Reading Challenges
Get ready to READ as part of our adult summer reading challenge!
Read this summer to help Clinton, Iowa win the Clinton Reading Challenge for the second year in a row! We’re competing against New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Indiana to see which Clinton will read the most hours this summer. The challenge starts on Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day) and goes through midnight on Monday, September 1st (Labor Day).
How It Works
- Record your weekly reading time in hours. You can count anything you read. (Audiobooks do count!)
- Submit your reading time online or fill out a physical form. You can submit your time every week, sporadically throughout the summer, or the last week of the challenge. It’s up to you! Just make sure to submit your reading time by Friday, Sept 5th.
- Readers 18+ can join the fun at any time. You can start the first week, halfway through, or even the last week. Every hour counts!
Weekly Submission Dates & Deadlines
Each week is Saturday - Friday (excluding week 1) and the reporting deadline for each week is the following Monday at 12pm. This ensures we can post our updated rankings on Tuesdays.
May/June
- Week 1 (Monday, May 26 - Friday, May 30): Monday, June 2 @ 12pm
- Week 2 (May 31 - June 6): Monday, June 9 @ 12pm
June
- Week 3 (June 7 - 13): Monday, June 16 @ 12pm
- Week 4 (June 14 - 20): Monday, June 23 @ 12pm
- Week 5 (June 21 - 27): Monday, June 30 @ 12pm
June/July
- Week 6 (June 28 - July 4): Monday, July 7 @ 12pm
July
- Week 7 (July 5 - 11): Monday, July 14 @ 12pm
- Week 8 (July 12 - 18): Monday, July 21 @ 12pm
- Week 9 (July 19 - 25): Monday, July 28 @ 12pm
July/August
- Week 10 (July 26 - August 1): Monday, August 4 @ 12pm
August
- Week 11 (August 2 - 8): Monday, August 11 @ 12pm
- Week 12 (August 9 - 15): Monday, August 18 @ 12pm
- Week 13 (August 16 - 22): Monday, August 25 @ 12pm
August/September
- Week 14 (August 23 - September 1): Friday, September 5th @ 5pm
Questions?
Call the library and ask for Kate or email Kate directly at kstruble@clintonpubliclibrary.us.
Results & Rewards
Keep up with what library is winning
Weekly results will be posted at the library, on social media, and on our website.
Traveling Library Trophy
The winning library gets a trophy to display for a year. It is currently displayed in OUR library!
Read and get rewarded
Stay tuned for more information about prize opportunities!
Challenge History
The fun began back in 2021 when a librarian from Clinton, New York, challenged the patrons of her childhood library in Clinton, New Jersey, to see who could read the most. At the end of that first summer, New York prevailed with 2,492 hours.
In the second year, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, joined the race. Although the three libraries were neck-and-neck all summer, Clinton, New Jersey, made a last-minute dash and won by just one hour with a total of 5,914 hours.
Clinton, Massachusetts, joined the fun in 2023 and proved to be stiff competition, but New York regained the trophy with 9,901 hours read.
In 2024, Clinton, Iowa, proved to be fierce competition and read for 18,690 hours!
This year, the competition has expanded further with the addition of the Clinton Public Library in Clinton, Indiana. With more than 40 different towns named Clinton in the United States, the competition will keep growing year after year.