And the results are in...

Can we have the envelope, please....

Here are the winners of our 2010 Writing Contests. Congratulations to all, and thanks for sharing your stories with us!

Young Writers' Reading Club

1st prize:
It's the Climb by Kaylee Tao

2nd prize:
The Secret Door by Thomas Fendler

3rd prize:
Pink by Vanessa Northrup

4th prize:
Ben's Life by Parker Miele

Honorable mentions:
Tricky Time Traveller by Saptarshi Dutta
My Life in Elementary by Kaylee Tao


Summer Reading Club (older group)

Grand prize:
The Alligator and the Monkey by Saptarshi Dutta

Other prizewinners:
Seeing Big by Sophia Francesco

Nicholas the Black Bear Hibernates for Winter by Gianna Ferlazzo

Beach Days by Markella Bishop

Creeking is Cool! by Zach Griffiths

How Butterflies Grow by Emily Walton

Dear Mom by Emily Walton

Cannon Ball! by Anna Schmidt

My Summer Vacation in Wildwood by Emily Walton

Speed Racer by Eric Povacz

The Beach by Morgan Miele

The Lockheed-SR-71 Blackbird by Ray Brady



Summer Reading Club (younger group)

Grand prize:
Willie and Glitter by Riley Star Ramirez

Other prizewinners:
Stella, The Princess Gardener by Stella Kozielec

USS Gabe Sea Adventure by Gabe Kozielec

Whale by Sasha Isupov

Shopping for Your Friends by Cecilia Kathleen Schmidt

Bobby Angel and Erika Cousins by Bobby Missell

I Love Father's Day by Harrison Missell

The Rainbow Princess by Reagan Chrencik

The Adventures of Bobbie Joe and Coconut by Kyle Northrup

The Pink Whale by Sarah Bielaus

Thanks for making the first day of summer club signup such a pleasure. About one hundred kids are registered so far.

There is still space for all the Tuesday Summer Reading Club events, but many are almost full. There is still space in the Saturday Morning Read-to-Me.

The following clubs are completely full:
......Young Writers' Reading Club
......Young Songwriters Club
......Wednesday Morning Read-to-Me

We have added a "Just the Reading, Please" option this year for kids who are outside the age limits of our clubs or who are just not joiners. Kids who opt for "Just the Reading, Please" will fill out reading logs and win prizes, but not attend any library events. if this is an option that suits you, please stop by to sign up anytime.

Summer reading and creativity clubs are coming up fast. Soon it will be time to Make a Splash! @ your Library.

Club information is available now. See the listings below for details on each club for 2010.

Flyers will be available at the library early in May.

Registration opens Saturday, June 5 (10:00 AM—5:00 PM) (lines form before 10:00) & continues through June 19 or until programs are full. You must sign up in person at the library or send a friend to do so for you.

If you have questions, please email librarian@nhslibrary.org or call 215-862-2330.

There is no charge for any summer program at the Library. We thank the Haley Foundation for continuing their very generous support.

In the 6 weeks of our Summer Reading and Creativity Programs:

You read for 1017 hours.

You wrote 32 stories and more than 30 songs and poems.

You created untold oodles of great illustrations, pop-up and lift-the-flap embellishments, home-made books, and illustrated alphabets.

Thanks for sharing them with us! See you next year!

The Free Library of New Hope and Solebury is delighted to announce the winners of the 2009 Summer Writing Contests. The theme this year was Be Creative @ Your Library. The young writers took this advice seriously! We received more submissions than ever this year, and all judges agreed it was harder than ever to pick the winners. In fact, for the very first time we had a tie.

Some day these writers will be creating your news stories, novels, and favorite movies. Keep an eye out!

The Summer Reading and Creativity Programs at the library are made possible through a generous grant from the Haley Foundation. This year, Farley's Bookshop kindly sponsored the Pre-K through Grade 4 Writing Contest. Grand Prize stories from these groups will be displayed at Farley's at 44 South Main Street in New Hope. You know you live in a great community when it includes so many talented and creative kids as well as a truly great independent book seller.


Kindergarten/Grade 1 Winners:
Gianna Ferlazzo - Grand Prize (co-winner) for The Ants Go For a Walk
Kyle Northrup - Grand Prize (co-winner) for B.B. Finds a Home
Anthony, Nicholas, & Jack DePalo - Best Adventure Story for The Big Adventure of the Three Friends
Sophie Farina - Best Animal Story for Sophie's Book
Morgan Miele - Best Counting Book for The Ants
Chris O'Brien - Best Beach Story for My Vacation to Ocean City, NJ
Kevin O'Brien - Best Travel Story for My Trip to Wildwood
Riley Star Ramirez - Best Fable for The Bear that was Getting Picked On
Cecilia Schmidt - Best Family Story for Cecilia and the Flower


Grades 2 - 4 Winners:
Tommy Fendler - Grand Prize for Going to the Jungle
Ray Brady - Best Book of Architecture for Houses for Sale; Best Book of Words for A Be See; and Best Superhero Story for SuperSmall
Grace Farina - Best Animal Story for Monkey Chamberoo and Daisy
Anthony Ferlazzo - Best Adventure Story for The Four Adventurers
Sophia Francesco - Best Autobiography for The Story About My Life
Zach Griffiths - Best Sports Story for The Owl Olympics
Madison Pierce - Best Science Fiction Story for The Girl Who Didn't Listen and Best Battle Story for The Sword of Fate
Anna Schmidt - Best Story about Friendship for The Three Best Friends
Emily Walton - Most Familiar Story for The Bug Family


Winners from the Young Writers’ Reading Club:
Danny Fendler - First Prize for Operation Alluvium
Emily Madara - Second Prize for Mummy Dogs
Helena Penfold - Third Prize for The Troubled Tormentor
Igor Lupisella - Fourth Prize for The Day My Life Changed Forever

Honorable Mentions to Isabella Farina, Anthony Ferlazzo, Hannah Mailer, Isabella Mailer, Parker Miele, Vanessa Northrup, and Kaylee Tao


Congratulations to All!

Registration for our Summer Reading Clubs will begin Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 AM and end Saturday, June 20 at 5:00 PM.

We offer two read-to-me clubs for preschoolers aged 2 to 5; two summer reading clubs for children entering kindergarten through grade 4; a Thursday evening young writers' reading club for children entering grades 4 through 6; and a Wednesday evening young songwriters club for children entering grades 4 through 6. Details on these clubs are posted below.

Our popular writing contest for kids will return this year as well. There will be contests for kids entering kindergarten and first grade; for those entering second through fourth grades, and for the Young Writers' Reading Club .

This year's theme is Be Creative at Your Library!

The clubs usually fill up very quickly. Please plan to come early to register.

You must register in person at the library during our normal hours. Last year the line began to form about one hour ahead of time. Please note that last year the Wednesday preschool program and the Young Writers' Reading Club were full almost immediately. Many of the presentations for kids entering grades K-4 were full by the middle of the first afternoon of registration. We apologize for the limited sizes of the groups, but we are a very small library with a staff of two paid employees (helped by a terrific group of volunteers), and this is simply all we can handle. Believe me, we wish we could do more!

If you have time to volunteer to help us, especially on Tuesday mornings for the K-4 groups, we would be most grateful. Please contact Caroline at the library to sign up. Thanks!

The 2009 Summer theme is Be Creative @ Your Library!

We're in the planning stages now, so please contact us with ideas, suggestions, comments, complaints, or questions.

We have not yet set our dates for 2009. The Bridge Street canal bridge, just a block or so away from the library, is being rebuilt and the construction is forcing a great deal of traffic onto Ferry Street, right in front of the library. We'd like to start our programs after construction is complete, but PennDOT cannot give a clear answer as to the expected completion date. The original date was in mid-June, which would have perfect for our normal start in the last week of June, but it now seems unlikely that construction will be complete by then.

We'll let you know as soon as we do. When dates are set, we'll list them here on the webpage.

Thanks for checking in!

The Free Library of New Hope and Solebury is delighted to announce the winners of the 2008 Summer Writing Contests. The theme this year was Catch the Reading Bug (at your library). Some day these guys will be writing your news stories, novels, and favorite movies. Keep an eye out!

There is an extra special honorable mention awarded to Chris O’Brien, the only preschooler to participate, for his book Library.

Kindergarten/Grade 1 Winners:
Zach Griffiths – Grand Prize Winner for Ladybugs
Raymond Brady - Best Adventure Story for Home Sweet Home
Gianna Ferlazzo – Best Summer Vacation Story fo My Day at Avon by the Sea
Sophia Francesco – Most Stories Written for The Egg and the Chick, The Numbers Book, and the Colors Book
Samantha Frank – Most Beautiful Bug Story for The Bugs I Love
Morgan Miele – Most Creative Design for The Bug Book
Harrison Missell – Most Creative Fable for The Tortoise Beats the Hare at the Finish Line
Kevin O’Brien – Best Travel Story for 17 Hours to Disney World

Grades 2 - 4 Winners:
Aaron Frank – Grand Prize Winner for If Flies Played Baseball
Dana Bandurick – Best Illustration for Little Worm
Anthony Ferlazzo – Best Biographical Story for A Fun Day at the Midway Fair
Hannah Mailer – Most Creative Un-Written Story for her performance art story
Parker Miele – Most Exciting Story for Bugs
Zach Nangle – Best Research and Very Best Title for Would You Be a Wood Bee?
Emily Walton – Best Family Album for Family and Bugs

Winners from the Young Writers’ Reading Club:
Hannah Jordan – First Prize for Just Around the Corner
Sarah Summerson – Second Prize – Girls at Jackson Forest
Helena Penfold – Third Prize for Crimson Fangs
Isabella Farina – Honorable Mention for Where the Jewels Go So Do You
Daniel Fendler – Honorable Mention for The Shrink Ray and Me
Nicholas Leuser – Honorable Mention for Delaware

Registration for our Summer Reading Clubs will begin Saturday, June 7 at 10:00 AM and end Wednesday, June 18 at 7:00 PM. We offer two read-to-me clubs for preschoolers aged 2 to 5; two summer reading clubs for children entering kindergarten through grade 4; a Thursday evening young writers' reading club for children entering grades 4 through 6; and a Wednesday evening young songwriters club for children entering grades 4 through 6. Details on these clubs are posted below.

Our popular writing contest for kids will return this year as well. There will be contests for kids entering kindergarten and first grade; for those entering second through fourth grades, and for the Young Writers' Reading Club .

This year's theme is Catch the Reading Bug at Your Library!

The clubs usually fill up very quickly. Please plan to come early to register. You must register in person at the library during our normal hours. Last year the line began to form about one hour ahead of time. Please note that last year the Wednesday preschool program and the Young Writers' Reading Club were full within one and a half hours. Many of the presentations for kids entering grades K-4 were full by the middle of the first afternoon of registration. We apologize for the limited sizes of the groups, but we are a very small library with a staff of two paid employees (helped by a terrific group of volunteers), and this is simply all we can handle. Believe me, we wish we could do more!

If you have time to volunteer to help us, especially on Tuesday mornings for the K-4 groups, we would be most grateful. Please contact Caroline at the library to sign up. Thanks!

Registration has ended, with almost every place in every club filled. Thank you for your support!

Let the programs begin!

124 Children were registered for Summer Reading Clubs this Saturday, June 9. Registration continues through June 23, or until all spaces are filled. The total signup for 2006 was 137.

The Wednesday Read-to-Me preschool group is full. There is still room in the Saturday group.

The Thursday Young Writer's Reading Club is full, but we are still accepting people for the waiting list.

In the Kindergarten-Grade 1 group there is still room for the July 17 event, Take the Mystery Out of History. We are accepting people for the waiting list for other events. Last year, at most events, the first two or three people on the waiting list were invited to attend. Even when all events are full, children may register to complete reading logs, to make a book (with our special take-home kit), and to enter the writing contest.

In the Grades 2-4 group there is still room for the July 10 event, Storytelling with Robin Moore, and the July 17 event, Take the Mystery Out of History. We are accepting people for the waiting list for other events. Last year, at most events, the first two or three people on the waiting list were invited to attend. Even when all events are full, children may register to complete reading logs, to make a book (with our special take-home kit), and to enter the writing contest.

Thanks to everyone for their patience Saturday morning when lines were long.

Registration for our Summer Reading Clubs will begin Saturday, June 9 at 10:00 AM and end Saturday, June 23 at 5:00 PM. We offer two read-to-me clubs for preschoolers aged 2 to 5; two summer reading clubs for children entering kindergarten through grade 4; and a Thursday evening young writers' reading club for children entering grades 4 through 6. Details on these clubs will soon be posted.

Our popular writing contest for kids will return this year as well.

This year's theme is Get a Clue at Your Library!

The clubs usually fill up very quickly. Please plan to come early to register. You must register in person at the library during our normal hours. Please note that last year the preschool program was full within two and a half hours (we've added a second section this year, but still expect to fill up quickly). Many of the presentations for kids entering grades K-4 were full by the middle of the first afternoon of registration.

If you have time to volunteer to help us, especially on Tuesday mornings for the K-4 groups, we would be most grateful. Please contact Caroline at the library to sign up.

The theme for the 2007 Summer Reading Clubs is Get a Clue at Your Library!

Our mostly-volunteer planning committee has begun meeting, but we would value your help and your suggestions. If you have comments to share, please contact us. We'd also love to hear from people who could volunteer, either to help in the planning stages or during the actual events. Please consider helping! We rely on volunteers to make the program fly.

As soon as our schedule is set, we'll post details here.

We've had to close the registration for Summer Reading Clubs one day early, because the clubs are all full!

If you've signed up for a club or an event and discover you can't come after all, please let us know as soon as possible at 215-862-2330, so that we can allow someone from the waiting list to have some fun.

Thank you all for your interest. Now it's time to enjoy the clubs!

Thanks to everyone who came in and signed up for our Summer Reading Clubs Saturday, June 3!

Here's the current status, for those who haven't registered yet:

> The pre-school Read-to-Me Club and Waiting List are full

> In the Club for kids entering Kindergarden and Grade 1, ALL EVENTS ARE FULL, and we are working on a waiting list.

> In the Club for kids entering Grades 2 - 4, these events are full, and we are working on a waiting list:
. June 27 Make a Book
. July 11 AARK Wildlife
. July 18 Sciencetelling

> Thursday Club, for those entering Grades 4 - 6, still has openings


So far, we have 118 children registered over all, and more on waiting lists. Thanks for your interest, and many, many thanks to the Haley Foundation for the financial support which makes the programs possible, and to the volunteers of the Summer Reading Club Committee.