All 
Have an adventure with Pikes Peak Library District this summer! Kids and teens (ages 0 - 18) can win prizes through reading and activities, and we will be hosting many free, fun events. You can track your progress online or with game cards available at all PPLD locations.
The adventure runs from June 1 - July 31. You can register now at ppld.beanstack.org.
Be in the know! Sign up to receive weekly event emails for ages 0 - 18 in June and July. Unsubscribe at any time.
Calendars
Game Cards
You can track online, pick up a game card at any location, or print one of these black-and-white game cards and get started.
Summer Adventure Game Prizes
Please pick up your prizes from any PPLD location no later than Wed., July 31.
Children (ages 0 - 3, 4 - 7, and 8 - 12)
12-year-olds can choose to play either the Children’s game or the Teen game.
- 1st Prize: Summer Adventure book bag
- 2nd Prize: Galaxy Squishy Dough (0 - 3) or Mars Comet Slime (4 - 7 and 8 - 12)
- 3rd Prize: Book and an entry into the grand prize drawing
- Grand Prize Drawing*: Six-month gift subscription to activity crates from kiwico.com (participants can continue reading after game completion to earn up to four additional entries into the grand prize drawing).
Teens (ages 12 - 18)
12-year-olds can choose to play either the Children’s game or the Teen game.
- 1st Prize: Teen drawstring bag
- 2nd Prize: Teen book or journal
- 3rd Prize: Teen t-shirt and entry into the grand prize drawing
- Grand Prize Drawing*: Chromebook™ (participants can continue reading after game completion to earn up to four additional entries into the grand prize drawing)
*Each age group will have multiple winners throughout the District.
How to Play the Game
Ages 0 - 12
1. Earn points by reading or doing activities! Earn one point per minute read or 30 points per activity completed. Participants may finish the entire game through reading, or a do a combination of reading and activities.
2. Participants must complete all three levels to finish the game. Visit any library to redeem points and pick up prizes. Please pick up prizes no later than July 31.
3. Once finished, participants are also automatically entered into the grand prize drawing!
4. There are four bonus levels. Participants must continue to read after finishing the game in order to complete the bonus levels. For each additional 180 minutes read, participants get their name into the grand prize drawing again. Finishing all four bonus levels means that a participant has a total of five entries in the drawing.
5. Participants may use either their game card or their online Beanstack account (or both!) to log their points, both for the game and the bonus levels. Library staff and volunteers can help with online logging, if needed.
Ages 12 - 18
1. Read books or complete activities to earn points.
2. Record time or books read and/or activities completed on the game card.
3. Add up your points under the rocket on the game card to track your progress and see when you have won a prize! You earn a prize after earning 500, 1,000, and 1,500 points.
4. You can log your progress at ppld.beanstack.org or come to the library and staff or volunteers will log for you.
5. When you win a prize, come in to any PPLD location to pick up your prize.
6. Finished the game? You are automatically entered into the grand prize drawing! Then keep reading. For each extra 180 points you earn, you get another entry to win the grand prize: a Chromebook™! You may earn up to four additional entries into the grand prize drawing.
Beanstack FAQs: ppld.beanstack.org/faq
Have more questions about Beanstack? Email beanstackhelp@ppld.org
This year, Pikes Peak Library District has combined the All Pikes Peak Writes and Teen Fiction writing contests in order to highlight writers of all ages in our community in one place. The contest will have three categories for ages 12 - 18, 19 - 24, and 25+. Links to the guidelines, rules for entry, and submission form for each category can be found below.
Submissions will be accepted May 15 through 9 p.m. on July 15.
Eligibility:
All Pikes Peak Writes is open to El Paso County residents ages 12+.
Judging:
Entries will be judged on quality of writing, use of language, plot development and resolution, believable characters, and correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
Awards:
Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place entries in each category. An award ceremony will be held on Sat., Aug. 24 in the East Library Community Room.
Categories:
Click on age group for submission information.
- Ages 12 - 18
- Ages 19 - 24
- Ages 25+
Please contact hbuljung@ppld.org or criesenberger@ppld.org for questions or more information.
SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for teens that gives away two complete audiobook downloads a week!
Check out what titles are coming up this summer and sign up for alerts at https://www.audiobooksync.com/! You can also text SYNCYA to 25827 to receive alerts about new titles!
The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art, and teens determine the winners.
The theme for our 2019 Teen Art Contest was "Opposites Attract! "
All of the artwork will be displayed at either Penrose Library, East Library, or Library 21c during the month of April.
Here are this years winners, which you can also view below!
Best In Show
“Poseidon’s Goldfish” by Cole R.
High School - First Place
“Opposites Attract” by Isaiah R.
High School - Second Place
“A Spectrum” by Preston S.
Middle School - First Place
“Steamy” by Teddy K.
Middle School - Second Place
“Concrete Jungle” by Ava K.
Coordinator’s Choice - High School
“Calm Before the Storm” by Lydia M.
Coordinator’s Choice - Middle School
“Strong and Courageous” by Chloe H.
You can view the winners here:
The 2018 Teen Fiction Anthology is here!
Click the link below to read the award winning stories from the 2018 Teen Fiction Writing Contest.
In 2018, over 70 young authors submitted original stories to PPLD's Teen Fiction Writing Contest. Each story began with the sentence "The letter could not have come at a worse time", which was chosen by New York Times best-selling author Sandya Menon. The young authors in our community took this common beginning and crafted a huge variety of stories that tackled big topics, such as: grief and loss, growing up, building a better world, and the weight of responsibility.
Winners were chosen through anonymous scoring by a group of dedicated PPLD staff members. The three top stories in both the middle school and high school categories were announced at the awards ceremony on July 29, 2018, and will be published in a digital anthology in September.
Middle School Winners:
- 1st Place: "A Girl, A Thousand Shirtwaists, and a Fire" by Molly Heinold
- 2nd Place: "Dear Louella" by Emma Reeves
- 3rd Place: "Elenora" Claire Deeds
High School Winners:
- 1st Place: "The Apiary" by Alexandra Wollinka
- 2nd Place: "An Impossible Choice" by Sophia Mayhugh
- 3rd Place: "A Work-Ruled Vacation" by Shanleigh Glide
Congratulations to all the winners and entrants! Thank you to all the young authors who entered and to those who encouraged them to put their ideas on paper. If you were unable to attend the awards ceremony, your judge's feedback sheet and participation certificate have been mailed to the address listed on your submission form.
Beginning Jan. 9, 2017, PPLD will no longer charge fines on overdue children and teen items. Removing overdue fines will provide greater opportunity for children and teens to use the full range of library services. Currently, 15% of children and teen cardholders are blocked from checking out items at the library due to overdue fines.
Also, overdue fines on DVDs and games will be reduced from 25 cents per day to 10 cents per day.
PPLD seeks to foster literacy and life-long learning for children and teens. The Library regularly evaluates policies to see what barriers for service exist and evaluates how to eliminate such barriers. The Library’s Board of Trustees approved the new policy at their December meeting.
Items that will not accrue overdue fines must be designated as “juvenile” or “teen” in the Library catalog. The policy will take effect for any items checked out January 9 or after. Lost item and damage fees will still apply.
Overdue notices will still be sent as reminders to return Library items. Items not returned within 21 days of the due date will be considered lost, and the full cost of the item will be charged to the patron’s account.
