Summit teens entering grades 8 through 12 can earn five hours of community service by reading a banned book aloud at the Summit Free Public Library on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The library is accepting registrations for its 2026 Banned Books Readers program, which asks participants to research a challenged book, choose a passage, practice it with staff and then present their findings and reading to a live audience in the Liss Meeting Room from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Space is limited, and registration closes Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 5 p.m., according to the library's program page.

The program is teen-led. Each participant researches who banned their book and why, selects an excerpt and meets one-on-one with library staff members Ms. Ann-Marie or Ms. Lilli during the weeks of Sept. 21–26 or Sept. 27–Oct. 2 to rehearse. On Oct. 6, they present their research and read the passage to the audience.

In 2023, the library called the event "Banned Books Bandits" and brought in an outside moderator: Dr. Jocelyn A. Chadwick, a Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturer and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. The renamed 2026 version hands the stage to the students themselves.

The Oct. 6 reading falls during national Banned Books Week, which runs Oct. 4–10 under the theme "Let Books Be — Protect the Freedom to Read." The American Library Association tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged across the country in 2025, the second-highest total the organization has ever documented, according to ALA data. Ninety-two percent of those challenges came from pressure groups or government officials rather than individual parents.

Interested teens can register through a Google Form linked at summitlibrary.org.

What to know

  • Who: Teens entering grades 8–12 in the 2026–2027 school year
  • What: Read a banned-book excerpt aloud at a public event
  • When: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7–8:30 p.m., Liss Meeting Room, Summit Free Public Library
  • Deadline: Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.
  • Reward: Five community service hours
  • Register: Google Form at summitlibrary.org

Upcoming at the Summit Free Public Library

  • Sept. 15 — Banned Books Readers registration deadline (5 p.m.)
  • Oct. 4–10 — Banned Books Week 2026
  • Oct. 6 — Banned Books Readers public reading (7 p.m., Liss Meeting Room)