On the Same Page
A Community Reading Event
Each winter we host a month long community reading event we call On the Same Page. Basically, we hand out hundreds of copies of a selected book and then spend a month exploring it through activities, lectures, concerts, and contests. Think of it as a county-wide book club. Read with your neighbors and friends, talk about what you read, and come and join in the fun.
February 2025
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences …
We’ll have events throughout the month of February. All events are free and in the Community Room, unless otherwise noted in the event description.
Book and Kit Release!
Monday, JANUARY 27
Stop by the library for your free copy of Kate DiCamillo’s Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. The first hundred people can pick up a kit containing the book and reader’s guide, with activities and treats related to the book. After the kits are gone, we may not be able to provide the treats, but we’ll still have a few hundred books available and can give out instructions for the activities as long as anyone’s interested.
Dramatic Romance Readings
Friday, February 7, at 7:00 pm
(for ages 18 and older)
Come and read, or come and watch. Either way, come and laugh as we pull out cheap paperbacks and make the most of their over-the-top back cover summaries.
Terrible Things Can Happen to You:
Emergency Preparedness
Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 pm
As every Incandesto fan knows, Terrible Things Can Happen to You! Join us tonight as Jennifer Porter, INL Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations, and Ben Porter, Shelley Fire Department, teach us how to deal with the horrors in your future.
Adult Makers: Illustration
Friday, February 21, at 7:00 pm
(for ages 18 and older)
Tonight, we’ll talk about and try our hand at illustrating and visually developing a character. Have a story and character in mind that you’d like to illuminate.
Open Book Discussion with the
Take a Break Book Club
Thursday, February 27, at 6:30 pm
Join us for an open and informal discussion of Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures.
The Science of Superheroes
Friday, February 28, at 6:30 pm
How do they do that? Well, they’re superheroes. But how do they do that? Come tonight and make sense of it all. We’ll have interactive stations where you can try out some of the science principles involved; then at 7:00, BYUI’s Brian Pyper, the funnest physicist you’ll meet, will give a keynote with lots of audience participation. It will be an evening of learning and fun that you won’t soon forget!
Books in Disguise
February 3 – 28
(for ages 8 and older)
Look for our display in the lobby filled with brown paper wrapped treasures. Each “disguise” will have a brief hint about its contents. Go ahead take a chance. Holy Bagumba! You may just find a new book bestie!
Old School Poetry
February 3 – 28
During the month, we’ll have a typewriter set up near our special collections cases in the General Area for you to write a poem to your love, whoever or whatever that love may be. There will also be a submission box nearby if you’d like to share those poems.
Terrible Things Can Happen to You:
Poetry Writing Contest
February 3 – 24
(for ages 8 and older)
Inspired by life’s disasters? Does your imagination run wild with worst-case scenarios? Enter our Poetry Contest, and share your take on this year’s theme: Terrible Things Could Happen to You! inspired by our On the Same Page book pick, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures.
Click here for full rules and how to submit your entry.
Reader’s Guide
It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences.
The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.
Reader’s Guides
Here are some of our previous reader’s guides from past years’ events:
Holes by Louis Sacher (2024)
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (2023)
The Phantom of the Opera is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and she is raised in the Paris Opera House with his dying promise of a protective angel of music to guide her. Christine’s angel turns out to be the deformed, murderous ‘ghost’ of the opera house who grows violent in his terrible jealousy, until Christine suddenly disappears. The phantom is in love, but it can only spell disaster.
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (2022)
Winnie-the-Pooh is a good-natured, yellow-furred, honey-loving bear who lives in the Forest surrounding the Hundred Acre Wood. He has many companions, including the boy, Christopher Robin, and these friends have many adventures together.
Persuasion by Jane Austen (2021)
Anne Elliot is the overlooked middle daughter of an aristocratic family who rejected Frederick Wentworth’s proposal of marriage becuase of his poor social standing and connections. When he returns years later, Anne must confront the life she left behind.
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (2020)
A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures with his friends on the mythical island of Neverland.
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy (2019)
Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine.
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (2018)
The delightful tales of whales and cats and kangaroos and crabs and …. Enchanting and funny, these fantastical stories continue to delight each and every generation.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (2017)
On the fabled Orient Express, thirteen travelers, each bearing a secret, will find themselves suspect in the most ingenious crime Hercule Poirot has ever solved.
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster (2016)
The enduring delight of this tale of Edwardian romantic intrigue is rooted in Forster’s colorful characters, including outrageous spinsters, pompous clergymen, and outspoken patriots.
Poetry Contest:
Terrible Things Could Happen to You!
Entries may be submitted any time between February 3 and February 24
For ages 8 and older
Do you love writing?
Get inspired by life’s little disasters and worst-case scenarios. Enter our Poetry/Verse Contest and share your creative take on this year’s theme. Sharpen your pencils (or flex those typing fingers), and don’t wait for disaster to strike—submit your entry today!
Age Categories:
There are three age categories:
- Tweens (ages 8 – 11)
- Teens (ages 12 – 17)
- Adults (ages 18+)
One winner per category will be announced February 28, 2025, on Facebook and in our newsletter. We reserve the right to first
publication of the winning entries in our newsletter, after which all rights revert to the authors. We do not own your work product in any way, shape, or form.
Rules:
- Entries may be up to 600 words, written in verse (poetry in any style is welcome).
- Use Times New Roman or Courier, 12-point font.
- Do not include a cover page with your entry.
- Entries should be text only and may not include any illustrations or photographs.
- No violent or inappropriate content, please.
- Participants are allowed to submit up to 3 poems. Please send them together in the same document.
How to Enter:
- All entries must be submitted as a PDF or Word document via email to programs@madisonlib.org
- Be sure to list your name, library card number, email, phone number, and title of your submission in the email sent with your submission. Juniors do not need a library card to enter.
Regular Hours of Operation
- Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Sunday: CLOSED
Closures in 2025
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 20 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 17 – Presidents Day
- March 21 – Staff Development Day
- April 5 – Building Maintenance
- May 24-26 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- August 30-September 1 – Labor Day
- September 19 – Staff Development Day
- October 4 – Building Maintenance
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- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 26 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 27-29 – Thanksgiving
- December 24-26 – Christmas
- December 31 – New Year’s Eve
- January 1, 2026 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
Contact Us
(208) 356-3461
24 Hour Phone Renewal: (208) 356-6658
askmadisonlibrary@madisonlib.org
Madison Library District
73 North Center
Rexburg, ID 83440
A public library.