City Library Begins Summer Reading Programs

The celebrated the start of its summer reading clubs for teens and younger children Tuesday and Wednesday with fun programs geared to each age group.

Entertainer Ken Frawley sang and told stories from around the world to children and their parents on Tuesday. In keeping with this year’s One World, Many Stories reading club theme, Frawley sang songs from England, Jamaica and the Americas and told stories from Africa, Asia, South America and Europe, often involving audience members.

The next children’s reading club event will be Tuesday when magician Brock Edwards presents The Magic of Literature, which combines literature from around the world with magic and comedy—and a bit of audience participation. The program runs from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Apricot room of the Moorpark Civic Center, 799 Moorpark Ave.

Conejo Valley-based hyponotist Marc Bachrach put some of Moorpark’s teens under his spell on Wednesday. Before putting audience members into a hypnotic state—which he likened to the state between being awake and falling asleep—he explained that his show was cruelty-free. That is to say, he doesn’t make people act like chickens or do anything too crazy while hypnotized.

But he does have fun with them. For example, he had participants answer their shoes, which he convinced them were really telephones, and lead them to believe other audience members’ elbows were the best smelling things they’d ever experienced before removing all the silly suggestions and bringing them to a fully awake and aware state.

The next special teen reading club event will take place Wednesday at 2 p.m., when teens will meet to make candy sushi in the Citrus room of the Civic Center.

If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for the summer reading club, it’s not too late. Signups will continue through July at the library.

For a full list of the special summer events, click on the graphics to the right or download the schedules from the library’s website.