Arlington Library wraps up summer reading program

ARLINGTON — Although the Arlington Library's summer reading program doesn't wrap up until Aug. 15, teen readers celebrated their accomplishments with a pizza-and-prizes party Aug. 8, during which they voted on which movie to watch. Divergent won by a broad margin.

By Kirk Boxleitner • August 11, 2014 7:17 pm
Fiona Marsh and Sierra Schmitz tuck into some pizzas and watch Divergent during the Arlington Library's Aug. 8 closing celebration of its summer reading program.
Fiona Marsh and Sierra Schmitz tuck into some pizzas and watch Divergent during the Arlington Library's Aug. 8 closing celebration of its summer reading program.

ARLINGTON — Although the Arlington Library’s summer reading program doesn’t wrap up until Aug. 15, teen readers celebrated their accomplishments with a pizza-and-prizes party Aug. 8, during which they voted on which movie to watch. Divergent won by a broad margin.

Teen librarian Laura Henley reported that nearly 60 Arlington teens had submitted reviews of more than 200 books between them.

“The Percy Jackson novels are always popular,” Henley said. “Of course, The Fault In Our Stars was big this year. The last couple of years, our kids have really been into fantasy and sci-fi, with titles like Divergent, but they’re leaning more toward normal, realistic stuff lately.”

In addition to the reading program, the library’s new summer activities were well-received.

“We had considerable interest in our art classes, and our digital photography scavenger hunt drew a lot of participation,” Henley said. “We’ll try and keep the programs that people like, and we’ll keep looking for new ones as well.”

Looking to the future, Henley warned that the Arlington Library will close Monday, Sept. 8, to replace is shelves, and reopen Sept. 15. Since the returns drop box will also be closed, items can be held until Sept. 15 or returned to another Sno-Isle Library.

Requested items that are ready for pickup will be held during this time, to be picked up after Sept. 15, or you may choose another library in advance as the pickup location.

“Once we have our new shelves, we’ll be inviting our young readers to decorate the bookends of the teen area, to make it more their own,” Henley said. “After that, we’ll be continuing the Hunger Games series by diving into Mockingjay, which has a movie of its own coming out.”

While many young adult novels are being adapted into films, Henley believes that it’s an interest in the books that’s making the movies successful, rather than the other way around.

“The publishing industry for teens has exploded, because these are series that everyone has read,” Henley said. “Just to keep up with the pop culture, you can’t just watch the films. Teens are reading a lot, and these books are beloved by teens and adults alike.”