Just after midnight on October 22nd, if you happened to be driving by the Shrewsbury Public Library you might wonder why the parking lot was nearly as busy as it is during the day. The answer: there was a party going on, a teen party, but instead of the antics you might expect at a high school party, all these teens were celebrating.....a book. Allegiant by Veronica Roth to be exact, a highly anticipated young adult release that wasn't legally allowed to be distributed until midnight. If you're not familiar with Veronica Roth and her novels, you could compare them to The Hunger Games, all dystopian tales featuring a heroine set in a not-too-distant future world with a disjointed government.
Twenty-four youth participants (nineteen from Shrewsbury, five from the Marlborough Public Library, who cosponsored the event along with the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library) took part in challenges based on the book trilogy (Allegiant is book three, after Divergent and Insurgent), worked on two Allegiant themed crafts, and just after midnight got their hands on the new book. Veronica Roth's website also featured a midnight reading of chapter one via webcast, where she shared with the group (and the world) that there was something special under the sleeve on the hardcover copies.
The event almost didn't happen as the shipment of books was delayed in Pennsylvania, but Barnes & Noble in Worcester came to the rescue, getting the library the needed copies in time for the event. The teen group is also thankful for the parents who were willing to let them take part in this special event, and of course thankful to the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library and the Marlborough Public Library for being event sponsors.
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The younger set will get a release party of their own in just a couple of weeks, as the Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union is sponsoring a release party for the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. That event filled up in minutes just like the Allegiant program – it's exciting to see how enthusiastic youth are about reading! For those who missed the Allegiant event, copies can be checked out from the library.
