Summer is right around the corner, and The Westport Library is once again turning up the heat on reading with the return of our Kids’ Summer Reading Program and Adult Summer Reading Challenge! Whether you’re a seasoned challenger or a first-time reader, there’s plenty of fun for people of all ages in this year’s ultimate page-turning season.
Kids’ Summer Reading Program
From June 1 through September 1, kids of all ages are invited to participate in our Summer Reading Program, sponsored by the Bridgeport Islanders.
Join the club and read anything, anytime, anywhere all summer long. Hone literary skills while earning free books and a chance to win a special prize! Every minute counts, and every reader wins.
Register online and log your minutes read. Each registered reader will be given a bingo card to fill out as they read.
Read and log 500 minutes to choose and take home a free book from our prize cart. Earn another free book for every 1,000 minutes logged OR for scoring a “bingo” on a bingo card. Complete the entire bingo card and be entered into a special drawing to win four tickets to the Bridgeport Islanders’ opening game this October!
Adult Summer Reading Challenge
The 9th Annual Adult Summer Reading Challenge is back and better than ever, running June 2 through August 29.
If you’ve participated in our past reading challenges, you’ll be familiar with the rules — and if this is your first time joining us, we're thrilled to have you!
Between longtime bookworms, returning champions, and challenge newcomers alike, enjoy 25 brand new categories that will inspire your reading list. Brave them all or just one — as long as you have fun reading.
The rules are simple and there are only two:
Once you've finished a book that fits a category, you can submit it through the form on our website. Track your progress on our leaderboard, where you can follow the challenge’s rankings and see what other participants are reading.
You can also join your fellow readers in our Westport Reading Challenge Facebook Group to talk books, share recommendations, and stay motivated throughout the challenge. Connect with a good book — and your community!
If you’re still unsure about joining in on the summer fun, trust the reviews from our past year’s participants:
"It was really gratifying to see what everyone has read and to challenge myself to read as much as my friends!"
"This challenge was very impressive! I loved that you could see other people's suggestions."
"I look to see what is suggested by the library as well as what other participants are reading. I am continuing to read the authors I have discovered as a result."
Step out of your comfort zone and ignite your love for reading this summer!
Read With Us!
From picture books to beach reads, to epic journeys and everything in between, The Westport Library challenges you to find your new favorite book this summer. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Jerry Craft (left) and Kwame Alexander (at lectern) met with more than 250 students in The Westport Library's Trefz Forum.
The J vs. K Book Tour took The Westport Library by storm Wednesday morning, May 7, with #1 New York Times best-selling authors and Newbery Award winners Kwame Alexander (The Crossover) and Jerry Craft (New Kid) taking over the Library’s Trefz Forum to celebrate comics, creativity, and the magic of collaboration.
J vs. K is the latest book project from Alexander and Craft, a hilarious illustrated story that features two talented fifth graders — one a writer, the other a drawer — going head-to-head in a creative competition for the ages. As part of the book launch, the two superstar writers are traveling the country via a special J vs. K tour van, making stops in a variety of venues to talk to elementary- and middle school-age students.
Wednesday at the Library, they entertained a packed Trefz Forum full of young faces — nearly 300 in all — from Dunbar School in Bridgeport, ESL students from Central High School in Bridgeport, Marvin Elementary in Norwalk, and Wooster Middle School in Stratford.
Alexander and Craft talked about their journeys from learners to readers to writers, their time in grade school, overcoming adversity, the power of collaboration, and their favorite books, engaging the assembled students throughout with calls-and-responses, giveaways, selfies, and more. Both men emphasized that reading should be fun, noting that many of the books they had to read when they were younger were often too long and didn’t reflect their experiences.
“So, when I grew up, I decided I wanted to write the books I wanted read when I was a kid,” said Craft, recounting how he self-published his first graphic novel with the help of a how-to book he borrowed from the Norwalk Library.
Alexander told a similar story of how he had to self-publish his first book after a number of rejections. He encouraged students to do what they love, and above all else, to believe in themselves.
“You can’t allow your career to be determined by other people’s no’s,” said Alexander. “You have to say yes to yourself.”
Wednesday’s book tour event was organized in coordination with Bryan Ripley Crandall, director of the Connecticut Writing Project, which endeavors to serve teachers of writing at all grade levels, with the goal of improving student achievement by improving the teaching of writing and improving in Connecticut schools.”
About J vs. K
J and K are the most creative fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School (DAPS). J loves to draw, and his wordless stories are J-ENIUS! K loves to write, and his stories are K-LASSIC!! Both J and K are determined to win the DAPS annual creative storytelling contest or at least get in the Top 5. And when they find out that they are both entering The Contest, it’s the beginning of one of the most intense rivalries the world has ever seen. It’s artist vs. writer, with plenty of shady double crosses as J and K plot their way to the top.
“I love this book so much,” Alexander said Wednesday morning to the assembled students, who received autographed copies of the book following the authors’ talk.
Added Craft, address the crowd: “Our book birthday was yesterday, so you’re some of the first people to read this book.”
About Kwame Alexander
Alexander is an Emmy Award-winning producer of The Crossover, his Newbery Medal-winning novel turned Disney+ TV series, the creator of the new animated PBS special Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Band, and the host of America’s Next Great Author, the first reality television show for writers (produced by Libby and Kanopy and premiering in 2026).
Alexander is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of 44 books, including Why Fathers Cry at Night, How Sweet The Sound, J vs. K, and the just-released motivational primer for graduates, creatives, and professionals entitled Say Yes.
A recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award, Alexander is also the Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts for Chautauqua Literary Arts. He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books, and the craft of writing around the world, including in Ghana, West Africa, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. His mission is to change the world — one word at a time.
About Jerry Craft
Craft is the New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid, Class Act, and School Trip. New Kid is the only book in history to win the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature (2020), the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature (2019), and the Coretta Scott King Author Award for the most outstanding work by an African American writer (2020).
In his latest book, Craft has teamed up with fellow Newbery winner Alexander to bring you J vs. K. Craft was born in Harlem, grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City, lived in Norwalk, and now travels the world telling kids and their families about the importance of reading.
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Photos by KT Kaminski/The Westport Library
The Westport Library has always been a place where it's OK to occasionally get loud, hosting an array of concerts and music events for patrons of all interests and ages.
On Saturday, April 5, at 10 am, the Library is taking things to the next level — the next decibel level, that is — inviting visionary artist 5iveFingaz to host a 90-minute celebration that will include a rotating cast of DJs, live art, and the Library version of a primal scream in an attempt to set the record for the loudest library ever.
VersoFest 2025 Kickoff Celebration: The Loudest Library in History! is free and open to the public. It will feature an electrifying fusion of music, art, and community as we transform the Library into the epicenter of creativity and sound. There will also be doughnuts and other snacks and beverages on hand for the attendees. (Register here.)
“Our goal is to make this a true celebration and a community experience, showcasing the transformative power of community and creativity,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “We want everyone to feel welcome, from our youngest patrons to our longtime music supporters. The emphasis here is on fun and setting the right tone to what promises to be an incredible weekend of events at VersoFest 2025.”
This kickoff celebration will coincide with 5iveFingaz's Interactive Community Participation Mural, which invites members of the community to help fill create a one-of-a-kind work of art from 10 am to 2 pm. And it will be followed by an all-star panel discussion on the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run at 1 pm and two Verso Visionary conversations — the first one at 4 pm between The Roots founder and lead emcee Black Thought and June Archer, followed by hardcore punk legend Henry Rollins in conversation with Nabil Ayers at 7 pm.
The festival closes on Sunday with a very special VersoFest live podcast discussion between longtime David Letterman music director Paul Shaffer and SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman.
Led by 5iveFingaz, the Norwalk-based artist whose installations are serving as the artistic complement to VersoFest, the kickoff celebration will feature a rotating cast of DJs, with four different DJs each delivering a 30-minute set that spans genres and ignites the dance floor, and live art performances with four talented artists who will be creating visual art in real time, projected live on the Trefz Forum’s 18-foot videowall, as they draw inspiration from the music.
It culminates with the grand finale: As the Trefz Forum reaches peak energy, all DJs and artists will unite on stage for a collaborative performance, leading to the Library’s attempt to set the new world record for loudest ever library.
Professional hockey is coming to The Westport Library — and it comes bearing books.
Isles in Aisles is a new community partnership between the Library and the Bridgeport Islanders, the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate based in Connecticut. Members of the club will be on hand in the Children’s Library on Tuesday, February 4, at 5:30 pm; Tuesday, February 18, at 4:30 pm; and Monday, March 3, at 4:30 pm to read aloud from their favorite children’s and hockey-themed books.
This is a drop-in event designed for kids, but adults are welcome as well. Players will be available for autographs afterward, and there may even be a special appearance at one of the readings from Storm, the Bridgeport Islanders mascot.
“We’re absolutely delighted to partner with the Bridgeport Islanders on this exciting new reading program,” said Mary Parmelee, youth services director at The Westport Library. “Westport is a great community of young readers and a town that loves sports. To have professional hockey players come to the Library to encourage kids to read and engage with the Library is a special opportunity. We can’t wait to get started!”
Potential books for Isles in Aisles include Z is for Zamboni by Matt Napier, Hero's Ho Ho Ho Hockey Dream by Kary Carkner and Pam Helmer, Hockey Morning, Noon, and Night by Doreta Groenendyk, The Magic Hockey Stick by Maloney Zekauskas, The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier, and more.
“One of my best memories growing up was taking field trips to local hockey games, or whenever the players would visit our library and we could interact with them,” Islanders captain Cole Bardreau said. “I’ve always loved books and take several with me on bus rides, so I’m excited to give back in that way. Being a professional hockey player is a privilege, and it’s important for our team to use this platform to encourage good reading habits.”
