Click here to view our current challenges!
Looking for a way to track your reading? Look no further than the reading challenges on Beanstack! This platform is a free app and website where you can track what you read and for how long. We host challenges for adults, teens, and children all year long! Beanstack is a great way to keep you and your family on track with your reading goals.
How Does it Work?
Beanstack motivates you to grow your reading habits through “gamification.” Gamification features include badges, reading streaks, achievements, friends, and leaderboards to motivate all types of readers and learners. Badges help mark your progress, earn them for hitting reading goals, completing activities, submitting book reviews, or finishing a specific book. You can also review titles you have logged and connect with friends!
As you log your reading, your reading streaks grow visually which help to motivate your reading habits! Join the fun online or through their app, see below for more infomation.
How to Register
Registering through the website:
- Go to https://haverhillpl.beanstack.org/reader365 and choose Register an Individual or Family.
- Click on No when it asks if you have previously used Beanstack with Haverhill Public Library.
- Select I am registering myself.
- Complete all the required fields. Keep track of your email and password.
- You will be automatically pre-registered or registered for any reading challenges available for your age group.
- You will be asked if you wish to register another adult or any children. If you say Yes, complete the required fields.
- Once you are registered, you will be taken to a Reader Dashboard page. This is where you will track the books you’re reading and write reviews or participate in current reading challenges.
It’s possible to access and use Beanstack in other languages. Scroll down to the bottom of any screen and click Select Language.
Registering through the app:
- Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Download and open the Beanstack Tracker app.
- Choose At my library, school or bookstore.
- Using the Find a Site search bar, type Haverhill.
- Select Haverhill Public Library (MA).
- At the bottom of screen, you’ll see Don’t have an account? Select Sign up!
- Select No when asked if you have previously used Beanstack with Haverhill Public Library.
- Create an account by adding an email and creating a password. Select Continue.
- Add your First and Last Name and select Continue.
- Add a Phone Number and Zip Code. (This is optional.) Select Continue.
- Choose a Library. Entering your Library Card Number is optional.
- Your account is created! You can add additional information about yourself or add additional readers.
- You will be directed to the challenges we are currently offering. Choose any upcoming Challenges in which you would like to participate, or you can use Beanstack to track the books you’re reading and write book reviews!
A fun feature with the app is once you enter a book title, it is possible to use a timer to track how long you read!
Join a Challenge!
Join us during January for a Hygge themed reading challenge, and the first 10 people to earn all badges will win a Hygge gift bag! Hygge is a Danish word for a quality of coziness that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family.
Massachusetts Center for the Book 2026 Reading Challenge
The Reading Challenge is a state-wide, year-long reading extravaganza for all ages organized by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. The challenge gives all participants a chance to set and meet the goal of reading a book each month in a specific category and to share their experience within their reading community by writing a brief review of it. There are no prizes associated with this challenge, it is only for the love of reading!
The categories for the 2026 Reading Challenge are:
-January: A book about or set in winter
-February: A book outside your usual genres or spin the genre wheel at: massbook.org/genre-wheel
-March: A book featuring an unlikely friendship
-April: A short story or essay collection
-May: A book set in Massachusetts
-June: A book with a sympathetic villain
-July: A book found at a Little Free Library, tag sale, or used bookstore
-August: A book that could be considered taboo
-September: A book about a journey
-October: A mystery, thriller, or ghost story
-November: An adult classic you’ve never read
-December: A book that connects to your heritage or cultural identity
You can participate in our Beanstack Challenge simply to track your reading goals and progress and/or on the Massachusetts Center for the Books’ website (https://www.massbook.org/readingchallenge) where you can enter yourself for prize drawings on a monthly basis.
Read It Your Way
Welcome to 2026! The new year brings a new reading challenge that celebrates your reading freedom. No matter how you read—whether by turning pages, swiping a screen, or listening with your ears—this is your year to enjoy books on your own terms. Start reading today and earn badges all year long.
150 Year Challenge
The Haverhill Public Library was established in 1873 in an agreement between wealthy industrialist E.J.M. Hale and the City of Haverhill. The original library building opened on November 18, 1875.
Celebrate 150 years of the Haverhill Public Library by completing 15 challenges that will take you through the history of HPL and where we are now! Special thanks to our special collections room and the Senter Digital Archive for the pictures that have become our badges!
Make sure to check out the 150th Anniversary Merch Store!
HPL Photo Club
Explore the city with us! Through these activities you will tour a local cemetery, follow H.P. Lovecraft’s footsteps in Haverhill, & explore Historic Rocks Village. Plus, fun winter activities to keep you motived during the snowy season!