Into Thin Air Booktalk at Brainerd Library – Thursday, June 19th 7:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

They’re your neighbors, and they’ve climbed to the top of the world - hear their fascinating stories! Food and drinks will be provided so signup soon. Booktalk will be led by Amy Mueller.

Grand Finale – Saturday, June 21st at Chatfield Hollow from 11 A. M. - 3 P. M.

Bring your family and a picnic, and enjoy a day of hiking and letterboxing! 321 committee members will have a table near the trailheads (by the second parking lot), where they will be handing out clues courtesy of local letterboxers. Many thanks to Killingworth resident Gena Murray for creating a letterbox especially for 321! Note: there is a park entrance fee of $7.00 per vehicle - come with friends! This event is weather-permitting. In case of rain, we encourage participants to letterbox on a nicer day. Want to know more about letterboxing? Visit www.letterboxing.org... and see what might be hidden in your own “backyard”.

Despite the threat of bad weather, more than 70 people came to try their skill on a 26' rock climbing wall in the parking lot of Burr Elementary School. The event marked the kick-off of the 2nd annual "Three Books, Two Towns, One Community...READ" program in the communities of Haddam and Killingworth. Kids and adults alike attempted up to 5 different cables, and were rewarded at the end with a piece of rock candy. The 3 selected books (Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, Everest: The Contest by Gordon Korman, and Maxwell's Mountain by Shari Becker) were offered for sale, as our communities "gear up" to participate in this year's climbing theme. If you missed the kick-off, books are available on loan or for purchase at both town libraries. For more information about the books and future events, visit this website again or stop in at your local library. Click to view upcoming events!

Saturday, May 31 at Burr Elementary School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. come climb a 26-foot rock wall and eat rock candy for free! If you don't see the Rock wall in the Burr School parking lot, then it has been cancelled due to bad weather and we will have a mini-kickoff in the meeting room of the Killingworth Library with the books for sale, free rock candy, a DVD playing on the TV, etc. Other events include: movie night (“Touching the Void”) at H-K Middle School, book talks at Killingworth and Brainerd libraries, and a grand finale on June 21st at Chatfield Hollow where participants can hike with their families, have fun letterboxing, and enjoy the great outdoors! The events were selected to enhance the exciting pace that the books will set.

Calling all climbers (and non-climbers) alike for 2008’s “Three Books, Two Towns, One Community…Read”! The 3-2-1 Committee is ready to announce their theme for this year’s community read initiative: mountain climbing! Get out your ropes and harnesses as the selected books transport you from Haddam and Killingworth to the tops of the tallest mountains. Two of the three books this year will take place on top of Mount Everest and one will take a young boy to the tallest mountain in his neighborhood as he goes on a quest to become an adventurer. Books are available to borrow for free at both public libraries and RSD17 school libraries You may also purchase them at our Kick-off event or make a request at the library.

This year the three book selections are:

Adult read/non-fiction: Into Thin Air: A personal account of the Mount Everest Disaster by John Krakauer ($15.00)
Reprinted with permission of Random House, Inc.	From the Jacket: When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top. No one had noticed that the sky had begun to fill with clouds. Six hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning, he learned that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were desperately struggling for their lives. When the storm finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so horribly frostbitten that his right hand would have to be amputated.
Young adult read/fiction: The Contest (Everest series Book 1) by Gordon Korman ($5.00)
Cover photograph by Earl Robicheaux from Everest Book 1: The Contest by Gordon Korman. Photograph copyright 2002 by Scholastic Inc. Used with permission.	From the Jacket: The height of danger. The height of competition. The height of the world. Who will be the youngest person ever to climb Mount Everest? It's the ultimate test of endurance and skill. The mountain has claimed the lives of many adults. Now kids are going to compete to break the record. Some are not ready for what they will face. And some will stop at nothing to get to the top.
Children’s read/fiction: Maxwell’s Mountain by Shari Becker ($7.00)
Text copyright 2006 by Shari Becker, illustration copyright 2006 by Nicole Wong (Used with permission by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.)	An adventurous boy investigates a new park in town and finds the usual slide, swing set, and sandbox but is excited to discover there is also a "moutain" to climb. After Maxwell states his intent to conquer the rock-covered hill, his father explains that he must first become a "great outdoorsman." Following a trip to the library, the resourceful child reads and makes a list of what he must do to get ready for his climb. The big day finally arrives and Maxwell, his parents, and his trusty toy soldier arrive at the park. The young explorer, who appears to be about seven or eight, follows the yellow dots marking the trail, which begins on a gravel path and gradually moves upward into boulders. When Maxwell temporarily loses his way, he backtrack, finds the trail again, and successfully reaches the summit. The child's parents are shown standing at the base of the hill, keeping a vigilant eye on their intrepid son. ~ Book review by School Library Journal - February 28, 2006

The Committee is in the process of working with local groups and businesses to make this year’s 3-2-1 Read a huge success and are looking for volunteers to help with planned activities and events. If you have any mountain climbing experience and are willing to share, we want you as part of one of our events!! Please contact Tammy Eustis, at teustis@killingworthlibary.com or Amy Mueller, at amelia@hkyfs.org.

Additional movie and book ideas

WATCH OUR COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER!

Three Books, Two Towns, One Community…READ! is a community-wide reading program that will strengthen the sense of community between the young and the old, parents and children, neighbors and businesss owners, teachers and students, by encouraging all residents to read one, if not all, of the same three books at the same time, and then participate in related cultural, community building, and recreational activities. It is based on the One Book One Community Project by the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/one-book.html.

GOALS FOR THE THREE BOOKS, TWO TOWNS, ONE COMMUNITY...READ!:

WHY WE CHOSE THREE BOOKS INSTEAD OF ONE:

In order to best accomplish all of the above goals for the largest number of community members, we chose three books, each geared toward different ages and reading levels. This year, all titles are related to the same theme… To be announced soon!

Whether you share your thoughts with friends and family, take part in a formal discussion group, socialize at upcoming events, or just spend a few minutes in personal reflection, the experiences created from participating in this program will be rewarding and worthwhile. Which book will you choose?