me, because reading is like a seed; if you don’t read that much, then a flower is like you reading every day,” she said.

Comrie said that one of the benefits for people of all ages taking part in the challenge, not just youth, was the social connection that comes as a result.

“Part of the program is coming in weekly to get badges for reading seven days in a row. It’s also building those community connections, visiting library staff, meeting other families in the library, and doing the challenge with your family and your friends,” she said.

Pre-signups are open now for the Ultimate Summer Challenge at www.calgarylibrary.ca/events-and-programs/ultimate-summer-challenge, alongside a list of prizes by age group.