Library@Nite Is Coming Back!
This past summer’s “experiment” with the Downieville Library being open occasionally in the evening was well-enough received that Library@Nite is coming back — with a few changes. It will happen on the third Monday of each month, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. And, on each of those evenings, there will be some planned program or event.
The first of this new iteration of Library@Nite will take place on Monday, October 20. It will feature a reading of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree. The book was written by Bradbury in 1972, and traces the history of Samhain and Halloween. It tells the story of eight boys who set out to go trick-or-treating, only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could decide whether he lives or dies. The boys end up pursuing their friend across time and space, through many of the cultural origins of Halloween.
We’ll begin the book reading at 6:30 PM. I don’t know whether we’ll make it through the entire book at our first Library@Nite, but we’ll see how far we get — and, if we don’t make it all the way, what we want to do next.
Book Reviews
As you may have noticed recently in this column, there have been several children’s books that have been newly added to our shelves. Here are reviews on a couple of them.
The Dictionary Story, by Oliver Jeffers & Sam Winston: As we know, dictionaries contain all the words that are used to create stories; but dictionaries don’t tell stories, themselves. What happens, then, when a certain dictionary decides to bring her words to life? Well (as it says on the flyleaf), “…her pages are soon filled up with a wandering alligator, an escaping donut, a sweet ghost, and — oh no! — a tornado throwing a terrible tantrum”. Will the dictionary be able to put everything back together?
In addition to the storyline of Dictionary’s dilemma, the authors have filled the pages with their own definitions of words that appear where the story goes. One of my favorites is the definition of “marmalade”: “A sort of jam made from citrus fruit, usually oranges. Marmalade is perhaps the main reason that the universe came into existence”.
This book, which is found on the Easy Reader shelf in the children’s section, is a delight for anyone who loves words — and loves to play with words.
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read, by Rita Lorraine Hubbard: Mary Walker was born a slave on May 6, 1848. As a slave, she knew it was forbidden for her to learn to read or write, or to do anything that might help slaves learn to do so. When the Emancipation Proclamation set her free, she determined that she would learn to read — especially so, after someone gave her a Bible. But, the need to provide shelter and food for her family (both before and after she married, and had children) meant a life of sharecropping, cleaning houses, caring for other people’s children — and meant that there was no time to learn how to read. By the age of 114, she had outlived her entire family, and still didn’t know how to read. But, she discovered a reading class was being held in the retirement home where she lived. She determined that now nothing would stop her from her life-long goal.
I have to admit, it was hard for me reading through this book without tears in my eyes. From the injustice that our society has visited upon some of its members, to the determination of one woman to achieve what was first a forbidden, and then a seemingly unrealistic, goal, this very true story would not let go of my emotions.
This book is found on the non-fiction shelf of Plumas County Library books in the children’s section of the Downieville Library.
Library@Nite Upcoming Dates
Here are the dates through the rest of 2024 for our evening openings:
Monday, October 21 — 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Monday, November 18 — 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Monday, December 16 — 6:00 to 8:00 PM