Play the 10th Annual Summer Book Bingo with The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures for Fun and Prizes
release date: May 22, 2024
On your bookmarks! Today, The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures launched Book Bingo, the summer reading program that encourages adults and teens to read widely for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, family and neighbors.
Now in its tenth year and with a new offering for teens, Book Bingo encourages readers to read (or listen to) books from a variety of categories. Play along to complete a row, column or diagonal line on your card for bingo or complete all 24 squares for blackout. You can also play a Spanish-language version, Lotería de Lectura. Submit your card by Tuesday, Sept. 3 to enter a prize drawing.
“It’s been amazing to see Book Bingo grow each year in popularity,” said Misha Stone, Reader Services librarian at The Seattle Public Library. “Fans tell us that playing Book Bingo opens them to new genres, authors and topics, and leads to all kinds of reading connections.”
Stone noted that Book Bingo categories were designed to be flexible, accommodating a wide variety of both fiction and nonfiction selections. Examples of squares in Adult Book Bingo include “Friendship,” “Retelling,” “Cozy,” and “BIPOC Romance.”
Teen Book Bingo includes reading categories designed for middle grade and young adult readers, including “Childhood Favorite,” “Nom Nom Nom (food/cooking)” and “Shares Your Identity.” Two squares encourage experiences (“Try a New Hobby or Activity” and “Visit a Library”).
“We're really excited about getting youth readers engaging with books for both learning and entertainment,” said teen librarian Eliza Summerlin. “Have some fun! Try something new!"
All kinds of formats count for Adult and Teen Book Bingo, including young adult, graphic novels and audiobooks.
“SAL is so delighted to be partnering with SPL for the tenth year of building community through reading!,” said Alison Stagner, Director of Events & Outreach for SAL. “In celebration, SAL is hosting our first-ever in-person Book Bingo gathering at the Volunteer Park Amphitheater on Saturday, August 3, for a silent reading party and picnic, so mark your calendars.”
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH BOOK BINGO
Download an Adult or Teen Book Bingo card in English, designed by Seattle artist Sabella Flagg, at www.spl.org/BookBingo or www.lectures.org/book-bingo; or a “Loteria de Lectura” card in Spanish, designed by Tacoma artist Eliana Vasquez, at www.spl.org/Loteria.
Book Bingo for Adults and Teens and Lotería cards are also available at any Library location. Seattle Arts & Lectures also offers a Kids Book Bingo card for middle grade and younger readers, which you can also download at www.lectures.org/book-bingo.
Need book ideas? Find reading lists for many bingo squares at spl.org/BookBingo. You can also check displays and talk with library staff at your library, find staff picks and book lists at spl.org, request a personalized book list at spl.org/YourNext5 or email/chat with the Library at www.spl.org/Ask.
Peak Picks, the Library’s no-holds, no-wait collection of popular titles that you can check out immediately, is another great source of book ideas.
Follow or post with the hashtag #BookBingoNW2024 on X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook to get ideas from fellow readers and share your progress.
BOOK BINGO LOVE
Book Bingo players submit hundreds of comments every year about why they love the game; here are a few highlights from recent years.
- "My friend and I made plans and read together many times! I feel like Book Bingo helped bring us together."
- "I love the encouragement to read books or genres I probably wouldn’t have explored without this fun experience every summer."
- "My Book Bingo evangelism was particularly pronounced this summer, so I ended up getting lots of people into it and being able to share recommendations, read together, and check on progress with friends, coworkers, and my mom!"
- "I relied upon the lists SPL provided to find books to read in a variety of genres. Thank you, SPL team, for that for the quality writing and thinking I encountered in the books I read."
- "… started a group chat with friends to track our progress and share reads -- now we are transitioning to a book club! So thankful to have such a fun event that fosters incredible community."
- "It was exhilarating and I loved discovering new authors!"
- "I had so many fun conversations with friends as I built my bingo strategy! I read some really great books that I wouldn’t have normally chosen."
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR BOOK BINGO CARD FOR PRIZES
When you’ve filled the front and back of your bingo card, submit it by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to be entered for prize drawings. Here’s how to submit your card:
- Drop off your card (or a copy) at any location of The Seattle Public Library.
- Complete the submission form at www.spl.org/BookBingo or https://www.spl.org/Loteria.
Important note: Although the Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures encourage Book Bingo and Lotería players to share their progress on social media, you can no longer submit your card through social media.
Adult Book Bingo and Lotería are for readers ages 18 and up, and Teen Book Bingo is for middle-grade and young-adult readers. You are only allowed to enter once. Blackout card entrants will be entered in a drawing for one of three grand prizes, including a subscription to the 2024/25 SAL series of your choice. Both blackout and bingo entrants for Teen and Adult Book Bingo will be entered to win a gift card from one of Seattle’s independent bookstores thanks to a generous donation from The Friends of The Seattle Public Library.
Entrants for Loteria will be entered to win gift cards from Fred Meyer ($50 for bingo and $100 for blackout).
Book Bingo is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and The Friends of The Seattle Public Library.
ABOUT THE SEATLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Seattle Public Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.
For more information about Summer Book Bingo, visit www.spl.org/BookBingo, call The Seattle Public Library at 206-386-4636 or Ask Us. For ADA accommodations, please contact: leap@spl.org.
ABOUT SEATTLE ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1987, Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) cultivates transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all generations. SAL's programs include the Literary Arts Series, Encore Series, Poetry Series, Community Curated Series, SAL Presents, Local Voices, Summer Book Bingo, the Youth Poet Fellowship (YPF) program, and Writers in the Schools (WITS). For tickets and information, visit lectures.org.