Unearth a Story This Summer and Score Free Pizza, Park Passes, and More
All ages, all summer, all free.
Grab your explorer’s hat (or, let’s be real, just a really good book). The 2026 Summer Reading Program runs June 1 – July 20, and it’s open to readers of every age: kids, teens, adults, and everyone in between.
This year’s theme? Unearth a Story! Think dinosaurs, fossils, paleontology, and prehistoric adventures — basically, the most fun you can have with a library card.
Here’s the deal:
• Sign up free at maricopacountyreads.org
• Track your reading – eBooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines all count
• Earn points through reading, challenges, and library events
• Cash in for prizes while supplies last
And about those prizes…
There are real ones. Like, “wait, this is free?” real:
• 500 points – Peter Piper Pizza (ages 0–11), a Harkins loyalty cup (teens), or a Habit kid’s meal/Double Char
• 750 points – Arizona State Parks pass, Ono Hawaiian BBQ Keiki meal, or Phoenix Mercury tickets (up to 2)
• 1,000 points – a FREE BOOK to keep, or to donate to youth in your community
Why grown-ups should sign up too
Beyond the pizza and park passes, here’s a stat that always sticks with us: kids who see the adults in their lives reading are far more likely to grow up as readers themselves. So whether you’re 4 or 84, every page you crack open this summer is modeling something pretty great.
Ready to start your dig?
Pre-registration is open now, and point tracking begins June 1. Sign up at maricopacountyreads.org and help us reach our community reading goal of 110 million minutes.
Let’s unearth a story together this summer at Desert Foothills Library.