Saukville library gearing up for summer with programs, adventure passes

The Oscar Grady Library in Saukville is gearing up for a summer of fun with an innovative book subscription program, adventure passes to area museums and attractions, a summer library reading program and a host of talks and book clubs.

The library is offering a monthly book subscription series for teens and adults. Patrons who sign up will receive three handpicked books tailored to their preferences along with occasional mystery gifts.

Each monthly subscription box will be available for pick up on the first Wednesday of each month from the 24-hour access lockers next to the library building.

Subscription members will be notified via text or email when their books are ready. Patrons may keep the books for five weeks and return them to any Monarch Library System library.

For residents looking to explore area museums and attractions, the library has expanded its Adventure Passes program to include places such as Milwaukee’s Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World as well as Sheboygan’s Above and Beyond Children’s Museum and Bookworm Gardens.

Outdoor fun is included with passes to Riveredge Nature Center and the Water Park Super Pass for Ozaukee County. Adventure Passes are available for Monarch library system card holders.

The library’s children’s department is featuring a scavenger hunt until May 11, giving young readers a chance to earn a Squishmallow water bottle sticker and win a Squishmallow board game by correctly answering guessing games.

Also for young readers, the library’s summer reading program kicks off June 11 with the theme “The Adventure Begins at the Library,” with reading and incentives tailored to explorers of all ages.

The Giggle Groves: Toddler and Preschool Dance Party at 10:30 a.m.  Tuesday, May 21, is an interactive music program for children ages 2 to 5 accompanied by their grown-ups that features music, movement and more.

The Teen Book Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, to discuss the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book ” by P. Craig Russell.

Teenagers from 12 to 19 years old are invited to read and discuss this graphic novel that illustrates the life of young Bod, the only living person in the graveyard, as he is cared for by the ghosts who found him after his family was murdered. In this coming-of-age story that explores the themes of friendship and family, Bod learns the tricks of surviving as a ghost when there’s a strange man out to finish the job he started years before.

The Adult Book Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, to discuss Lori Gottlieb’s “Maybe You Should Talk to Somebody.”

In her best-selling memoir, Gottlieb brings readers into her world as both therapist and patient, examining the lives of her patients with humor and wisdom to reveal the truths and lies people tell themselves, and ultimately, how they transform their lives.

The library’s regular series Advocate Aurora wellness talks series continues at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 15, with “Gut Microbiome, Do I Have A Healthy Gut?”

Kelly Barboza, a registered nurse and Ozaukee County Community Nurse Educator, will delve into the role the gut biome plays in digestion and overall well-being and how to maintain gut health.

The Oscar Grady Library is looking for volunteers. Teenagers interested in reading and community service can join the library’s Teen Advisory Board, which is responsible for planning teen programs and initiatives. Teenagers can apply online through the teen portal on the library’s website, oscargradylibrary.org.     

The Friends of Oscar Grady Library is looking to fill the secretary and treasurer positions on its board. Individuals looking to become a part of the team that promotes literacy, fosters community and helps grow the library should visit oscargradylibrary.org for position descriptions. Contact Emily Laws, library director, via email at elaws@oscargradylibrary.org or by phone at (262) 284-6022.