A family with three kids stands in front of the FCPL Bookmobile, "Loanie." All three kids in the family are wearing summer reading lanyards with numerous achievement buttons.

July 2025 Happenings @ FCPL

That's a wrap on the 2025 Where's Loanie Bookmobile Scavenger Hunt. Over 40 library cardholders solved two tricky riddles on our website or Facebook page EACH WEEK in June to discover the secret of where Loanie was hiding.

Many of the Where's Loanie fans came back week after week for unique crafts, literacy-based activities, and (extemely popular) limited edition buttons for their summer reading lanyards! I overheard one little girl tell her mom she was going to make sure she earned every single button this year!

On top of that, many of them also found a sense of community. I saw bigger kids helping smaller kids, adults connecting over shared experiences, and so much appreciation from all for the way our Outreach Team goes above and beyond every week to bring the Library out into our community... particularly on these sweltering Georgia summer days!

Where's Loanie may be over for the season, but we still have five more weeks of Summer Reading Fun happening at all our other locations. Keep reading to discover more events, resources, and services you won't want to miss this month @ FCPL.

Leslie Marinelli

FCPL Communications Manager

P.S. Reply to this newsletter to share your feedback and library stories. I love hearing from you!

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LIBRARY NEWS

4,713,891 minutes read as of June 30, 2025 in the FCPL Color Our World Summer Reading Challenge.

It's not too late to join the Summer Reading Challenge!

"This challenge is 100% the reason my kids have fallen in love with reading," one mom told us last week. "He is obsessed with earning every single button!"

"Wait... adults can do the challenge too?" a young adult library visitor asked us recently. "Summer reading challenges were my favorite thing when I was a kid!" she reminisced.

If you're unfamiliar with summer reading challenges—or think they are just for kids—here is a brief overview:

Sign up.
Read books.
Earn points.
Claim prizes.

All ages can participate, and everyone earns prizes!

So whether you're a parent looking to help your kids thwart summer learning loss or you need a little motivation to stop scrolling and meet your own reading goals, signing up for our summer reading challenge is a great way to push yourself and/or your family, engage in and role model healthy habits, and support your library at the same time.

Forsyth County Public Library users have logged a whopping 4,713,891 minutes of reading for this challenge so far this summer! Will you help us top our grand total from last summer of 7,441,688 minutes?

YES! COUNT ME IN.

A tween-age girl sporting a very full summer reading lanyard is displaying some color-theory art she made at a recent Bookmobile event. She looks like the kind of library user who would really enjoy the exclusive "WOW!" button now available during the month of July only, while supplies last!

Exclusive "WOW!" button/badge now available!

Have you been bitten by the collector bug when it comes to our summer reading lanyard buttons and virtual badges? To keep the momentum going, our limited edition "WOW!" Summer Reading Challenge prize button/badge is available THIS MONTH ONLY, while supplies last!

This special prize only has three requirements:

1. Attend a library program in July.

2. Check out a book during the month of July.

3. Earn 600 points.

The "WOW!" button features an illustration of a little boy painting a picture of a green plant. The boy is sitting in a wheel chair. The word "WOW" is formed with two Ws and the wheel of the wheelchair forming the letter O in the middle of the word.

Remember, Summer Reading Fun doesn't end when you reach 500 points. Keep logging your reading all summer long. Every additional 500 points earned in Beanstack (up to a max of 5000 points) earns you another virtual ticket for our amazing grand prize drawings on August 5, 2025.

SEE THE GRAND PRIZES!

FEATURED RESOURCE

The Palace Project

Introducing The Palace Project app, your newest eReading experience. Enjoy thousands of free eBooks and eAudiobooks from the Palace Bookshelf as well as exclusive titles only available to you in Palace.

The Palace Project app is not a substitute for Libby—rather, it's more of a supplement. Palace is only available as an app, and it doesn't offer eMagazines like Libby, but there may be some titles on Palace that you haven't been able to find on Libby.

Download The Palace Project app for Android or Apple iOS today and give it a try.

GET STARTED

COLORFUL READS

Book recommendations to color our world this summer. Just click on a book cover to find it in our catalog.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tiny sculpture exhibited in a tiny museum. A hand holding a magnifying glass is there for scale. Image credits: latino-life via Canva.com and JNPK_STUDIO via Canva.com

Forsyth Creates: Tiny Art

Tiny art for adults: the scale may be small, but the fun is huge! Join us for an upcoming tiny art session near you.

TREAT YOUR SELF!

Two staff from Wildlife Wonders are smiling while a coatimundi on a leash crawls over the backs of three children who are bent at the waist. Everyone is smiling and laughing, enjoying the feel and sight of the large animal crawling on them.

Animals Around the World

Presented by Wildlife Wonders

Why yes that IS a coatimundi (also known as a coatis) crawling over the backs of several young library patrons earlier this month at Sharon Forks Library.

We have a number of other presentations by Wildlife Wonders scheduled throughout the summer featuring animals from Australia, Africa, and the rainforest.

Just a reminder, these programs are very popular and we will hand out free event passes 30 minutes prior to each event.

GO WILD!

Teens enjoying a "Chaotic Art" program while making creations from random art supplies.

Worried your teens are having too much screen time this summer? Send them to us!

If your tween or teen has been surgically attached to their phone this summer, we’ve got the perfect cure: the library.

We’re hosting fun, free events just for them—think games, crafts, music, puzzle tournaments, and escape rooms. It’s a safe, screen-light (but not lecture-heavy) space where they can unplug, make friends, and enjoy themselves. Check out our calendar and help your teen find a reason to put the phone down—at least for an hour.

EXPLORE TEEN EVENTS