Volunteers at the Stuffed Animal Sleepover

Once again, the Children's Room would have been in tough shape without teen volunteers.  We had a Stuffed Animal Sleepover for kids.  Children dropped off their stuffed animals for a sleepover at the library.  After the library closed, the stuffed animals took part in lots of fun activities, and the kids picked up their stuffed animals the next morning.

Our teen volunteers were fantastic!  They came up with great ideas.

Jack somehow hung Snakie from the lights or the ceiling to have him read a story about a bookworm.

Our volunteers also came up with the idea of putting two of the stuffed animals in the bookdrop (while special guest Dusty watched).

Of course, our volunteers, Jack, Ali and Kaili, were in charge of giving the stuffed animals a tour of the Teen Loft.

Finally, the teens played games with the stuffed animals and helped them with arts and crafts.

We honestly couldn't have done this program without Kaili, Ali and Jack.

If you are interested in volunteering at the library for special programs, contact our Teen Librarian, Jessica, at 978-465-4428 or jhilbun@mvlc.org.

Elementary, My Dear Patron

I love Sherlock Holmes.  I own the full collection and read through it every couple of years.  What I also love, then, are reading other variations of Sherlock Holmes.

I recently discovered the series "The Boy Sherlock Holmes," and I love it!  The author, Shane Peacock, imagines Sherlock as a boy and does an amazing job of explaining how Holmes became a detective, as well as other things you may have always wondered about him as you read the original stories.  For example:

- Why does Holmes never talk about his parents?  He can't have appeared out of thin air.
- How did he find and organize his Baker Street Irregulars?
- Did he go to college?
- How on earth did he become a boxer, of all things?
- Why does he choose not to become close to anyone (except, arguably, Watson)?
- And much, much more!

In addition to the fascination of the information about Holmes, the mysteries are excellent.  I always think I have them figured out, but a twist and a turn later I find I was way off.

The first book in the series is Eye of the Crow.  I would recommend reading them in order.

If you're interested in Sherlock Holmes, I also recommend:

- The "Enola Holmes" series (first book: Case of the Missing Marquess) by Nancy Springer.  This series imagines that Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes have a younger sister.  She kicks butt.

- For older readers, I recommend the "Mary Russell" series by Laurie King (first book: The Beekeeper's Apprentice) in which Holmes takes on an apprentice after he retires.

- When it comes to TV, the premiere series about Sherlock Holmes right now is Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (who was recently in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness).  The BBC produces it, and there are currently two seasons available on DVD, with season 3 due to start airing soon.

Are there any other variations of Sherlock Holmes that you love?  Books, movies, TV shows?  Share them in the comments section.

BINGO!

Thanks to teen volunteers, the Children's Room was able to put on a really fun BINGO night for kids and their families.  We couldn't have done it without our volunteers!  Here are some pictures of them helping us out.

Some of our volunteers at the front of the room calling out BINGO numbers.  (It's a group effort. )

Our volunteers got to play a round.  Sadly, none of them won.  Volunteering is its own reward, right, guys?

One of our volunteers keeping track of the numbers that had been called.

Look how much fun she's having!  Volunteering is THAT FUN!

They worked hard, but they say that had a great time.

If you are interested in volunteering for special events at the library, contact our Teen Librarian, Jessica, at:

nplteenlibrarian@gmail.com

or

978-465-4428 ext. 242

Anyway, a final HUGE thanks to all of you who helped us out.  You presented a fun program!