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April 2026 |
Welcome to our monthly newsletter featuring all that's happening at your library.
The Seed Library at the Parkhill Library. |
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1000 Books Before Kindergarten |
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Join us on a reading journey for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers!
Sharing books with young children builds language, imagination, and school-readiness skills. The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program encourages families to make reading part of everyday life, one story at a time. If you read just three books a day, you can reach 1000 books in less than a year!
Every child who registers will receive a special reading log to track their progress towards 1000 books. To celebrate their progress, children wll recieve a free book to keep when they've reached 500 and 1000 books read.
This program is for children born in or after 2021, and who reside in Middlesex County. To register, visit your local Middlesex County Library branch. |
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Library Board Highlights
We are excited to share the first ever Middlesex County Library Board highlights, including expanding Middlesex EarlyON Programming, library events and the development process of our new Facility Master Plan. Read more.
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Hoopla Flex: Digital Quick Picks!
Hoopla Flex is our digital “Quick Pick” collection, featuring new and high demand titles that may have waiting lists elsewhere. There's no new app to download or website to visit: Hoopla Flex is already available for existing Hoopla users. Simply log in to your existing Hoopla account to get started!
New to Hoopla? Try our Getting Started Guide. |
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Spring Author Series
Enjoy fascinating discussions with area authors. Offered by the Glencoe Library in partnership with the Glencoe & District Historical Society. All events are free to attend and are held at the Glencoe Library, 123 McKellar St. Tuesday, April 23 at 6:00pm: Cody Groat, author of Always a Part of the Land
Thursday, May 14 at 6:00pm: Kendra Coulter, author of The Tortoise's Tale
Wednesday, May 20 at 1:00pm: Kae Elgie, author of This Land
Thursday, June 18 at 6:00pm: Jennifer Grainger, author of Vanished Villages of Middlesex
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Mobile Internet Hotspots
Mobile Internet Hotspots are connected to a cellular network and can be used with any wireless device. The hotspots offer unlimited data, with some restrictions in place. Hotspots can be borrowed from every Middlesex County Library branch. Learn more! |
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2026 Seed Libraries
Grow your garden with free seeds from our libraries! For more information, contact the hosting library. Dorchester Library: On now, until April 30 or while the supplies last.
Komoka Library: On now, while supplies last. Sponsored by Komoka-Kilworth Home Building Centre. Lucan Library: On now, until April 30 or while supplies last. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lucan Library.
Mt. Brydges Library: On now, while supplies last. Parkhill Library: Available year round. Strathroy Library: On now, until May 16 or while supplies last.
Southwest Middlesex and Newbury: On now at the Glencoe, Melbourne, Newbury and Wardsville Libraries, while supplies last. Sponsored by McNaughton Home Hardware. Thorndale Library: On now, until April 30 or while supplies last. Sponsored by the Thorndale Lion's Club.
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| PA Day Activities: Friday, April 24 | |
 | The Library is the place to be on PA Days! Join a Family Storytime at 10:30am in Glencoe, Ilderton, Lucan, Melbourne, Mt. Brydges, Parkhill and Strathroy, but don't miss out on these other fun events:
Ailsa Craig Library: Fairy Garden, Drop-in from 10am-2pm Dorchester Library: High Flying Fun, Drop-in from 11am-12:30pm
Glencoe Library: Showing of Zootopia 2 at 1pm Ilderton Library: Spring Has Sprung, Drop-in from 11am-2pm
Komoka Library: April Showers, Drop-in from 10am-4pm Lucan Library: Animal Palooza, Drop-in from 11am-4pm Mt. Brydges Library: BUGS!, Drop-In from 10am-2pm
Parkhill Library: Out of This World, Drop-in from 10am-4pm Strathroy Library: Cardboard Creations, Drop-in 9:30am-12pm. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult.
Thorndale Library: Miniature Magic at 11:00am. Registration Required, for ages 9-18 |
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Kinder Connect
Is your child entering Junior Kindergarten in September 2026 or currently enrolled in JK for 2025–2026?Join us for Kinder Connect — a free, play-based evening program that supports a smooth transition to school.
Check our online event calendar for dates and locations
Questions? Email us at earlyon@middlesex.ca |
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Evening and Weekend Explorers
Evening Explorers has expanded! Now available in Lucan and Dorchester (at River Heights)! Looking to connect, play, and learn together in the evening? Drop-in for Evening or Weekend Explorers! Each program also includes a circle time with songs and stories to wrap up ourt time together. Upcoming events include:
River Heights, Dorchester: Wednesday, April 22 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. Ilderton Library: Saturday, April 18 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.
Parkhill Library: Tuesday, April 28 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. Lucan Library: Wednesday, May 13 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm.
Glencoe Library: Thursday, June 11 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm
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Click on the book cover to place a hold. |
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Liberty Street |
Heather Marshall |
1961: Emily Radcliffe works as an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine, surrounded by the best women journalists in the country, whose articles tackle the controversial topics no other women's publication dares to touch. When a bombshell letter from an inmate at the notorious Mercer Women's Prison lands on Emily's desk, she senses a scoop that could launch her career as a real, hard-boiled journalist. But after going undercover to investigate the inmate's shocking claims, Emily discovers that getting into the prison is the easy part; the real challenge will be getting back out . . .
Suggested by Sara, Glencoe Branch Assistant and Kristyn, Dorchester Branch Assistant |
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The Twyford Code |
Janice Hallett |
Forty years ago, Steven Smithy Smith found a copy of a famous children's book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. When he showed it to his remedial English teacher Miss Iles, she believed that it was part of a secret code that ran through all of Twyford's novels. And when she later disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy becomes convinced that she had been right. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Smithy decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades.
Suggested by Cassie, Parkhill Branch Assistant |
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| Rebecca Makkai |
In 1985, Yale Tishman is about to pull off an amazing coup, bringing in an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery where he works. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying, and after his friend Nico's funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister. Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago crisis, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways AIDS affected her life. The two intertwining stories take us through the heartbreak of the eighties and the chaos of the modern world, as both Yale and Fiona struggle to find goodness in the midst of disaster.
Suggested by Andrea, Komoka Branch Assistant |
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| Susanna Kearsley |
It is the year 1613, and King James is sending his messenger Andrew Logan into Scotland with secret orders to arrest Sir David Moray, close friend and advisor of the late Prince Henry. Secrets are second nature to Andrew, who must hide his Second Sight to stay alive. Joined by a court scrivener and the scrivener's spirited daughter Phoebe, Andrew slowly untangles the true purpose of his mission--to frame Sir David for Prince Henry's murder.
Suggested by Carolyn, Dorchester Branch Assistant |
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| Liz Moore |
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn't just any thirteen-year-old: she's the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region's residents. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara's older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds.
Suggested by Sue, Library Assistant |
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Azul |
Board Game | Azul is a captivating game of decorating Portugal’s Royal Palace. Players will collect magnificent tiles to embellish the walls and please the king. Simple to learn, with beautiful components and art, it is no surprise this is a modern classic!
Suggested by Heather, Strathroy Branch Assistant |
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