"They wrote it, cast it, created costumes, worked on publicity, raised money through a bake sale, and for the second year, pulled off a highly successful event," states Anna Kilcullen, young adult services librarian at
Albright Memorial Library, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Kilcullen's Teen Advisory Board (T.A.B.) which is about two and half years old is made up of about twenty dedicated seventh to twelfth graders. Five of the teens formed a writer's group to come up with the script for the homecoming queen murder mystery, which is 20 minutes long and involves 17 characters, all members of T.A.B.
The Albright Memorial Library building dates from the 1800's, and is perfectly suited for murder in the stacks. A skit is presented, and once the victim is discovered, the characters spread out through the library, and invite attendees to interrogate them to determine innocence or guilt. This year's event attracted 42 amateur sleuths and participants, and a lot of local attention due to a recent article in the local newspaper. The murder mystery is part of a series of programs related to the 2009 Scranton Reads selection of Dashiell Hammet's The Maltese Falcon, funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Kilcullen has been with the library for six years, starting out in children's services. About two years ago, she joined Albright Memorial Library's young adult services area. Getting to work with T.A.B. is one of the best parts of her position. "I can't say enough about these kids," says Kilcullen. "They come from a variety of backgrounds, and attend public and private schools, so we have a lot of diversity. They work so well together it makes my job look easy. And we also have a lot of fun!"
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