Book Bingo 2025 Goes Big, and Begins Today

Your favorite summer reading adventure begins today, with a plot twist!

Every summer we partner with Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) for Book Bingo, our summer reading program for adults and teens. For 2025, we are thrilled to share that King County Library System (KCLS) is joining the fun!

Readers in all corners of King County can now participate in the summer reading program that encourages adults to read widely for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, family and neighbors.

How to get started with Book Bingo

It’s easy! Head to any of 27 SPL locations or 50 KCLS locations to pick up an adult Book Bingo card. SPL also has Book Bingo cards for teens — complete with their own categories and prizes. More on that below.

You can also download the board at www.spl.org/BookBingo, www.kcls.org/BookBingo or www.lectures.org/BookBingo.

Submit your board with enough squares filled out for bingo or blackout by Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. to be entered in a prize drawing.

The 2025 Summer Book Bingo card includes 24 categories — ranging from “Intergenerational Friendship” to “Grief” to “Monsters” — that challenge readers to explore a wide range of books. Categories are designed to be flexible. Any kind of book counts, including audiobooks, graphic novels, and young adult books.

How to find books for Summer Book Bingo

Oh, how we love to help you find books for Book Bingo. Here are a few of the ways.

• Book lists galore: If you need reading ideas for any bingo square, you can find a wide range of suggestions in category-specific book lists created by SPL and KCLS librarians, posted at www.spl.org/BookBingo and www.kcls.org/BookBingo.
• Stop by a library: You can also stop by any KCLS or SPL location to find Book Bingo displays and ask for suggestions.
• Custom suggestions: SPL patrons can ask for personalized suggestions at www.spl.org/YourNext5 and KCLS patrons can ask for suggestions at www.kcls.org/BookMatch.
• Let SAL help you: For the “SAL Speaker” square and many others, consider reading titles by upcoming or past Seattle Arts & Lectures authors.
• Share on social: Keep the conversation going by posting on social media using the hashtag #BookBingoNW2025.
• Remember, we trust you: Book Bingo categories were designed to be flexible and open-ended. We trust you to decide whether a book fits.

KUOW Radio just published a great story on this year’s Book Bingo that shares tips from longtime players, so check that out, too!

How to be entered in the prize drawing

Submit the front and back of your completed card (with either a bingo or a blackout) by dropping off your card (or a copy) at any location of The Seattle Public Library or the King County Library System, or by completing the submission form at www.spl.org/BookBingo or www.kcls.org/BookBingo. Entries must be received by Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m.

If you turn in a Summer Book Bingo card with enough squares for bingo, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a commemorative tote bag. If you complete all 24 squares for blackout, you’ll be entered in a drawing for one of three grand prizes per library system, including a “Create Your Own Series” subscription to SAL’s 2025/26 Season.

Teen and Kids’ Book Bingo

Teens can also get in on the summer reading fun. SPL and Seattle Arts & Lectures are offering a Teen Book Bingo card that you can download or pick up at any SPL location to start reading and playing. With 25 squares, the teen board includes categories such as “DNF = Did Not Finish,” “Face Your Fears,” and “Published in Your Birth Year.”

To be entered in prize drawings, teens should drop off their card (or a copy) at any location of The Seattle Public Library, or complete the submission form at www.spl.org/BookBingo. Prizes include a $25 Visa gift card for bingo and a grand prize of a $100 gift card to Elliott Bay Book Company for blackout.

For younger readers ages 0-12, Seattle Arts & Lectures is offering Kids Book Bingo, which you can download at www.lectures.org/BookBingo. Prizes include drawings of $30 and $100 gift cards to independent bookstores.

About this year’s Book Bingo artist

Every year, we partner with a local artist on Book Bingo. This year’s stunning Book Bingo cards were designed by Seattle-based artist Marlowe Pody, also known as Odd Rabbits.

Marlowe is a half Japanese illustrator and maker based in Seattle, WA and Providence, RI. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design’s illustration department. She is the creator of Odd Rabbits, a magical world of rabbits, angels and spirits. You can check out more of her work on Instagram, X/Twitter, and Patreon.

Happy reading!

  Your favorite summer reading adventure begins today, with a plot twist! Every summer we partner with Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) for Book Bingo, our summer reading program for adults and teens. For 2025, we are thrilled to share that King County Library System (KCLS) is joining the fun! Readers in all corners of King … Continue reading “Book Bingo 2025 Goes Big, and Begins Today” 

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