TURNER — Summer is almost here, and that means Turner Public Library is gearing up for summertime reading for all ages and adding a few new programs for teens, including a book club and a writing workshop.
For kids and teens pre-k through 12, summer reading registration begins June 18. The first 60 participants will receive a voucher for a free Portland Sea Dogs ticket. Readers will earn a stamp for each book read, and prizes will be awarded after reading three, six and 10 books. The top school-age reader will be awarded a special gift card. Students can get a head start on Maine Student Book Awards selections for the 2019-2020 school year by checking them out through TPL or finding them on CloudLibrary. Any Maine Student Book Awards selections read over the summer count toward MSAD 52’s socials and contests.
Teens will once again have a chance to win a prize each time they use their TPL card to check out materials from the Library. TPL will award a scratch card to any teen (age 13 and up), who checks out books, movies, musical instruments, games, or any of the other materials available for circulation.
New for teens this year are TPL’s Teen Book Club and a Teen Writing Workshop. Rising ninth graders through this year’s graduates will have an opportunity to discuss two to three books selected in advance by the library’s high school advisory panel. Beginning in June, library Director Kelli Burnham will lead the discussions monthly on Thursday afternoons at 3 p.m.
The library’s Teen Writing Workshop will allow rising ninth graders through this year’s grads to explore fiction and creative non-fiction through guided exercises and free-writing with assistant library director and freelance writer Ellen Bradley. Participants will have opportunities to share their work, and various options for pursuing publication will be discussed. The workshop will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, meeting weekly until August 20.
Both the book club and writing workshop are free and open to all, but space is limited and pre-registration is recommended.
For adult readers, this summer TPL is joining the Maine State Library’s README reading program. Library volunteer Denise McCourt-Buikema will be coordinating TPL’s participation. README readers will read two novels selected by popular Maine author Tess Gerritson. “This is a great opportunity for all of us who love books to discuss some very exciting choices,” said Denise, “and if you haven’t been into the library in a while, this is the perfect chance to reacquaint yourself and see everything new.”
