Camp Needareadabook had it all – hikes in the woods, a geocache and scavenger hunts, programs with wild creatures, campfire stories, and even a Marshmallow Appreciation Day! It also motivated 1123 children to read like crazy!
48 lucky kids (and their grown-ups) got to spend the night at the library as part of our very popular Camp-In program. We saw a magic show, had some snacks, played games, and read by flashlight after lights-out.
The stars came to life in the middle of the day in our Meeting Room! The Museum of Science StarLab visited the library, and 100 kids were able to go inside for an amazing tour of the night sky.
Another fun event was our End of Summer Talent Show which drew a standing-room only audience. Kids displayed their amazing talents, which included singing, dancing, lip-synching, violin playing, and magic.
The Writing Contest, sponsored by the Reading Library Foundation, had over 100 great entries. Everyone had fun at the Writing Contest ice cream party, where winners received their prizes and writers had a chance to read their work to the audience.
Other popular events also returned: Reado, Vehicle Day, Parker Tavern Storytime, tea parties, pajama storytimes and the Family Picnic.
We also continued our charitable efforts with the tremendous number of hours read earning a great donation to Camp Sunshine in Maine. This camp is a fun, supportive retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their entire families.
Thanks especially to the Friends of the Reading Public Library who made the entire program possible!
| Pictures from our fun-filled summer:
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Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the Reading Public Library, of course!
The summer of 2008 was full of jokes, riddles and wacky adventures – not to mention funny books and just plain fun!
As children read and listened, they posted corny ears of corn, “funnybones” and chickens decorated with their names. Weekly raffles added to the fun. When children reached their reading goal, their names decorated official “jesters” which decorated the Children’s Room walls. A generous donation from the Friends of the Library translated children’s reading and listening into helping homeless children have fun. Their donation to Horizons for Homeless Children went to help support the Playspaces programs. In addition, Reading families also donated boxes and boxes of art supplies to Horizons!
A total of 74 crazy programs took place during the 10 week program with over 5000 children taking part! Some of the funny events included: Backwards Day, T-shirt Silkscreening, Steve Rudolph’s Comedy Magic, pajama storytimes, Funny Hat Week, 2 Captain Underpants Parties, Big Joe the Storyteller, Tongue Twister Contest, 2 Mad Hatter Tea Parties, Hampstead Players production of Alice in Wonderland, Elephant Joke Day, “Tickle My Funnybone” Writing Contest & Author Party, 2 Readers Theater workshops, Fox & Branch, Play with Your Food craft workshop, Ants in Your Pants Family Picnic, Vehicle Day, Mountain Mushers and Amelia Bedelia storytime at the Parker Tavern!
Back by popular demand, Reado the library mascot parrot returned this summer and “hid” in the windows of 5 downtown businesses over the course of the 10 weeks. Children were charged with finding him and reporting his location to the Children’s Room. Correct answers were eligible for various raffles. With the ongoing downtown reconstruction project, this game encouraged foot traffic to support local businesses. Nearly 600 children reported finding Reado over the course of the summer!
It was a crazy, corny summer of fun with over 15,000 hours of reading and listening reported. Happily we are NOT Kidding about that!
The doors of M.A.G.I.C. (Magical Academy for Genuinely Imaginative Children) closed at 5 pm on Saturday August 25th!
1161 children registered to keep track of their book time for the ten weeks of summer, and took a fantastic carpet ride through the world of books to help make a child’s wish will come true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 16,860 hours and 40 minutes of reading and listening was logged! The Friends of the Reading Public Library will make a donation based on the total book time to send a Make-A-Wish recipient to Disneyworld!
277 club members completed the program reading at least 23 hours and 20 minutes each. Many kids completed a reading chart twice or more for a total of 356 finishes! Children were “sorted” into 4 houses (Clever Cats, Brave Bats, Trustworthy Toads, and Outstanding Owls). As a group, the Clever Cats read the most hours, closely followed by the Trustworthy Toads, Brave Bats and Outstanding Owls.
Magical programs abounded this summer with Alexander the Jester, Harry Potter parties, Wingmaster’s Owl Program, a Tea Party at the Castle and Willmore the Wizard!
A library-wide Town celebration heralded the midnight release of the 7th and final Harry Potter book – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Congratulation to all the participants! Great job reading in Reading this summer!
Thank you to the Friends of the Reading Public Library for making M.A.G.I.C. happen!
 Reading in the Children's Room |
 Certainly Wood Writing Contest Winners |
 Harry Potter Party Attendee |
This summer, our mascot, Chumley, was kidnapped! Over 1250 kids helped us track him down and find the culprit. By doing some careful investigating, gathering clues and interviewing suspects, 435 kids correctly guessed that reference librarian Kathy Miksis was the gerbil-napper. Good sleuthing, everyone!
Besides solving the mystery of the missing Chumley, children were hot on the trail of Reado the Library Parrot (stuffed). Reado hid in store windows all over town and moved every 2 weeks. Nearly 700 children reported finding him!
Sleuthing was the name of the game this summer. Detective Mark Segalla visited and instructed children on crime scene investigation. Families learned all about geocaching in Reading. Future detectives created aliases and ID cards. Nearly 100 children wrote mystery stories for the Certainly Wood Writing Contest. Chess, poetry, video game art, DDR and music programs added a little something for everyone.
Thank you to the Friends of the Reading Public Library for making this summer’s mystery possible.
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