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 2024

Holes by Louis Sachar

The story of Stanley Yelnats, a pathetic kid with no friends — and a family curse!

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 22

Stop by the library for your free copy of Louis Sachar’s Holes. The first hundred people can also pick up a kit containing the novel, the reader’s guide, and some Holes inspired goodies. One kit per household please. After the kits are gone, we may not be able to provide the goodies, but we’ll still have a few hundred books available and can give out reader’s guides and instructions for the activities as long as anyone’s interested.

SPLOOSH!

Friday, February 2, at 7:00 pm

(for ages 12 and older)

Kate’s spiced peaches had no rival; and a century later, the mushy remains, Sploosh, were life-saving. We’ll test recipes for spiced peaches, but rather than aging them for a hundred years, we’ll blend them before determining the winner.

Inventions

Thursday, February 8 – Sign ups End
Friday, February 23 – Inventions are Due

Stanley Yelnats III is an inventor. Are you?

We’ll give you a bag of supplies that shouldn’t be a part of anything and challenge your group to create the impossible. What? That’s up to you. Surprise us!

Bags are limited. Sign up by Thursday, February 8th. We’ll have your bags the following Monday. Then you’ll have 11 days to get creative. Inventions will be displayed through the end of the month and posted on our Facebook page.

I Can Fix That!

Friday, February 9, at 7:00 pm

Onion Sam can fix just about anything. How handy are you?  Expert fixer Bryan Jacobson will show us reasonable repairs that we should feel confident to do around our own homes. – And let us know when to call in the professionals.

Adult Makers: Lip Care For a Kissing Bandit

Friday, February 16, at 7:00 pm

(for ages 18 and older)

Kissing Kate has to take good care of those lips to leave her signature. Tonight, we’ll make tubes of lip balm. If you’d like to have some tint, we can fix that, too.

Open Book Discussion with the Take a Break Book Club

Thursday, February 22, at 6:30 pm

Join us for an open and informal discussion of Louis Sachar’s Holes. While talking, we may follow the warden’s example and take care of our hands. No rattlesnake venom will be involved.

“Digging Deeper: The Warden’s Secret” Escape Room

Tuesday, February 27, through Thursday, February 29, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm,
Friday, March 1, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm,
and Saturday, March 2, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
in the activity room

(for ages 12 and older)

Escapes begin in 45 minute increments. Please sign up for a time by clicking on this box.

Meet us at Camp Green Lake with our limited time only escape room!
Uncover the hidden truths of the beloved characters from Holes as you decipher clues, unlock secrets, and race against time to escape the Warden’s office.
Will you dig deep enough to uncover the truth before time runs out?

The escape room is free of charge but will be on a first come, first serve basis, so click here to sign up while you can!
Walk-ins are welcome, but priority will be given to those who have signed up for a specific time slot.
It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete the room and we ask that you arrive at least 5 minutes before your time slot.
If you are late, we may not have enough time to let you into the room. Group size should be between 2 and 5 people.

Persons under 12 MUST be accompanied by someone 14 or older.

Reader’s Guide

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. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.

Boys looking at the desert filled with Holes. They have shovels in their hands and are wearing coveralls.

Reader’s Guides

Here are some of our previous reader’s guides from past years’ events:

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.

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 2024

  • January 1 – New Year’s Day
  • January 15 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
  • February 19 – Presidents Day
  • March 22 – Staff Development Day
  • April 6 – Building Maintenance
  • May 25-27 – Memorial Day
  • June 19 – Juneteenth
  • July 4 – Independence Day
  • August 31 – September 2 – Labor Day
  • October 5 – Building Maintenance
  • October 31 – Closing at 5:00 pm
  • November 11 – Veterans Day
  • November 27 – Closing at 5:00 pm
  • November 28-30 – Thanksgiving
  • December 24-26 – Christmas
  • December 31 – New Year’s Eve
  • January 1, 2025 – 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.

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