Summer Books
Free books for children participating in local summer food services programs and summer school
Summer Books offers weekly opportunities for local children to choose free books to take home and read during the summer. The program expands access to books for children who are otherwise less likely to have age-appropriate books at home or the ability to borrow books from libraries when schools are not in session. The more children read during their time away from school, the more their reading skills develop, and the greater their chances are of experiencing academic success.
Towns served by Summer Books: Bath, Boothbay Harbor, Brunswick, Damariscotta, Edgecomb, Harpswell, Jefferson, Waldoboro, and Wiscasset
โThank you for bringing books to our neighborhood. No one ever does things like this for us. The kids are really stuck here during the summer because their parents are at work, or they donโt have a car to get places.”
Summer Books Program Details
Summer Books partners with Healthy Lincoln Countyโs Lulu the Lunch Wagon, the Veggie Van of Bath and Brunswick, the ArtVan of Bath and Brunswick, summer schools in RSU1 and Brunswick, and Harpswell Community Summer Camp, offering books to all participants. Our Summer Books staff members set up displays of books at various locations and invite children to explore the available books and select ones they would like to take home to read. Children and parents can also request titles not on display. Sometimes we have the requested book back at our office, but if not, our Summer Books coordinator will try to obtain an inexpensive copy before the program ends for the season.
In 2025, Summer Books gave 800 books to 313 children.
