Settling in to read a book is usually a solitary thing, but the Pittston Memorial Library wants to try reading the same book at the same time as a community.
That’s why 75 copies of Roald Dahl’s "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" are waiting at the library, each with a golden ticket tucked within the pages, to welcome readers to Pittston Reads, the city’s first community-wide reading event.
“Who hasn’t dreamt of going to Wonka’s chocolate factory? And everybody loves the movies,” said Carrie Gundling, the library’s young adult and STEM coordinator. “But not everybody has read the book.”
Gundling has been planning Pittston Reads for months, and on Monday, Jan. 8, will help hand out the donated books to anyone joining the citywide read.
Gundling had heard of other citywide reading programs, but most of them felt targeted toward adults. She chose "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to appeal to young readers and nostalgic adults.
Pittston Reads will also include a month of themed events, like chocolate taste testing, a life-size Candy Land game and family movie nights.
“I wanted to get the library a little more involved in the city,” she said. “I thought it would be fun if we could do a program that involved as much of the city with the library.”
Anyone with a Luzerne County library card can pick up a book starting on Jan. 8, but Gundling says anyone can participate in the library’s events for the month, whether they’re reading along or not.
Gundling said patrons have already started asking when they can get a copy of the book and about the slate of events. She chose this time of year deliberately, and plans to hold Pittston Reads at the same time annually.
“January is such a lonely month for a lot of people…there’s not always things to do, you can’t be outside as much,” she said. “I’m hoping by creating a community event during this time, we’re able to help people feel not so alone.”
There’s no schedule for anyone reading along. Gundling just hopes to see her community reading together.
“I’m hoping that the 20 minutes a day that they sit down and read the book, that is 20 minutes they can just smile and be happy,” she said. “There is a whole community of people reading the same book…they are not alone.”
Pittston Reads Schedule of Library Events
Jan. 8 - Event begins, books available at Pittston Memorial Library
Jan. 11 - Chocolate Playdough class
Jan. 13 - Build a Better Candy Necklace
Jan. 15 - Tween/Teen Bad Art class
Jan. 16 - Adult Crafting Class
Jan. 18 - Chocolate Taste Test
Jan. 19 - Family Movie Night showing “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
Jan. 20 - Charlie Crafter Day
Jan. 22-Jan. 27 - History of Candy Display
Jan. 27 - Life Size Candy Land game
Feb. 1 - Family STEM Candy Experiments
Feb. 5 - Cupcake Decorating Contest
Feb. 9 - Family Movie Night showing “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”
