Do the whole challenge online with the Beanstack app (downloaded from your app store) or via your web browser.

OR

1. Download and print the Reading Record Package or pick one up at your branch.
2. Complete your BINGO squares, lines, and even your whole card!  Did you read something that qualifies for more than one square?  Mark it down for each one it applies to!  (Audiobooks always count as reading.  Feel free to adapt challenges to be more accessible or more fun for you!)
3. Make sure you check out our the bonus activity sheets in your Reading Record Package for more summer fun.
4. Draw slips and prizes work like this:
   • Find downloadable draw slips below. Participants can visit their branch to fill out them out.
   • Each BINGO square = one draw slip
   • Each BINGO line = a bonus draw slip
   • Each Puzzle sheet = a bonus draw slip
   • Each completed whole BINGO card = an entry for a system wide prize of your choosing

1. Collect a wildflower and press it. 
   • If you’ve never pressed a flower, check out these helpful hints from the UK Natural History Museum.
2. Read a book with one of more colours of the rainbow on it. 
   • This is pure browsing… Make sure you stay within the confines of ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). 
3. Read a book that takes place in the forest or on a mountain. 
   • Search the catalogue for keywords as broad as “forest” or “mountain”, or zoom in on a specific place.  Or take a look at this curated list of eResources.   
4. Colour your Summer Reading Bingo sheet. 
   • If you don’t have any colouring implements, your local branch can lend you something to use there.   
5. Read a graphic novel without colour illustrations. 
   • Try something off of our curated Graphic Fiction and Graphic Non-Fiction list.
   • Finding this out from the catalogue:
     • Scroll down in the record of the book and look at the description field. If the book is in colour, it will say “Chiefly colour illustrations” rather than “Chiefly illustrations” (meaning black & white, which is what we are going for).
6. Read a book with a “rose coloured glasses” perspective. 
   • There are two ways to interpret someone looking at something through rose coloured glasses. One way is that the person is being unrealistically positive about a past event or situation, and the other way is that the person is optimistic.  You’re welcome to take it however you like! 
     
   • Take a browse through these optimistic feel-good digital reads and decide for yourself what kind of rose coloured glasses person you are.
7. Read a book featuring a famous trail or national park.  
   • Search the catalogue for keywords as broad as “trail” or “park”, or zoom in on a specific place. Or take a look at this curated list of eResources.
8. Read a book by a Canadian author. 
   • Elbows up, reading style! Try one of these lists if you’re stuck:
     • Canadian mysteries
     • Asian Canadian Non-fiction
9. Identify a tree or bird using KnowBC.com field guides. 
   • Take a look through their always-available local field guides here. 
10. Read a book with water or a body of water on the cover.
    • This is mainly a browsing challenge! Look for watery books in the stacks.
    • Or strategically look for water keywords or title words in our catalogue to narrow down your hunt.
11. Watch a musical on Kanopy. 
    • Find them specifically here and get ready to sing along!  You can also download the free Kanopy app to watch on your device.
      
12. Check out a library book. 
13. Read a book with your favourite colour on the cover. 
    • Have fun browsing! 
14. Read a book featuring a gardener. 
    • Do some browsing or find one here. 
15. Read a book with a plant in the title. 
    • Try search by specific plants or find some “plant” books
16. Listen to some flower power music. 
    • As always, you’re free to interpret the challenges as you wish!  We were mostly thinking about Flower Power music that characterized the 60s and embraced peace, love, and social change.  Take a look in library -provided streaming/download service Freegal for artists like The Mamas & the Papas; Peter, Paul, & Mary; The Byrds; Melanie; or Donovan. Or you can listen to our Flower Power playlist on Freegal.
      
17. Check out our Virtual Gardening Series!
    
    • Take a look at current and upcoming sessions on our website or enjoy past sessions on our YouTube channel.
      
18. Read a book by a BIPOC author. 
    • In case you’re wondering, BIPOC stands for “Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour”.
    • Find an author yourself or get inspired by one of our lists:
      • Non-Fiction by Black Canadian Authors
      • Fiction by Black Canadian Authors
      • VIRL Indigenous Collection
      • Asian Canadian Fiction
      • Asian Canadian Non-Fiction
      • LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Adult Fiction
19. Read a food foraging book. 
    • Browse the catalogue or take a gander at A Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants of Canada on KnowBC (which is always available!).   
20. Draw or photograph a rainbow. 
    • You got this! Show our staff next time you’re in if you’re feeling proud.   
21. Listen to an episode of Meet Me in the Stacks podcast that is sea-themed in some way. 
    • Browse the episodes of Meet Me in the Stacks and check out episode 7, “Beach Reads and Tips for Reading More”; Episode 39 -“Murder in Echo Bay with Yvonne Maximchuk,” Episode 40 – “Beach Listening: Sea & Sea-darr Storytime,” or Episode 41 – “All Things Seaweed.”
22. Read a book featuring a shipwreck or scuba diver.
    • Try fiction about shipwrecks, like The Salvage by Anbara Salam, a spooky wintery novel about a marine archaeologist set in the 1960s on a Scottish island. Or, non-fiction about shipwrecks, like A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins, a marine archaeologist himself who writes about the glittering Bronze Age through the era of the Vikings and the exploration of the Arctic. Or, of scuba diving is more your thing, check out these fiction and these non-fiction titles.
23. Read a book with water on the cover.
    • There are lots of choose from: drop into your library and browse the displays! If you need a few suggestions, try:
      • Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive, a rollicking, big-hearted story of love, friendship and a life well-lived, set at a Florida retirement resort for queer women
      • Carley Fortune’s romance books are set in Ontario lake country and all feature water on the cover
      • Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao, a captivating and romantic fantasy novel about a woman in Japan who inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets.
24. If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book. Which book would it be? Read that book!
    • Would you pick a classic like Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, or a huge fantasy book like The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon? Or perhaps something more practical, like non-fiction books on how to survive in the wilderness?
25. Read a book with OCEAN, MARINE, or SEA in the title.
    • Books with “sea” in the title, like Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum, a horror-comedy featuring a pair of chic emotional vampires from San Francisco who set off on a cruise ship
    • Books with “marine” in the title, like Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest by Andy Lamb, a photographic encyclopedia of invertebrates, seaweed, and fish — available using your library car online through KnowBC
    • Books with “ocean” in the title, like The Painted Ocean by Gabriel Packard, an utterly compelling depiction of a British Indian childhood and exploration of the human condition

• Bingo sheet, Reading Record, and Puzzles
  • PDF format
• Draw slips
  • PDF format
• Poster to put up in your community
  • PDF format

Complete your Bingo card for a chance at a system-wide grand prize! These include a choice of $100 for art supplies, $100 to a local gardening supply store, a Kobo eReader, $100 to a book store, or a bird watching prize of binoculars and a field guide (physical or digital)!

Local branches may also provide prizes throughout the challenge, so be sure to check in with them to see what you might win!

Participants need to be over the age of 18 to join the Adult Summer Reading Challenge and live within the Vancouver Island Regional Library service area to be considered a winner. The winner(s) must also be able to pick up their prize at a local Vancouver Island Regional Library branch.

A skill-testing question will be required to pick up the prize.

Vancouver Island Regional Library employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter and win prizes. 

For any contestant who has not reached the age of majority, a parent or guardian’s consent is necessary to obtain the prize, should the minor win. Where appropriate, the terms “contestant” and “winner” mean parent or guardian of that person.

A random draw will be made by a VIRL representative from all qualifying entries. The winner(s) will be contacted using the contact information provided at the time of entry (e.g. telephone number, email address, or Facebook account).

The prize will be forfeited, and VIRL will select another winner if a selected contestant:
• cannot be reached or qualified using the information provided at the time of
entry, within five business days
• incorrectly answers the mathematical skill testing question (where applicable)
• declines the prize
• fails to return any required release form.

Winners will be required to pick up physical prizes at their local VIRL branch. Unless otherwise stated, for VIRL Contests or Giveaways where the winner is responsible for picking up the prize, the prize must be picked up within 15 days or it shall be forfeited. VIRL reserves the right to select another winner at its sole discretion.

To be declared a winner, in the case of a draw or giveaway, the selected contestant may first be asked to correctly answer a mathematical skill-testing question.

Winner(s) may also be required to sign a release declaring their eligibility as stipulated in these rules; and releasing VIRL, any sponsor or prize donor and their directors, officers, and employees (the “Contest Parties”) from all liability for any damage or loss arising from participation in the contest or from the awarding, acceptance or use of the
prize.

Prizes must be accepted as is and may not be exchanged or refunded for an amount of money, sold, or transferred. No substitutions will be allowed. Any unused portion of a prize will be forfeited.

If the prize cannot be awarded as described in these rules, VIRL reserves the right to substitute a prize or prize component with another of comparable value, at its sole discretion.

Refusal to accept the prize releases the Contest Parties from any obligation toward the winner.

If a contestant makes any false statement, (s)he will be automatically disqualified from the VIRL Contest or Giveaway.

By participating in any VIRL Contest, contestants agree to VIRL using their name, image or Instagram/Facebook handle for advertising purposes related to a VIRL Contest or Giveaway free of charge.

The Contest Parties assume no liability for any loss, damage, or injury, including without limitation: (i) lost, stolen, delayed, damaged, misdirected, late, destroyed, illegible, or incomplete entries; (ii) loss, theft or damage to software or computer or telephone data, including any breach of privacy; (iii) fraudulent calls; (iv) inability of any person to participate in the VIRL Contest or Giveaway for any reason including mistaken addresses on mail or email; technical, computer or telephone malfunctions or other problems with computer online systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, or software; congestion on the internet or at any website, or any combination of the foregoing; (v) damage to any person’s computer, including as a result of playing or downloading any material relating to the VIRL Contest or Giveaway; (vi) any delay or inability to act resulting from an event or situation beyond their control, including a strike, lockout or other labour dispute at their location or the locations of the organizations and businesses whose services are used to administer the VIRL Contest; (vii) any injury, damage or loss arising from participation in the VIRL contest or from the awarding, acceptance, or use of any prize, or (viii) prizes that are lost, damaged, or misdirected during shipping.

VIRL reserves the right to cancel or suspend the VIRL Contest or Giveaway should a virus, bug, or other cause beyond their reasonable control corrupt the security or proper administration of the VIRL Contest or Giveaway.

Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or to undermine the legitimate operation of the VIRL Contest or Giveaway is a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, VIRL reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution.

All personal information, such as name and contact information, required to enter a VIRL Contest or Giveaway is collected by VIRL solely for the purposes of administering the VIRL Contest or Giveaway and shall not be used for any other purpose without your express consent. By providing this information, you consent to it being used for the stated purposes.

If the identity of a contestant is disputed, the authorized account holder of the email address, phone number or Instagram/Facebook handle submitted at the time of entry will be deemed to be the contestant. The individual assigned to the email address, phone number or Instagram/Facebook handle for the domain associated with the submitted email address, phone number or Instagram/Facebook handle is considered the authorized account holder. A selected contestant may be required to provide proof that (s)he is the authorized account older of the email address, phone number or Instagram/Facebook handle associated with the selected entry.

VIRL reserves the right to amend the Contest or Giveaway Rules or to terminate any VIRL Contest or Giveaway at any time without any liability to any contestant.

The decisions VIRL makes, with respect to any dispute or issue involving a VIRL Contest or Giveaway, are final and binding for all contestants.