Goodbye to Summer Learning
Summer Learning is at it's end and as a community we have read a whole lot! You've also contributed many great book reviews to our Summer Learning platform, Beanstack. This week, we are excited to share with you a few of the reviews you've contributed and to celebrate the most logged books from Summer Learning. Congratulations to everyone that participated to achieve their reading goals!
Reviews by You
First up in our Hall of Fame post we wanted to feature some of your fantastic book reviews from 2026. These are the books being read in your community! You can add your own review for books you like on Beanstack, our Summer Learning platform, but also through our library catalog. Here are some of your reviews:
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Review by Anonymous
"Read this series! I had no idea what this series was about. I just rode along with the story and was captivated by the characters. I found out the LitRPG is a thing. Carl and Princess Donut find themselves in a world no longer theirs, playing a game for their lives. Leveling up (or actually down?!), accepting this is what Life is Now and figuring it out as they go. Things go BOOM, monsters are fought, friends made and lost, enemies abound and it is all viewed by others in the universe. The writing is entertaining and kept drawing me down into the depths of the Dungeon Crawl. LOVE.THIS.SERIES!"
The Road by Cormac McCarthy Review by Scott
"𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘆𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰ⵑ
This is literature as art... It's 100% gray, bleak, gloomy depression, and disappointment amongst rampant murder, starvation, fighting death, and fighting the fear of death. It tells the story of a man’s love for his young son and their desperate effort to endure. It's wonderful.
There are no flowery descriptions. The writing is simple, choppy, and unsophisticated but provides enough to catalyze a vivid mental picture. It works well with the setting and promotes a feeling of survival-focused distress. If you’re into post-apocalyptic novels, tragedy, dystopian fiction, survival fiction, or even horror, this is a must-read."
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
Review by Ruby
"This is the latest book with the narrator Olive Kitteridge asking neighbors in her small city in Maine to tell her everything which she now shares with us. These are wonderful love stories and very precious as at the end of the book Olive is 91 years old, so she will not be here too long to share her stories."
Most Logged Books
It is no surprise that a few kids series dominated Summer Learning this year. The Dog Man series held steady as one of most logged books in our Summer Learning Hall of Fame and The Harry Potter series continued to rank highly amongst summer learning readers, previously having held the title of most logged for several years. However, both were topped this year by the Big Nate books, which are available as both graphic novels and chapter books. The epic sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary also jumped up the charts this summer, likely due to the huge movie release earlier in the year- and at nearly 500 pages, readers were spending a whole lot of time with this title over the summer!
Further Favorites
There were a number of other books that captivated our community this summer. The Dungeon Crawler Carl series ranked highly amongst adults, which is no surprise with the lively Audible exclusive audiobook available through The Palace Project and the release of the new spin off graphic novel. Teens revisited the tried and true The Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, as well as several classics including Moby Dick and East of Eden. Check below for some additional hall of fame titles logged by different age groups!
Pre-Reader & Reader Most Logged Titles
Pre-Teen/ Teen/Adult Most Logged Titles
Congratulations!
However you read and participated in Summer Learning this year, we at the San Jose Public Library are proud of your initiative and thankful for the support of our community. We hope that you continue to read throughout the year. Unsure of what to read next? If you're looking for a new book to read you can try our reader's advisory service, 5forU, browse our Staff Picks booklists, and of course keep your eyes peeled for new events.
We hope you had fun reading with the library this Summer, and we look forward to reading and learning with you again soon!
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