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Youth Services Newsletter

Westwood Public Library | October 2023

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Halloween in the Children's Room!

STEAM Team: Spooky Bones and Creepy Crawlies (Registration Required)

Tuesday October 17 @ 4 PM

Main Library


Professor Bugman brings this special spooky program to the Library for Halloween! Kids in grades 2-5 (and their caregivers) can get up close and personal with some bugs and bones.

Registration opens October 3rd.

Sign Up Here

Halloween Storytime and Parade (Registration Required)

Tuesday October 31 @ 11:00 AM

Main Library


Join your Children's Librarians for this fun and festive Halloween storytime. Come in your Halloween costume and participate in the costume parade, and even end with some Trick or Treating!

Registration opens October 17.

Sign Up Here

Programs for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Move and Groove (Registration Required)

Tuesdays @ 10:30; October 3-17

Main Library


Join Miss Caitlyn for an all-ages storytime full of stories, dancing, singing, and more.

Branch Books and Boogie (Registration Required)

Wednesdays @ 10:30; October 4-18

Islington Branch Library


Join Miss Caitlyn at the Islington Branch Library on Wednesdays for an all-ages storytime full of stories, songs, wiggles, and more! Each storytime will be followed by a simple craft.

Monday Music Makers with Sarah Gardner (Registration Required)

Monday, October 16 @ 11:00

Main Library


Join Musician Sarah Gardner for a fun 45 minutes of music and dancing! Open to kids age 0-5. 

Baby Rhyme Time (Registration Required)

Thursdays @ 10:30; October 6-19

Main Library


Babies between the ages of 0-18 months are invited to join Miss Kristy for a fun 25 minute lapsit and wiggle time filled with songs and rhymes designed just for them. After storytime, stick around for open play and social time with other parents, caregivers, and babies. 

Preschool Story Craft (Registration Required)

Monday, October 30 @ 3:30;

Main Library


Kids 3-5 years old are invited to join Miss Kristy and Miss Janet for this seasonal story and craft program where we will read books and make a related craft. 

Saturday Storytime (Registration Required)

Monday, October 30 @ 11:00am;

Main Library


Join a Children's Librarian for a fun all-ages storytime!

Visit Our Events Calendar

Programs for School-Aged Kids

LEGO Builders

Short Wednesdays @ 2-4 PM

Main Library


Drop by library to have fun with LEGOs and build! Use LEGOs and other building supplies provided by the library to have fun and build up your engineering skills!



Read to a Dog (Registration Required)

Saturday, October 21 @ 11am-12pm

Main Library


Kids in grades K-5 can sign up for a 15-minute "appointment" to practice their reading with a therapy dog! Please call the Library at (781)-320-1042 or visit us in person to register.

Teen Programs

Fri-YAY!

Fridays afterschool @ 2:30pm



Come hang out with your friends and relax. Eat, play video or board games, listen to music and catch up on new movies and books.

Sign Up Here

Gamer Lounge with One-Up Games

Wednesday, October 4 @1:30


Middle Schoolers can come to the library on Early Release Wednesdays for two and a half hours of open game play with One Up Games featuring SuperSmash Bro., Fortnite, MarioKart, and more!

Pied Potter: Fantasy Clay Figures

Wednesday, October 4 @1:30


Master Potter Rick Hamelin uses his pottery practice to explore the tradition and history of red earthenware potter in Central Massachusetts. Teens in grades 6-12 are invited to join him for a hands on demonstration of pottery techniques where they will learn the history of pottery and make their own fantasy clay figure! 

Book Club Picks

The Haunted Library by Dori Hillstead Butler

Book Explorers (Registration Required)

Friday, October 20 @ 4 PM


A book club for 2nd and 3rd graders! Join us once a month for a discussion followed by fun games and crafts.

MCBA Book Club for 4th-6th Grade (Registration Required)

Tuesday, October 10 @ 4 PM


Kids in grades 4th-6th are invited to join us one Tuesday per month @4pm for this in person book club dedicated to this year's Massachusetts Children's Book Award nominees. We will read, discuss and vote on our favorite title at the end of the year.

The Fort by Gordon Korman

Middle School Book Club (Registration Required)

Tuesday, October 24 @

3:30 PM


Teens in grades 6-8 are invited to join Felicia and Kristy for this book club just for Middle Schoolers! We will read and discuss a new book each month.

Please check our website for book club availability.

ReadNext : Staff Book Recommendations

A Horse Named Sky by Rosanne Parry

Caitlyn's Recommendation: A Horse Named Sky by Rosanne Parry

The newest novel from the author of A Wolf Called Wander! Sky is a horse that grows up wild in the 1800s. The story follows Sky as he grows up, reckons with the fact that he has to leave his band (that's a group of horses) since there's only room for one stallion. Once he leaves, he's captured by the Pony Express and forced to make dangerous cross-country trips. When he finds his band in an awful situation, he has to decide whether he has the courage to help them, as well as himself. This heartfelt and moving novel is full of gorgeous pencil illustrations that leap to life off the page, and will tug at the heartstrings of any animal lover. At the end, readers will find numerous sources and information on wild horses, the Pony Express, and life in the 1800s. Recommended for grades 4 and up.


Kristy's Recommendation: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

Seventh grader Simon has moved to the National Quiet Zone with his family--the only place in America where the internet is banned. This is perfect for Simon who is famous for the one event in his life he'd like to forget forever: When he was in 5th grade, he was the only survivor of a school shooting and a photo of him went viral, making him an internet famous. In this new town, Simon hopes to heal and live under the radar, in a place where no one will be able to google him. If only life were that simple! Despite the heart breaking premise, this book manages to be light hearted, funny, moving and absolutely unforgettable! A must read for middle school and up.


Felicia's Recommendation: The Legacies by Jessica Goodman

Gossip Girl meets Karen McManus! The exclusive Legacy Club in New York City is a mystery to all those who are not members. Not only does it give you access to power, it basically guarantees you immunity from anything as Legacy Club members always look out for their own. These membership invites are usually kept within the families, so it’s not surprising when Excelsior Prep seniors Bernie Kaplan, Isobel Rothcroft, and Skyler Hawkins are nominated as Legacies. But Tori Tasso, a scholarship kid from Queens is someone no one saw coming. The night of the Legacy Ball is supposed to be the best night of these seniors’ lives, but when someone turns up dead, it all gets turned around. Recommended for grades 8 and up.

All library programs are free and open to the public thanks to generous support from the Friends of the Westwood Library.

About the Friends
Friends of the Westwood Library, click for Friends webpage

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