America 250 at CADL
Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary with special programs and reading lists designed to help you explore the people, events, and stories that shaped our country.
America 250 Reading Challenge
Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary by reading 25 books across 25 decades. Start in 1776 and travel through the 2020s, choosing titles from or about each decade. Read all year long and turn in your log to receive a prize and be entered into prize drawings for t-shirts, book bundles and more!​
Need ideas? Check out our decade-themed reading lists for adults, teens, and kids.
To Participate: Pick up a reading log at any CADL branch or download our fillable PDF log and print at home. Reading logs will be available at CADL branches beginning January 26.
Challenge Dates: January 20-December 31, 2026
Reading Lists
Explore America by decades with reading lists curated by CADL librarians. New lists will be added throughout the year.
Learn More
AMERICA'S FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS
America 250 Events
Pop-Up Storytimes at the Michigan History Museum
Sunday Oct 11, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm All Branches - Michigan History Museum: 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Lansing, MI 48915Join Ms. Cassie for a Pop-Up Storytime at the Michigan History Museum! Each month we’ll explore aâ...
Introduction to the Anishinaabeg People and the Three Fires Confederacy
Tuesday Oct 13, 2026 6:00pm - 7:30pm Local History Center - CADL Local History Center: 2175 University Park Drive, Okemos, MI 48864Neighborly Know-How—Tales of Small-Town Terror
Thursday Oct 22, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm Webberville - In LibraryLocal experts share what they know! Join Mitch Lutzke, president of the Williamston Depot Museum, as...
Gargoyles. Grotesques, Graveyards and Ghosts
Friday Oct 23, 2026 5:30pm - 7:00pm Local History Center - CADL Local History Center: 2175 University Park Drive, Okemos, MI 48864Join photographer and historian Jeff Morrison as he shows more than 200 pictures of some of the most...
Pop-Up Storytimes at the Michigan History Museum
Sunday Nov 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm All Branches - Michigan History Museum: 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Lansing, MI 48915Join Ms. Cassie for a Pop-Up Storytime at the Michigan History Museum! Each month we’ll explore aâ...
More Events