This year's Summer Reading Program will run from June 1 through August 3. You'll be able to log your reading on Beanstack, earn rewards, and enter prize drawings all summer long!

Tween & Teen (Ages 10 through 17*)

Tweens & teens can "level up" by logging the number of minutes they read! You'll advance to the next level with every 100 minutes read. There are 10 levels in all.

Certain levels will earn you a special reward! (Beanstack will notify you when this is the case. These rewards may be redeemed at the Main Library or the Downtown Branch Library.)

Levels 8, 9, and 10 automatically enter you in our prize drawings:

Level 8 prize drawing: $50 Dickens Books & Little Givens gift certificate
Level 9 prize drawing: One Way Out admission voucher for four
Level 10/grand prize drawing: Nintendo Switch Lite & eShop gift card

There will be one winner for each of these three Tween & Teen prize drawings.

Continue logging minutes read even after reaching level 10 to increase your odds of winning a prize drawing! Prize drawings will take place after the Summer Reading Program concludes.

*Age 10 may choose either the Kids' program or the Tween & Teen program.

Tweens and teens ages 9 through 17 are invited to participate in our fourth annual Tween and Teen Art Show!

Kickoff event: Thursday, June 6 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.
Main Library
This program will feature a meet-and-greet with a panel of talented local artists who will share motivational advice with attendees! This will be followed by an art activity.

Light refreshments will be available. Attendance at this event is encouraged, but not mandatory.

Art submission deadline: Saturday, July 13 by 4:00 p.m.
All art is due, in person, to the Main Library's Youth Services department by 4:00 PM on Saturday, July 13. There is no set theme; young artists are encouraged to express themselves freely!

There are a few simple rules: Each tween or teen may submit one piece of artwork. All art must be original. Subject matter and content must be appropriate for an all-ages, public audience. The Library will not be held responsible for lost or damaged art. (In an effort to help ensure the safety and integrity of submitted art, we do ask that artists refrain from using LEGO® or other materials that are easily dismantled.)

Winners notified: Week of July 15
All submissions will be judged by a panel of local artists. The judging process will be anonymous (i.e., with the artists' names and other personal information hidden). The top three winners from each age group--tween and teen--will be notified via email or phone call. 

Here are the great prizes you could win:

-1st place: $50 certificate for The Art Box
-2nd place: Brush pen set and marker drawing pad
-3rd place: "Wreck This Journal" book and set of colored pencils

Exhibition: July 22 through August 3
All artwork will be proudly displayed in the Young Adult Room at the Main Library for all to enjoy!

The Lynchburg Public Library seeks donations for our Zine Collection!

The Zine Collection is for teens and young adults is a growing collection and is located in the teen room at the Main Branch of the Lynchburg Public Library. Zines are available for Library use only, meaning that they cannot be checked out and may be viewed in the teen room only.

Zines appropriate for teens and young adults may be donated to the Library. To donate a zine, contact the Youth Department at 434-455-6320. One copy of each unique zine title may be donated to the Library.

What is a Zine?

Pronounced “zeen,” a zine is a printed form of media that is often handmade and self-published. They’re easily reproduced (usually on photocopiers) and cover a variety of topics such as art, food, music, etc. Zines can come in many different shapes and sizes and include original writing and illustrations. 

Zines in our collection: 

• 2023 Tween & Teen Art Show, by the participants of the 2023 Tween & Teen Art Show Kickoff; edited by Ella Morrison – "A collaborative zine created at the Lynchburg Public Library."
• Do-It-Yourself Menstrual Zine by Aren and the Menstrual Blog – “A gender inclusive zine about healthy bodies.”
• Ella World: Teen Dreamz by Ella Morrison, Pragati Marks, Conner Absher, and Chloe Sizemore – “Illustrations and poetry expressing the journey through adolescence. All moody and all cute.”
• Gas Mask Poems by Hattie Eshelman and Ashley Roth – “One page which the artists blacked out in a number of different ways.”
• Gastro Quirks Vol. 1 by Stephen Kissel – “Weird combos of food and quirky habits of various people are illustrated in this first volume.”
• A Guide to Respectfully Hitting on People by Casey Pegg, Art by Nicole Mazzeo – “An informative zine with information on how to respectfully let someone know that you are interested in them.”
• I Want to Read This But I Can’t by Lynchburg Group Home – A collection of images, poetry, and comics from teens at the Lynchburg Group Home.
• Lost by Stephen Kissel – “A dog that’s lost its owner finds a way home.”
• A Love Beyond Time & Space a BadaGine Anthology – “A fanzine dedicated to Bardock and Gine.”
• Oh Hello My Friend by Chatham Monk
• A Selection of Certain Unruly Emotions by Hattie Eshelman and Ashley Roth – “An imagined illustration book of our emotions as though we were dissecting and studying organs.”
• Vs. by Stephen Kissel and Krys Kinsel – “Quirky random encounters where characters ‘battle’ in this collaborative zine.”
• You Tell Me by Chatham Monk