Murrieta teen advisory council reports nearly 2,500 participants in summer reading challenge

Gabriela Alvarado, a teen advisory council member, told the Library Advisory Commission on Aug. 18 that this year’s summer reading challenge, themed "Level Up at Your Library," attracted 2,489 registered participants across age groups and emphasized activities beyond reading.

"This year, our summer reading challenge theme was level up at your library," Alvarado said. She reported that children 12 and under made up the largest share of registrants and that teens pledged 1,927 books while returning 649 teen review logs. Adults pledged 2,111 reads and returned 993 logs.

Agnes Rito, supervising librarian, said the teen advisory council (TAC) handled daily challenge logistics, created take-home kits and planned an after-hours teen "lock-in" escape-room event that was the highest-attended teen program of the summer. Rito said she expects the council to expand from roughly 10–15 members last year to about 23 active members for the coming school year after midyear recruitment.

Commissioners asked how the library attracts high-school students. Alvarado and other TAC members suggested interactive, social events such as gaming nights, study halls and social-media "check-in" prize challenges to bring teens through the door. Rito also described successful outreach at local high-school lunch tables, where simple incentives such as free food and a prize wheel drew student interest.

The council’s report comes as the library prepares for a planned expansion; staff said stronger teen engagement will be part of programming efforts once the facility project proceeds. The commission did not take formal action on the program report; it received the update and thanked the teen presenters.