Vroman’s Bookstore will open its 2026 Summer Reading Program for children at 11 a.m. Thursday with a courtyard kickoff featuring a performance by members of the Society for Creative Anachronism and a craft in which young readers build cardboard swords and shields.
The free program, titled “Dragons, Duels, and Dazzling Reads,” is open to readers in grades Pre-K through 12 and runs on Thursdays at 11 a.m. through Aug. 6, according to Vroman’s website. Participants are asked to read 10 or more books and attend at least one in-store event to earn rewards.
The kickoff will take place outside on the Vroman’s paseo at 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Children who sign up at the store’s Children’s Department receive a free reading log to track their summer reading.
The Society for Creative Anachronism is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and recreation of pre-17th-century culture and practices, according to the bookstore’s announcement. The Thursday performance will be presented by members of the SCA’s Southern California branch, known as the Kingdom of Caid.
“The Kingdom of Caid, a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), brings the Middle Ages and Renaissance to life across Southern California, the greater Las Vegas area, and Hawaii,” the branch states on its official website. Caid’s activities include armored and rapier combat, archery, thrown weapons, costuming, cooking, calligraphy and music.
The kickoff is the first of eight events scheduled on Thursdays through Aug. 6, with no event on July 23. The series continues June 18 with “Sophia Sings Sendak,” a musical storytime led by Sophia, a Vroman’s card and gift clerk and a member of the band Cash & Skye, featuring titles by Maurice Sendak. On June 25, “Marie’s D&D Workshop” offers a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired one-shot adventure for children ages 6 and older. An RSVP is required.
July events include a clay-sculpture workshop on July 2 led by Vroman’s resident artist Kat, which also requires an RSVP, and a birthday-themed storytime on July 9 in partnership with the Evelyn Swierczynski Foundation and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Attendees are encouraged to bring new books — only new books will be accepted — for donation to CHLA patients. A CHLA blood drive will run that day from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Vroman’s back lot. On July 16, a Stuffed Animal Sleepover will follow plushie drop-off at the Kids Info Desk between 5 and 8 p.m. on July 15. The July 30 event is a Summerween paper-craft workshop with origami artist and author Joel Stern.
The program closes Aug. 6 with an End-of-Summer Celebration featuring children’s book illustrator Heidi Moreno, who will read from “But I’m a Pumpkin!: A Summerween Story.” Prizes, including free books, will be distributed that day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kids Info Desk while supplies last, according to Vroman’s.
Vroman’s Bookstore, founded in 1894, can be reached at (626) 449-5320. RSVP links and full program details are at vromansbookstore.com; information on the SCA’s Southern California branch is at sca-caid.org. To earn rewards, participants must return their reading logs to the Children’s Department on or after Aug. 6.
