Welcome to the 2026 DCL Reading Challenge for adults and kids! Everything you need to get started is here.
There are 12 new challenge items to keep you reading all year—you choose the books to fit each category, or you may pick a staff-recommended title from the curated lists below. You may also ask DCL staff in our libraries for their excellent recommendations. And if one book fits more than one category, you may count it twice!
Once you’ve finished the challenge and submitted your completed form, you’ll be entered into our year-end random drawing for one of these awesome prizes:
Adult Challenge: $200 Shanahan's Steakhouse Gift Card
Kids Challenge: Denver Zoo Annual Family Pass
Download our Reading Challenge kit to take the challenge offline.
Staff Picks for the "Book About a Discovery" category
Staff Picks for the "Fiction Inspired by Fact" category
Staff Picks for the "Book for a Mood Booster" category
Staff Picks for the "Book with a Child Protagonist" category
Staff Picks for the "Book Set in a Forest" category
Staff Picks for the "Book Set on Vacation" category
Staff Picks for the "A Favorite Author's First Book" category
Staff Picks for the "Book Never Read but Saw the Movie/Series" category
Staff Picks for the "Book with a Season in the Title" category
Staff Picks for the "Author's Last Name is a First Name" category
Staff Picks for the "Audiobook for a Road Trip" category
Staff Picks for the "Book About School or Academia" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book Set On Vacation" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book Never Read but Saw the Movie/Series" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Author's Last Name is a First Name" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book with a Child Protagonist" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book Set in a Forest" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book About a Discovery" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book About School or Academia" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Audiobook for a Road Trip" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book for a Mood Booster" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Book with a Season in the Title" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "A Favorite Author's First Book" category
Staff Picks for kids for the "Fiction Inspired by Fact" category
Want more book recommendations? Find them on our staff picks lists. Have fun discovering new books, authors, and genres as you expand your reading horizons!