Salt Spring Island kids can dive into a summer of free reading when the local public library launches its 2026 Summer Reading Club on June 26. The annual program gives children of all ages a way to keep their reading skills sharp while school is out, helping families fight the summer learning loss that often sets in over the two-month break.
The program runs through the Salt Spring Island Public Library in Ganges, where families can sign up for activities built around this year’s province-wide ‘Under the Sea’ theme. It is one of dozens of clubs happening across British Columbia as part of the BC Summer Reading Club, a provincially-supported effort that reaches over 173,000 children in more than 200 communities each year.
Library organizers point to research showing that kids who skip reading over the summer can lose 17 to 34 per cent of what they learned during the school year. Children who join library-run summer reading clubs, on the other hand, tend to hold steady or even gain ground in reading ability compared to peers who do not take part.
The Salt Spring library is no stranger to keeping kids busy. In addition to the Summer Reading Club, it runs a Lego STEAM Builders program for ages 6 to 8, a FabLab maker space with 3D printing, and a self-guided Story Walk through Mouat Park. The library operates with the help of over 100 volunteers and five paid staff, and it belongs to the IslandLink Library Federation, a regional system that connects it to four other member libraries on the coast.
Families can get more information or sign up by visiting the library at 129 McPhillips Avenue or checking the library website. The BC Summer Reading Club’s 2026 season officially opens on June 26, giving island children the whole summer to explore books and keep their minds active.
