Wisconsin Bookstores Collaborate for Statewide Bookshop Quest

June 1st, 35 independent bookstores across Wisconsin open their doors to adventurers. Your mission: visit as many as you can, get your map marked at each stop, and earn your place in the drawing.

Prizes range from $25 to $300 in bookstore gift cards — plus a $100 Bookshop.org gift card for one lucky quester.

One month. 35 stores. Infinite reading material.

Are you ready?

HOW TO PLAY — THE COMPLETE GUIDE

Ready to embark? Here's everything you need to know before June 1st.

PICK UP YOUR MAP

Grab a Quest Map at any participating store. This is your passport — don't lose it.

VISIT STORES

Every participating store you visit earns you one entry into the drawing. Ask a bookseller to mark your map at each stop.

COMPLETE SIDE QUESTS

Extra entries are waiting for adventurers willing to go further. Attend a bookstore event, discover new favorites — check your map for the full list of side quests.

UNLOCK A BONUS AT STORE #10

Visit your tenth store and ask them to scan the Libro.fm QR code on your map — you'll unlock a free audiobook. On us. Well, on Libro.fm.

TURN IN YOUR MAP

When you're done questing, turn in your map at any participating store. Make sure your contact info is filled in — that's how we find you when you win.

Drawing prizes:

 $300 bookstore gift card

 $100 bookstore gift card

 $50 bookstore gift card

more, down to $25

1 × $100 Bookshop.org gift card

Quest runs June 1–30. Maps available at all 35 participating stores.

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The Republic of Letters, WordHaven BookHouse, The Rogue Bookshop, and Bound to Happen Books, in collaboration with the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, have created a new statewide bookstore crawl for Wisconsin. Bookshop Quest 2026 is bringing together 35 independent bookstores from all over the state to encourage community engagement with bookstores and literacy. In our area alone you’ll find, Chapter2 Books, Hudson; Dotters Books, Eau Claire and Dragon Tale Books, Menomonie.

Bookstores across the country have continued to report that customers intentionally seek out independent bookstores for the sense of community that is unique to the small bookshop business model. Big box stores or online behemoths can’t compete with the joy and discovery of a well-curated and welcoming independent bookstore. 

Bookshop Quest 2026 will give book lovers the whole month of June to go on quests and complete tasks that give them a chance to win prizes. These missions will include attending bookstore events, visiting different stores across the state, finding three bookstore pets, and more. Maps will be available at participating bookstores starting on June 1st. 

This is the inaugural “Bookstore Crawl” event for Wisconsin, but other states have held similar events to great success. In 2025, Iowa’s Indie Bookshop Tour handed out 7500 maps and had an estimated $360,000 in sales associated with the tour. The organizers for Bookshop Quest 2026 hope that Wisconsin’s bookstore density (74 associated with the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association) will lend itself to a successful inaugural year, with a financial benefit for bookstores and businesses near participating bookstores and an impact on continuing to grow a love for the bookstore community. 

Participating Bookstores: 

Arcadia Books, Spring Green 

Arnett and Son Books, Racine 

Author Apothecary & Bookstore, Oshkosh 

The Book Deal, Madison 

Books on Main, Friendship 

Bound to Happen Books, Stevens Point 

Chapter2 Books, Hudson 

Dotters Books, Eau Claire 

Dragon Tale Books, Menomonie 

Elmside Goods, Milton 

ep•i•logue Books, Menomonee Falls 

Fair Isle Books, Washington Island

Full Moon Book Garden, Burlington 

Garden Wall Bookshop, Verona 

Honest Dog Books, Bayfield 

Ink & Ivy Book Boutique, Madison 

Kindred Spirit Books, Stevens Point 

Lake City Books, Madison 

Lakeside Books, Lake Geneva 

Leopold's Books Bar Caffè, Madison 

Main Street Books, Reedsburg 

Northwind Book & Fiber, Spooner 

OtherWorlds Books & More, Sturgeon Bay 

Republic of Letters, Mineral Point 

Soulbound Books, Waunakee 

Studio Moonfall, Kenosha 

Tattooed Tree Books, Fort Atkinson 

The Book Store, Appleton 

The Nerdy Word, Union Grove 

The Rogue Bookshop, Beloit 

The Well Red Damsel, Wauwatosa 

Thirst Books, Milwaukee 

WanderLust Mobile Bookstore, Madison 

WordHaven BookHouse, Sheboygan 

Yardstick Books, Algoma 

The organizing Bookstores: 

BOUND TO HAPPEN BOOKS Bound to Happen Books is an indie bookstore that prioritizes authors, experiences, and stories not represented in our community. They’ve offered books and bookish gifts for the Central Wisconsin Region since 2021. info@boundtohappenbooks.com 

REPUBLIC OF LETTERS Republic of Letters is an independent bookstore serving the arts community of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. We have a particular passion for new fiction, great science fiction and fantasy, and anything food related. - keith.james.burrows@gmail.com 

THE ROGUE BOOKSHOP The Rogue Bookshop is a cozy, community-driven space where thoughtfully curated books, creative events, and a welcoming atmosphere make every visit feel personal and inspiring, and we’re thrilled to be part of the first Wisconsin Bookshop Quest. It's an exciting opportunity to invite book lovers to explore and celebrate independent bookstores across the state. info@theroguebookshop.com 

WORDHAVEN BOOKHOUSE WordHaven BookHouse is a safe place for words where people can gather and grow. We are a queer-owned, Independent BookShop and Writing Center located in the heart of downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin. words@wordhaven-bookhouse.com