Summer Reading 2026: Unearth a Story

Dig into a good book this summer! This year's Summer Reading theme, Unearth a Story, brings dinosaurs, archaeology, and paleontology to life. This year's program runs from June 1 to July 31.

Beginning June 1, grab a game board and start reading to earn incentives along the way. You'll even have a chance to win a grand prize! Just make sure to turn your completed game board in by July 31 to be eligible.

Summer Reading Kickoff

We're excited to kick off Summer Reading with a full day of fun and family-friendly events at the library on Monday, June 1! Enjoy dinosaur-themed movies, take part in a scavenger hunt, and pick up your Summer Reading game board to get started right away. A few lucky scavenger hunt participants will win limited-edition 3D-printed "Digby" dinosaurs, courtesy of the St. Helena Branch Library's 3D printer!

All ages welcome, and no registration is required. Check out the full lineup of activities for the day here:

St. Helena Branch

The Land Before Time, 10:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Jurassic World Dominion, 12:30 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.

Lobeco Branch

Ice Age, 12 p.m.

Beaufort Library

The Good Dinosaur, 1 p.m.

Bluffton Branch

Dinosaur, 2 p.m.

Hilton Head Branch

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? ... and More Dinosaur Tales, 2 p.m.

Jurassic Park, 3 p.m.

Port Royal Branch

Night at the Museum, 2:30 p.m.

Special Events

Dino Academy with Bright Star Theatre

Step into the prehistoric world with Bright Star Theatre's Dino Academy! Led by quirky Dr. Sarah Tops, this action-packed adventure features amazing dino facts, colorful life-like puppets, and plenty of roaring fun. Blending science, storytelling, and imagination, this unforgettable show is a field trip through time—no travel required!

Monday, June 1

Bluffton Branch, 9:30am

Hilton Head Branch, 1pm

Beaufort Library, 5pm

Tuesday, June 2

Lobeco Branch, 10am

Port Royal Branch, 1:30pm

St. Helena Branch, 5pm

Dinorific Scientific Name Game, with Mr. Mike the Dinosaur Guy Can you tell the difference between a real ancient animal name and one Mr. Mike made up? Get ready for some game-show style fun that’s easy to play, yet hard to win!

Thursday, July 9

Hilton Head Branch, 11am

Bluffton Branch, 3pm

Friday, July 10

Port Royal Branch, 11am

Beaufort Library, 3pm

Saturday, July 11

Lobeco Branch, 11am

St. Helena Branch, 2pm

All Summer Events

Game Boards

1. Grab a game board from your local library or download one here (starting June 1).

2. Choose what you want to read (we suggest books, but newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, ebooks, and so much more count, too).

3. Read at least 20 minutes a day to color in a dinosaur footprint on your game board (only one per day).

4. Bring in your game board for a prize at every milestone (after 10, 20, and 30 days of reading).

Return completed game boards by July 31 to be entered into the grand prize drawing. Limit one game board submitted per person.

Want to keep playing? Complete the optional Super Reader Bonus Round sheet and you’ll receive an additional grand prize entry!

Super Reader Bonus Round

1. Complete the Summer Reading game board.

2. Grab a Super Reader Bonus Round sheet from your local library or download one here (starting July 1).

3. Choose what you want to read (we suggest books, but newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, ebooks, and so much more count, too).

4. Read at least 20 minutes a day to color in a fossil on your Super Reader Bonus Round sheet (only one per day).

Bring in your Super Reader Bonus Round sheet for an additional grand prize entry after 10 days of reading.

Return the completed Super Reader Bonus Round sheets to the library by July 31 to be entered into the grand prize drawing. Limit one Super Reader Bonus Round sheet submitted per person.

Haven’t finished the game board yet? Complete the Summer Reading game board first, then keep the fun going with the Super Reader Bonus Round sheet!

Prizes

Take a look at all the amazing prizes you can win as you play this year's Summer Reading Program!

Thanks to our incredible sponsors for making this program possible.

First Milestone Prize:

• Children: mini notebook, dinosaur-themed rubber duck, dinosaur fidget toy, dinosaur egg, or keychain dinosaur popper (choose one)

• Teens & Adults: foldable fans

Second Milestone Prize:

• All ages: Reader Reward Card

Third Milestone Prize:

• All ages: Grand prize entry

• Children: Free book and a reading medal

• Teens & Adults: Friends of the Library book sale coupon

Grand Prizes:

Most grand prizes are gift cards to local businesses that generously donated to our program. Grand prizes also include:

Baby/Toddler:

• Magnetic tile STEM kits

• Dinosaur stuffed animals

Kids:

• Nintendo Switch Lite

• Lego kits

• STEM kits

• Mini golf experience

• Kindle Fire Kids (hoopla-friendly)

Teen:

• AirPods

• Mini golf experience

Adults:

• Tickets to a Mean Girls performance at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina

• Lego kits

• Boox e-Reader (hoopla-friendly)

For a full list of our amazing local businesses that supported Summer Reading through Grand Prize donations, explore our Sponsors.

Sponsors

Thank you to all of our amazing sponsors who make our Summer Reading program possible! From printed game boards to prizes and everything in between, we truly could not do this without you!

Summer Lunches

Beaufort County Libraries are not a Summer Lunch site this year. For more information, visit the Beaufort County School District Summer Food Service Program.