Books for Kids Trivia Night is Oct. 29

Rock Island, IL: The Rock Island Public Library Foundation will host a "Books for Kids" Trivia Night on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Avenue, Rock Island. The trivia night raises funds for the Lorene Evans Watts Fund for Children's Materials, which supports purchases of children's items at Rock Island Libraries.

Donation to play is $10 per person. Participants may increase their chances to win by purchasing mulligan stickers, doubler round stickers or bidding to win answers for a round from the night's celebrity genius. Snacks are welcome and a cash bar will be available from the Botanical Center.

To play, sign up with Kathy Lelonek of the Rock Island Library Foundation at 309-732-7326 or email riplfoundation@gmail.com. Players may register for a table of eight or be matched with a table that needs players.

For more information about the Rock Island Library, call 309-732-READ (7323), visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, or follow the library's Facebook and Twitter sites.

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Rock Island, IL: If you are looking for activities to keep the kids engaged and busy during the Rock Island/Milan school break, the Rock Island Public Library has planned plenty of free family learning and fun from Oct. 5-16.

Registrations are now being taken for a free Crypto Club, featuring code making and breaking in four workshops with lead "spymaster" Elizabeth Russell. Ciphers, encrypted messages, and secret codes are all based on math patterns! Russell, a math tutor by day, will lead 4th through 8th grade participants or equivalents through the skills behind creating cryptography spy codes. The twice-weekly workshops are Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 6, 8, 13, 15, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in the Main Library Community Room. The workshops build on skills learned in each session, so participants should plan to attend all four sessions. To enroll, call the Library's Children's Room at 309-732-7360 or click "register" under the Crypto Club listing in the library's online calendar.

School age kids can also drop in on a free water-powered vehicles experiment with Bob Windt, aka "Rocket Man," on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm

For preschoolers just starting their learning journey, the library offers "Play and Grow," a structured play group for ages three and under, on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 10:30 am, also at the 30/31 Branch. The monthly activity helps preschoolers build early literacy skills through talking, singing, reading and playing. The event is free and no registration is required.

Additional free events for children of all ages during Rock Island/Milan school break include :

Reading with Rover - Kids are invited to read their favorite story aloud to one of the literary dogs of the QC Canine Assistance Network (QC CAN). Reading aloud to a dog is a fun way to practice reading skills. Families can drop in for a reading session at any of these times and locations:

Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at the Main Library;

Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Southwest Branch;

Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 5:00 to 6:00 pm at the 30/31 Branch.

A free family movie featuring a brave and kind princess, a likeable Prince Charming, and some unlikable stepsisters will be shown at 2:00 pm on Friday, Oct. 9. The 2015 movie is rated PG, and runs for 1 hour and 54 minutes. Wear your favorite princess or Prince Charming costumes if you like, and enjoy the free movie and popcorn.

A seasonal autumn leaf garland craft for the whole family will be offered at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, Oct. 13 and again at 10:00 am on Saturday, Oct. 17, both at the Southwest Branch. Each program includes a craft with supplied materials and activity for all ages and all skill levels. Registration is required. To sign up, call 309-732-7338 or click "register" on the library's online calendar listing.

Families can also get in the Halloween spirit a little early with a Monster Mash Costume Party on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 2:00 pm at the 30/31 Branch. The free event for all ages includes family friendly party games and a costume contest. Do attend the monster mash - it's sure to be a graveyard smash! The event is free and no registration is required.

Event locations are the Main Library, 401 19th Street, the 30/31 Branch, 3059 30th Street, and the Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road, Rock Island.

For more free events for all ages, pick up a fall events brochure at library locations, call 309-732-READ or visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org.

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Rock Island, IL: Not every book is right for every reader, but we should have the right to think and decide for ourselves. That's the idea behind Banned Books Week, Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 2015, and the reason for a public "read-in" on Sept. 29 at the Rock Island Main Library.

The Rock Island Library and the Midwest Writing Center will host local writers, librarians and other bibliophiles who love reading and listening to the spoken word in a Banned Books Week Reading of banned or challenged works on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street. Refreshments start at 5:30 pm with guest readings starting at 6:00 pm. Drawings will also be held for Banned Books Week t-shirts, buttons and other giveaways.

This Banned Books Week event celebrates our freedom of speech and our freedom to choose what we read, listen to, or view.

The event is sponsored by the Rock Island Public Library and Midwest Writing Center. The event is free and open to the public. The content of some readings may not be suitable for all ages. Banned Books Week is presented annually in the final week of September by the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association.

For more free programs, visit www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ or pick up a fall events brochure at the Rock Island Main Library, 30/31 or Southwest Branches.

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