Ferndale Reads Kicks Off with Free Books and Reading

(Crystal A. Proxmire, The Ferndale 115 News, March 1, 2012 ed)

The Ferndale Reads tradition started by the Ferndale Public Library in 2010 carries on this year as the city celebrates beading by collectively enjoying a good book and having events that tie into the book’s theme.

In 2010 The Maltese Falcon got readers excited about mysteries. Last year John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things had the city enchanted with dark fairy tales. This year The Local News is the choice. The author, Michigan native Miriam Gershow, will be in town at the end of the month for a book signing. Leading up to that is a month full of events and book discussions.

The idea is to keep people connected and show that getting lost in a good book doesn’t have to be a solitary experience.

Librarian Darlene Hellenberg helped select this year’s choice. “I wanted a book with a strong female lead,” says Hellenberg. “Lydia is definitely a compelling character. The fact that the story is set in Michigan is an added bonus.”

The story centers around a girl and her family as they deal with her brother’s mysterious disappearance.

The Ferndale Reads 2012 Kick Off took place on Feb. 16 with local dignitaries on hand to do a reading of the first chapter. Councilperson Melanie Piana, Ferndale Area Chamber Executive Director Jennifer Roosenberg, FernCare President Ann Heler, and Treat Dreams Dreamologist Scott Moloney joined Library Director Kate Pohjola in the reading. Audience members then picked up free copies of the book.

The author, who graduated from Berkley High in 1988, now lives in Arizona. She joined the reading virtually, having prepared a short video for her Ferndale readers. “There are two reasons why this is exciting. One is that the book is three years old… so it’s good for a book to find a new audience. …The other is I will be able to reconnect with the area I grew up in….I grew up ten minutes from where you are, in Huntington Woods. …I am delighted you have chosen The Local News for Ferndale Reads 2012.

There is also a version of Ferndale Reads for younger readers, called Kids Read. The series features Patricia Reilly Giff’s mysterious book Eleven. This was introduced by Children’s Librarian Jillean McCommons.
The story is of a boy who finds a newspaper clipping in his attic about a missing boy – him! The problem is the boy can’t read very well, so he doesn’t know exactly what the article is for.

“Hopefully everyone will get copies of the book and come out to the events,” Hellenberg said as she emceed the public reading. Free copies of The Daily News are available at The Ferndale Public Library while supplies last. The Library is located at 222 E. 9 Mile Road, and more information is on their website http://ferndale.lib.mi.us/.

Here are some of the scheduled events:

February 25 -Kids Kickoff -2 PM *

March 5 – Movie: Brick (R) – 7 PM

March 6 – Queer For Books – 7PM

March 7 – Your Neighborhood Professor – 7PM

March 8 – Tween the Pages – Reading: Eleven – 6:30 PM