Maria Tureaud’s This House Will Feed

In the midst of the Irish Potato Famine, Maggie O’Shaughnessy has lost everything: her doting parents, her loving siblings, their comfortable position as the family of the land agent for the local landlord, and the man she loved. She herself is starving to death in a workhouse when she is offered a strange form of salvation. A mysterious aristocrat named Lady Catherine offers her freedom and a fresh start in exchange for Maggie pretending to be her late daughter Wilhelmina for a few months. Lady Catherine needs to trick the solicitors into believing her daughter is still alive to protect her ownership of her estate in the remote Burrens on Ireland’s West Coast, and Maggie has a passing resemblance to Wilhelmina and a refined manner thanks to her former position as a lady’s maid. Maggie accepts Lady Catherine’s offer and soon finds herself in a seemingly haunted house. Complications ensue.

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Help Us Design a Sensory-Friendly Space in the New Library!

We are proud of our brand-new library, but we want to be sure it is a welcoming place for all. Located next to the City Pool and a public park, with a children’s area full of fun play items like LEGOS, games, and shakers, as well as computers and books, there’s lots for children to see and do both inside and outside of the building.

Will this just be too much for some kids to take in?

Research indicates that 5-13% of American kids between the ages of 4 to 6 have a sensory processing challenge, which can cause them to react to inputs like bright lights, loud noises, and new surroundings. This means busy public spaces like the library and a park or pool can sometimes be overwhelming.

But we have an exciting opportunity to do something about this!

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Free to Be: October

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s an important historical birthday for the United States, and we will be celebrating it all year-round with our new Free to Be series. With respect to Marlo Thomas, our Free to Be posts will be celebrating unique freedoms we enjoy as Americans. And this month, we’re looking at how we’re free to vote.

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