The stories that won the summer – Three received recognition

Summer reading is the game of life!

Isabela Magna at Engidal School, Marta Ísabel from Ásland School and Þorbjörg Hekla at Víðistaðaskóli recently received awards for outstanding entries in the summer reading treasure hunt organised by the Hafnarfjörður Library and the school libraries.

Isabela wrote the story The damned pizza place, Marta Ísabel composed Spring and Þorbjörg Hekla the story Mad tomatoes. The works, along with the sixteen most outstanding, are available for anyone to view on the first floor of the library.

Valdimar Víðisson, the mayor, congratulated the winners on the spot and gave a short speech. „The Summer Reading Programme had a new format this year. It was very interesting and fun to see how many children took part and made an effort,“ he says.

„Reading is incredibly important, and it is vital that children read over the summer so they do not lose the reading skills they have acquired at school. The library's summer reading scheme is an important contribution to the effort to get children reading. I would like to thank the staff very much for organising this and congratulate everyone who took part.“

A warm harvest festival

The ceremony at the Library was very warm and low-key. The families of the winners, as well as the library staff, gathered there to celebrate the harvest.

The 2025 Summer Reading initiative invited students to submit poems and short stories. In total, 109 valid entries were received within the deadline from 107 participants. They were laminated and placed around the town. Many have no doubt spotted the bright laminated boards around the town this summer. The boards became the starting point for a fun exploration of the town.

Hugrún Margrét, Head of the Children's and Young People's Departments at Hafnarfjörður Library, says it was time for a change to the format of the summer reading programme. This year, work was carried out with the school libraries, and collection boxes were placed there. The school librarians then encouraged both teachers and pupils to take part.

The children got to create

„They spend the whole school year writing down what they read. So I wanted to be more interactive and hear their voices. It was also a perfect opportunity to spread children's culture around our town,“ says Hugrún Margrét about the new arrangement.

„We can see from the stories that children are noticing what's going on around them. It's so lovely to see. You can read a story where Elon Musk makes an appearance, recycling, cavemen, the mayor. It was really lovely to get such an insight,“ she says. Poems also made it into this year's competition.

„One elegy is particularly memorable. It dealt with loss and provides a very good insight into a child's mental and emotional life.“

Yes, this is a real harvest. Congratulations to everyone. Please feel free to pop into our library and enjoy the fruits of the summer.

Gunnar Týr, brother of the absent Isabella, Marta Isabel from Ásland School and Þorbjörg Hekla from Víðistaðaskóli, together with the mayor.