Welcome, Adventurer

Is reading kinda your thing? How about slaying dragons? Facing off against a centuries-old archmagus in order to steal his arcane codex so you can use the magic contained therein to pull off similar heists in the future sound like a fun and standard start to your summery mornings?

From 1 December 2023 — 31 January 2024, you are invited to take part in an Adventure — a Summer Reading Adventure, to be precise. In this year’s Summer Reading Adventure, teens aged 13-18 will be able to embark on the journey of a lifetime by reading books; writing, drawing or filming reviews; and completing quests to help you either specialise as one reader class, or multi-class as them all!

Hark — is that the unearthly screech of some otherworldly demon we hear reverberating in the deep places beneath our beloved city?

How to Play

All Adventurers, seasoned or otherwise, need somewhere to start. From the 1st of December, you’ll be able to pick up an Adventurer’s Guide from the library, but you don’t need to wait! Right now, you can head over to our Summer Reading Adventure website to pre-register. You can take part in the Adventure in three different ways, depending on how far you’re willing to take your newfound powers:

  1. Log your reading — tell us how many books you’ve read and you’ll earn mysterious tickets that you can cash in to get a chance to win the Grand Prize of your choosing!
  2. Write, draw or film book reviews — get creative and tell us what you thought about the books you’ve read, and you’ll go in the draw to win fabulous spot prizes as you do.
  3. Complete quests — choose your own adventure and complete up to three unique questlines, following the path that most closely aligns with the type of Adventurer you wish to be.

You mentioned something about quests?

Indeed, questing is possibly the most important part of being an adventurer. The adamantine dragon that has taken up residence in the Cable Car tunnel is unlikely to vanquish itself.

For this Summer Reading Adventure, you can complete quests in three categories:

  • Might: a fitting first choice for an Adventurer! Will you follow the path of axe and spear as a mighty Barbarian; take up sword and shield as a Fighter of the realm; mix sword and warhammer with holy fire as a learned Paladin; or opt for the relative quietude of life as a wise Cleric?
  • Magic: ever has the pen been more mighty than the sword! Will you tame the wild elements as a powerful Sorcerer; accept the bargain of he-who-dwells-between-worlds as a mysterious Warlock; harness the power of books and learning as a scholarly Wizard; or heed the call of the wild as a shapeshifting Druid?
  • Stealth: why bludgeon your enemies with a mace or blow them apart with crude magicks when a soft word in the right ear could be all it takes to ease your passage through this perilous land? Will you use your voice to influence those around you as an inspiring Bard; hone your natural agility as an ascetic Monk; keep yourself and your companions out of harm’s way as a hardy Ranger; or strike from the shadows as a sharp-tongued Rogue?

Each quest you complete helps you further specialise as a Reading Adventurer — complete enough of them, and you can Multi-Class, which puts you in the running to earn some sweet spot prizes.

Reaping Your Reward

As with all good Adventures, these quests come with the tantalising promise of reward for your Herculean (or perhaps Sisyphean) efforts. Each quest chain you complete, or reading milestone you meet, will earn you collectible badges, digital achievements, and the chance to win awesome spot prizes, as well as tickets towards one of our four Grand Prize packs.

Prizes for this year’s Summer Reading Adventure have been generously sponsored by our friends at Ben & Jerry’s, Experience Wellington, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, Te Papa Press, Wellington Zoo, Zealandia, Staglands, Wētā Workshop, Ye Olde Pinball Shoppe, and Light House Cinema. Keep an eye out on the blog to find out more as the prize packs get announced over the summer.