The Bright Red Book Bus is Back for Another Summer of Stories

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Story provided by Chelsea Isenor, Director of Communications and Board Administration

The Bright Red Book Bus is gearing up to share the joy of reading with local families this summer. From June 30 to August 15, 2025, the Bright Red Book Bus will be on the road visiting various school sites and city parks in Kamloops. Families can visit the bus in their neighbourhoods to participate in story walks, games, activities, and more.

Now in its 11th year, this cheerful red bus has become a familiar sight at local schools and parks throughout the summer. It is more than a mobile library—it is a beloved summer tradition for local families. Packed with brand-new and gently used books, the Bright Red Book Bus provides free books for kids of all ages right in their own neighborhoods.

Each child who visits the Bright Red Book Bus gets to choose a book to take home, read, and keep. This experience bus helps build excitement around reading, creates strong reading habits over the summer, and combats the summer reading slide that can become common while school is out for the summer.

This literacy initiative is about more than just handing out free books, it is about empowering families to read and build literacy skills together. Distributing over 34,000 books since its inception, the Bright Red Book Bus has helped develop a community of young, excited readers.

2025 Summer Schedule:

For more information and updates, visit the Bright Red Book Bus Facebook page.

Launched with seed money from the local Stollery Charitable Foundation in 2014 with encouragement from Spencer and Janet Bryson of Kamloops, the Bright Red Book Bus is a community partnership, primarily between the Kamloops-Thompson School District, Literacy in Kamloops (LinK), and BGC Kamloops (formerly Boys and Girls Club of Kamloops). This literacy program is also made possible thanks to the support of funding partners, including Raise a Reader and CML Properties.

In the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, the Kamloops-Thompson School District is committed to supporting students to develop foundational literacy skills and to develop a passion for multi-literacies. The Bright Red Book Bus is one initiative that helps to promote joyful reading and interesting conversations for students and their families.