Back to the books
School may be winding down, but the Summer Reading Challenge for Kids is just getting started
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Calling all young readers — the Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for Kids is back in session!
A partner program to the Free Press Book Club since 2020, the summer reading challenge offers four titles for each of three reading levels based on age — 7 to 9 years old, 10 to 12 years old and 13 to 15 years old. McNally Robinson Booksellers staffers curated the reading lists, prioritizing a diversity of perspectives, formats and topics to make sure there’s something for everyone — and there’s even a few local authors on the list.
The Summer Reading Challenge also offers budding reviewers the opportunity to submit their thoughts on any of the books on the reading lists, with a rating out of five stars, and have their reviews published in the books section of the Free Press print and online editions. All kids registered for the reading challenge will also receive activities and reading resources for each book to encourage deeper learning and hopefully help spur some thoughts and reflections for those reviews.
More information about each book on the reading lists, as well as additional information about what to include in reviews, can be found here. All of the books are available for purchase at McNally Robinson, and almost all are also available at the Winnipeg Public Library.
And what better way to celebrate the launch of the 2026 Summer Reading Challenge for Kids than a huge giveaway? Three lucky readers from each age group will win every book on their preferred reading list. To enter the giveaway, parents or guardians need to register an email address at wfp.to/kidsbookclub and then fill out the giveaway entry form by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Winners must be able to pick up their prize at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location.
It’s free to join the Summer Reading Challenge for Kids. To register, and to access those reading resources and activities sent by email throughout the summer, visit wfp.to/kidsbookclub.
Questions? Email bookclub@freepress.mb.ca.
Summer Reading Challenge picks
AGES 7 – 9
● Legendary Allies: The Healer and the Phoenix, by Linda Trinh, illustrated by Quynh Anh Nguyen
● Sarah Ponakey, Storycatcher and Wâpos’s Friendship Garden, by Sita MacMillan, illustrated by Azby Whitecalf
● The Hockey Team: The New Player, by Alain Bergeron, illustrated by Caroline Soucy
● Super Villains in Training: The Fantastic Freeze Ray, by Kailei Pew, illustrated by Estrela Lourenço
AGES 10 – 12
● The Case of the Movie Mayhem: A Mighty Muskrats Mystery, by Michael Hutchinson
● Collision, by Eric Walters and Danson Mutinda
● Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham, by Ryan James Black
● Kindred Dragons, by Sarah Mensinga
AGES 13 – 15
● Free Piano (Not Haunted), by Whitney Gardner
● To Steal from Thieves, by M.K. Lobb
● The Blind Date Agreement, by Jessica Cunsolo
● I Won’t Feel This Way Forever, by Kim Spencer
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Updated on Monday, June 15, 2026 11:39 AM CDT: Adds link
