Summer Reading Program 2025:
Level Up At Your Library – Teens
July 7th – August 15th, 2025
This summer, we are all about games and gaming! Join Rogers Free Library’s Summer Reading Program: Level Up At Your Library. Whether you like video games, board games, tabletop games or card games, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to level up your skills!
Beginning July 7th, log your reading, participate in library programs, and win fantastic prizes!
This summer we’re offering a choice of adventure! Choose your favorite summer reading packet: the Paladin Edition if you’re feeling strong, the Wizard Edition if you’re feeling wise, or the Bard Edition if you’re feeling creative. Each packet comes with a FREE book while supplies last to start your summer reading journey!
Not sure what to read? Why not check out the Rhode Island Teen Book Award nominees, or What Should I Read Next?
We also have programs for children & for adults! To learn more visit our Children’s SRP & Adult SRP webpages.
How it Works:
- Pick up your packet and FREE book at the Main Circulation desk!
- Read books, attend programs, complete side quests, and mark your progress.
- Follow the instructions on the packet to turn your books read and programs attended into mini-prizes and raffle tickets for our Summer Reading Grand Prizes!
Prizes
Teens get a FREE book just for participating in summer reading! They will also get the chance to win mini-prizes, and to enter to win one of our Awesome Summer Reading Grand Prizes (3 total!)
Click the heading below to see all the programs for Teen during SRP.
Summer Reading Kickoff Party
Saturday, July 12th, 12 pm-2 pm, Linden Place
Come celebrate the start of the 2024 Summer Reading Program with us! There will be:
- Music
- Free Del’s Lemonade (while supplies last)
- Crafts & Free Books & more…!
Designed for all ages, this year’s Summer Reading program theme is Level Up At Your Library and features the idea of games and gaming.
Gamer Lounge
Every Monday the library is open, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Teen Space
Every Saturday the library is open, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Teen Space
Come hang out in the Teen Space for Gamer Lounge! We will have gaming PCs, Switch’s, and a PS5 set up available so you can game with your friends. Feel free to bring your own device too! Games include Mario Kart, Minecraft, Roblox, Super Smash Bros, and more!
Best for ages 10-18.
Drop-in program. No registration is needed.
Design Your Own Board Game Workshop
July 8 and July 15, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Herreshoff Community Room
Design your own board game with artist and game designer Ryan Miech! Ryan will walk you through all the steps you need to create a board game of your very own.
Best for 12-18. Space is limited, registration is recommended. Please register here.
Career Explorers: 3D Printing Class
Thursdays, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, July 10 – August 7
Career Explorers is hosting a 5-week class, featuring the Creality Ender-3 DIY kit, where you can build your own 3D printer.
Learn how a 3D printer works. Construct a 3D printer. Get to printing! When the class is finished, take the printer home with you to build more. Come learn with Professor Dan Brogan, from Roger Williams University.
Registration for this class is required, and attendance at all 5 sessions is required. Register here.
**This class is funded through the Learn365 RI grant, and is open to all Bristol & Warren students going into grades 7-12 in the fall.
Robots on the Run
Wednesday, July 23, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Get ready to bring a robot to life, one line of code at a time!
In this high-tech workshop, you will learn to program a robot and make it respond to your every command. You will utilize a visual, easy-to-understand coding software called mBlock to write code for your robot. You will learn how to program the robot to execute maneuvers, like turning left and right, moving forward and backward, stopping and going, and blinking its lights.
Then, put your robot to the test by having it navigate a thrilling obstacle course, and face off against other bots in Robot Wars!
Registration is required. Register here.
Magic: The Gathering Meetup
Friday, August 1, 2025
Spell! Counterspell! Whether you’re a seasoned Magic: The Gathering player or just curious about the game, this is your chance to meet other players, trade cards, and of course, play some casual Magic!
Bring your own decks if you have them; we’ll have a few spares on hand so you can get in on the game.
Recommended for ages 11-18. This is a drop-in event, no registration is required.
Note: this is NOT a tournament, just a chance to play casually together.
Teen Writing Workshop
Wednesdays, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Back by popular demand! This summer and fall, Rogers Free Library will host two connected 4-week writing workshops that will focus on the art and craft of writing fiction. This workshop will provide opportunities to learn practical tips for writing fiction, write in a supportive environment, and share your work with other writers. You do not need to have any writing prepared ahead of time, and supplies will be provided. We look forward to helping you tell your stories!
Best for grades 6-12. Registration is required. Register here.
Dungeon Master Academy
Wednesday, August 6, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, in the Herreshoff Community Room
Calling all fantasy adventurers and aspiring storytellers! Join professional Dungeon Master Brandon Morgan for this crash course in the subtle magic of running a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Learn to run published adventures, and how to write your own! All ages are welcome.
End of Summer Reading Bash
Friday, August 23rd 10 am-12 pm, Courtyard Garden*
Celebrate the end of summer and our Children’s Summer Reading program! There will be a small parade around the block, a costume contest, crafts, snacks, a photo booth, and more! Everyone who participates in the parade and/or costume contest will get a prize. We will also be announcing the winners of the Summer Reading Gift Basket raffle.
Please check our website for the most up-to-date information.
Best for ages 2-14 years old
*If inclement weather, the event will be held inside the library.
After-Hours Murder Mystery
Friday, July 25, 5:00 – 7:30 pm,
in the Upstairs Conference Room
This is an interactive program where every character matters! Please do not sign up unless you plan on attending and participating.
Registration will close on 7/22 to allow us time to assign and send out characters.
Join us after closing for a thrilling murder mystery! Take on the role of one of 12 characters attending a gala at the crumbling and possibly haunted Devonshire Manor, then after the night takes a turn for the deadly, collect clues and work together to find the killer, who could be anyone–even you!
Costumes are highly encouraged! Light refreshments will be served.
For ages 14 and up.
July Craft: Make Your Own Mini-Puzzle
Monday, July 28, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, in the Herreshoff Room
Bring your creative spark! We’ll have blank puzzles for you to paint, draw on and make sparkle.
Ages 8+
All materials will be supplied.
Please register on the library’s website.
The August Craft Night will be Woven Friendship Bracelets. However it will not be listed here as it occurs on August 25, after the Summer Reading Program ends.
Dungeon Master Academy
Wednesday, August 6, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, in the Herreshoff Room
Calling all fantasy adventurers and aspiring storytellers! Join professional Dungeon Master Brandon Morgan for this crash course in the subtle magic of running a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Learn to run published adventures, and how to write your own!
All ages are welcome.
Brandon Morgan is a professional Dungeon Master and creator of all original program content. Midsummer Games has been providing Youth RPG Programs since 2019, serving the state of Rhode Island and beyond. attending via a computer or laptop with access to a microphone and speakers, and preferably, video.
3rd Annual Rogers Free Library Chess Tournament
Saturday, August 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, in the Herreshoff Room
Welcome, once again, to the 3rd Annual RFL Chess Championship!
32 players will compete for the title and a grand prize!
All participants MUST register. Teens and adults welcome.
Bring your best game and good luck!!
Monthly Matinee: Free For All: The Public Library
Friday, July 18, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, in the Herreshoff Room
Free for All: The Public Library (2025) tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today’s librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.
Directed by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor.
Rated TV-14 | Runtime: 1h 25m
No registration necessary
“The August Monthly Matinee will be “That’s Dancing!” However it will not be listed here as it occurs on August 22, after the Summer Reading Program ends.
Authors Unplugged: Smithsonian Biologist Jay Falk
The Stories, Science, and History of Birds
Tuesday, August 5, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
This talk will NOT be hosted on-site at the library. It is online only. Register HERE.
Delve into the fascinating world of birds through astonishing photography and clear explanations in this absorbing global guide, The Bird Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Birds.
Birds are dinosaurs with a history going back millions of years. Our fascination with them runs deep in history, and our close association is reflected in creation stories, myths, legends, songs, and children’s stories.
This book and presentation explore:
- Both the natural history of birds and that deep cultural connection. From their evolution and anatomy to their behavior and diversity.
- Hawks, finches, swans, or birds of paradise, moving the focus away from a predictable species-by-species account and allowing for truly global coverage.
- The bold nature of European Robins and why they are associated with Christmas; the mythical Phoenix, which rises from the ashes; and learn about eagles, from their hunting prowess to their myriads of stories and symbolism.
Packed with information, beautiful photography, and illustrations, The Bird Book is a must-have for nature enthusiasts. Register today to learn more about your very own backyard friends!
About the Author: Dr. Jay Jinsing Falk is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Colorado. He is an evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist fascinated by the diversity that can be found within species, especially in sexual traits. During his PhD, he began studying White-necked Jacobin hummingbirds as a STRI Short-Term Fellow, and later as a Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellow. His findings, that some females of this species look like males while others do not, has become the cornerstone of his research program. He is inspired by the dizzying array of feather coloration that can be found in hummingbirds. After completing his PhD at Cornell University, he moved to the University of Washington to study hummingbird movement and metabolism. Now at the University of Colorado, he is investigating the genetics and development of feather coloration. Jay currently lives in Gamboa, Panamá, where he studies the hummingbirds that visit the feeders at his house on the edge of the forest.
*Note: While the book will be discussed, please be aware the presenter may explore other topics in the related fields suiting their additional expertise. Presenters can be expected to be experts in the field; however, for the Smithsonian and Library Speakers Consortium Collaboration they may not always be the author of the book being highlighted.
Library Knitting Circle
Every Wednesday, 1:30 – 4:00 pm in the Quiet Study South
This program is for anybody who loves a good game of chess. We are a fun group of players. We like a competitive match, but we are not too serious!
People of all levels are welcome.
No registration is necessary.
Chess Club
Every Wednesday, 5:30 – 7:30 pm & Every Saturday, 2:00 – 4:00 pm in the Herreshoff Room
This program is for anybody who loves a good game of chess. We are a fun group of players. We like a competitive match, but we are not too serious!
People of all levels are welcome.
No registration is necessary.