Read books, explore the city, win prizes!
The Summer Reading Adventure for Kids runs from 1 December 2023 – 31 January 2024 for children aged 5-13. Read books; write, draw or film reviews; and complete quests to earn all kinds of awesome goodies — and you’ll still be home in time for tea! Adults and teens can also take part in their own Summer Reading Adventures — visit the Summer Reading page on our website for all the info.
Through the power of books and imagination, help us transform Wellington into a fantasy wonderland this summer!
Starting on the 1st of December, you’ll be able to pick up an Adventurer’s Guide from your local library to get started. But you don’t have to wait! Head on over to our Summer Reading Adventure website to pre-register — you’ll get a sneak preview of the quests and activities you’ll be able to do, and you’ll be ready to get started immediately when the 1st of December rolls around.
Read on to find out more!
How to play
Joining the Summer Reading Adventure is super simple. All you need to do is head over to our Summer Reading Adventure website to get started. If you have taken part in the Summer Reading Adventure before, you will already have an account, and can simply log in. If this is your first time, use the Create an Account button to register yourself and your family.
Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be able to take part in the Adventure in three different ways:
- Log your reading — tell us how many books you’ve read, or how long you’ve spent reading, and you’ll earn tickets that you can cash in to get a chance to win the Grand Prize of your choosing! (ooh, ahh). If you need help finding books to read, here are some great Summer Reading booklists we’ve put together for you.
- Write, draw, or film book reviews — get creative and tell us what you thought about the books you’ve read, and you’ll earn free ice-cream from Ben & Jerry’s, books, stationery, and other goodies. Only books that you read between 1 December and 31 January will count!
- Complete quests — choose your own adventure and complete challenges in up to three unique quest lines that get you to venture out into the city, check out our libraries, and explore your own back yard, all while earning fabulous spot prizes along the way.
Quests, you say?
Yes! You can complete quests in three different quest lines to earn some extra-cool prizes. Here are the quest lines you can explore:
The Library of Adventure — your local library has transformed into a hotbed of Adventure! All of the challenges in this quest chain may be completed in or around library buildings in Wellington. Quests include (no spoilers — you’ll have to wait until the Adventure begins before we tell you exactly what you need to do!):
- “No Dinosaurs in the Library!”
- “Rebellious Reading”
- “Into the Unknown”
- “The Librarian’s Mixed-up Machine”
- … and more!
The Sanctuary of the Wayfarer — While other heroes venture forth into the world to complete their Adventures, you’d prefer to do so from the safety and comfort of home — your own sanctuary. All of the challenges in this quest line can be completed without leaving your home! Quests include:
- “The Book Family”
- “A Field Guide to Mystery Moose”
- “Create Your Own Adventure”
- “The Poetry Challenge”
- … and more!
The Capital City Quest — The call of Adventure beckons you out into the city. The challenges in this quest line can only be completed by leaving the safety and comfort of your house and going somewhere else — whether in your neighbourhood, down the road, or to a place you’ve never been before. Quests include:
- “Playground Inspector”
- “On the Mountain: Matairangi Quest”
- “The Smellwalker’s Map”
- “Nature’s Perfect Challenge”
- … and more!
Each quest chain you complete, and each reading milestone you reach, earns you badges and sweet prizes, as well as giving you an entry in the draw for one of four Grand Prize packs, with prizes generously sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s, Experience Wellington, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, Te Papa Press, Wellington Zoo, Wētā Workshop, Zealandia, Staglands, Ye Olde Pinball Shoppe, and Light House Cinema. Keep your eyes peeled for when we reveal what the prizes are! We think you’ll agree they’re pretty awesome.
You mentioned badges? Tell me more.
Yes! There are not one, not two, but eight unique badges for you to collect as you make your way through the Summer Reading Adventure. Each time you reach a milestone that earns you a badge, you’ll be able to come in and collect the badge that most appeals to you. Will you be the first to collect ’em all? Scroll through a selection of the designs below to whet your appetite — wouldn’t these badges look awesome on your schoolbag or pencilcase?:
