What a year for reading! Knox County readers wrapped up Mayor Jacobs’ 2025 Read City Challenge with an incredible finish — surpassing our goal by nearly 20%. Together, our community completed over 160,000 literary activities, from reading and writing to exploring, creating, and crafting.
Library Lab
Top Reads of 2025:
Dav Pilkey continues to be a fan favorite!
- Most Checked-Out Print Book: Dog Man Unleashed
- Most Downloaded Juvenile eBook: Dog Man Fetch-22
This year’s theme, Curious Minds, inspired a year-long journey of discovery. We kicked things off with a science fair, Library Laboratory, at Bridgewater Event Center — packed with families exploring hands-on exhibits from partners like The Muse, Zoo Knoxville, UT Entomology, Owl Ridge Raptor Center, and Hands On Discovery Center.
Summer took us to the skies, fall brought us underground, and along the way, we hosted bookmark contests, STEM programs, and more. Readers earned prizes for every five activities completed, and those who finished all 25 earned a bonus reward! You can see the year in photos.
Read City Library lab
Special thanks to schools, aftercare programs, faith communities, businesses, and families for spreading the love of reading. And kudos to Mayor Jacobs for donning green hair and a lab coat to keep the fun alive!
Save the Date:
Get ready to Stomp and Roar into 2026 at our kickoff event on January 24 at Bridgewater Event Center. We can’t wait to see you there!
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.
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