Western Bay libraries have been forced to turn away some young people keen to join their reading programmes because they can't keep up with demand.
Tauranga City Libraries children and teenagers team leader Michelle Anderson said there were 720 children aged 5-10 in the Summer Reading Programme and 250 tweens between intermediate and college-age doing the Teen Mean Reads programmes across the Bay.
She said the high number of interested children and teens meant they had to turn a few keen readers away - even after increasing hours for student workers and utilising volunteers.
"Every year we increase in numbers," Ms Anderson said.
Tauranga Primary School pupil Mia Lunson, 8, had managed to get through 14 books this summer.