Youth Literacy programs at Harris County Public Library help develop the love of reading in children through 12th grade.
Our youth literacy approach encompasses children from birth through 12th grade. We are committed to helping children develop a lifelong love for reading, knowing that this is one of the strongest pathways to a life of meaningful literacy. Our programs range from story times for babies to teen book clubs reading the latest YA titles.
Book Buddies
Help foster the love of reading by mentoring a young reader!
Book Buddies is a free program that brings children and adult or teen volunteers together to share the joy of reading. It pairs trained volunteers (Big Buddies) with children in Kindergarten through 3rd grades (Little Buddies). For 10 weeks, the Buddies meet once a week in the afternoon for 45 minutes of one-on-one shared reading. Please contact your local library for information on the next Book Buddies cycle.
Tournament of Books
Tournament of Books is a reading competition for students in grades 9-12 or ages 14-17. Registration begins in November.
12 Books for each library team. 1 Championship Team takes home the prize!
Tournament of Books is a book club with a competitive spirit. In teams of four, each team creates a reading strategy to tackle 12 books. The 12 books are a diverse reading list created by HCPL literacy staff of the latest books in Young Adult literature. Beginning in December, teams meet monthly for book parties that include books games, reviews, and discussion to prepare them for the competition. In March, the top teams from each branch will prove their book knowledge as they compete against other HCPL branches at the Championship Game. Teams will compete for great prizes and the glory of being the Tournament of Books Champions.
Tournament of Books is for grades 9th – 12th (ages 14 – 17 years). Registration begins in November.
Participating library branches information coming soon
