From Slinkys to Potato Heads – when I find a bucket full of things I am compelled to take a picture. This bucket has so many possibilities!

This past Thursday, I brought The Unfortunate Passing of Pliant McTwist: A Murder Mystery to the Groton Library! A great group Jr. Detectives battled the suspects and played their games to collect all the evidence they need to point out the real culprit!

Every team fought hard, hoping to be the first to tell me who, what, where and why Pliant McTwist was MURDERED!

Ultimately, these girls finished just in the nick of time, beating out the other teams to be promoted to lead detective:

Nice job to everyone:

As always, the end of July is usually the busiest! I still maintain that this job affords me the ability to travel all over Massachusetts and see this beautiful state of ours. I am also excited because the libraries I am visiting have scheduled a Traveling Mystery Room for their communities! Make sure if you want to be part of these exciting experiences to register.

Also, if you’re looking to schedule a show please call me at 508-641-5336.

Here is the storytelling schedule for this week. The days listed in RED are free for the public to attend and the events listed in BLUE are free to attend but require registration. For more information, please visit the Upcoming Shows page:

• Monday: Little Discoveries @ 10:00/10:30am
• Monday: East Bridgewater Library @ 6:00pm – Big Ryan’s Traveling Mystery Rooms – The Unfortunate Passing of Pliant McTwist
• Tuesday: Kindercare @ 10:00/10:30am
• Tuesday: Paul Pratt Library @ 4:00pm
• Wednesday: Preschool Playmates @ 10:00am
• Wednesday: Medfield Library @ 2:00pm – Big Ryan’s Traveling Mystery Rooms – The Unfortunate Passing of Pliant McTwist
• Thursday: Preschool Playmates @ 10:00am
• Thursday: Dover Library @ 4:00pm – Big Ryan’s Traveling Mystery Rooms – The Unfortunate Passing of Pliant McTwist
• Friday: Kindercare @ 10:00/10:30am
• Friday: Townsend Library @ 4:00pm – Big Ryan’s Traveling Mystery Rooms – The Monster Mash

Towns I will be visiting this week:

1. East Bridgewater
2. Plymouth
3. Cohasset
4. Medfield
5. Abington
6. Hingham
7. Dover
8. Rockland
9. Townsend

Check the Upcoming Shows Page for more information, but I thought I’d highlight the exciting opportunities coming up! The listings will be broken into which Mystery Room the library is hosting with how much space is still available as of this post – make sure you sign up with the library and come and have a blast!

The Unfortunate Passing of Pliant McTwist:

• Groton Public Library – July 18th at 2:00pm – 33 of 40 spaces available
• East Bridgewater Library – July 22nd at 6:00pm – 21 of 40 spaces available
• Medfield Library – July 24th at 2:00pm – 27 of 40 spaces available
• Dover Library – July 25th at 4:00pm – 10 spaces available

Monster Mash:

• Townsend Library – July 26th at 2:00pm
• Jonathan Bourne Library – August 14th at 10:00am – 40 of 40 spaces available

Right now we need players for DOVER and BOURNE! If you’re interested in having some fun out of the sun then sign up today! The Townsend Library doesn’t list how many players have signed up already so I could not list it. But if you’re interested in playing call the library and sign up!

I am so humbled by the amazing parents and kids who jumped right into the mystery room with excitement! These brave souls discovered their lineage and then earned enough to obtain their totem!

Amazingly, these teams translated, searched, transported, assembled and even unlocked their way to success! The teams were so enthusiastic and were happy to spend an hour solving this mystery out of the summer heat!

These teams all finished with flying colors and are showing off the monsters they adopted on the way out of Bludhaven!:

The winners was this mother/son team who are proudly wearing their medals and winning smiles!

It has been a blast this summer so far with some great groups! When I am this busy I absolutely love it. I think my favorite moments might be the doing the shows for the kids who are going to use the sprinklers right after my show. The smell of sunscreen fills the room and the excitement of the kids is obvious. There are so many reasons to love summer – and this is definitely one of them!

Also, if you’re looking to schedule a show please call me at 508-641-5336.

Here is the storytelling schedule for this week. The days listed in RED are free for the public to attend and the events listed in BLUE are free to attend but require registration. For more information, please visit the Upcoming Shows page:

• Monday: Preschool Playmates @ 10:00am
• Tuesday: Pumpkin Patch Childcare @ 9:00-11:00am
• Wednesday: Jonathan Bourne Library @ 10:00am
• Thursday: Groton Library @ 11:00am
• Thursday: Groton Library @ 2:00pm – Big Ryan’s Traveling Mystery Rooms – The Unfortunate Passing of Pliant McTwist
• Friday: Little Discoveries Preschool @ 10:00am

Towns I will be visiting this week:

1. Abington
2. Fall River
3. Bourne
4. Groton
5. Brockton

If you missed our test run at the Plymouth Library, the good news is that the Monster Mash is premiering TOMORROW at the Kingston Library! Make sure to register TODAY!

Just click the image above to be brought to the registration page. Anyone 7-16 can come (with 7-9 year olds needing some grown up help) and have a blast!

As the Kingston Library states:

Discover your lineage- are you a Vampire, Werewolf or Witch? Earn enough doubloons by doing tricky tasks and mind-tickling games to purchase your totem. Put together the totems and become the leader of your clan!

Monster Mash is a game designed for monsters from ages 7-16 (7-9 year olds with grown-up help.) Sharpen your teeth, polish your claws, and slither your way over to the library to play this exciting game!

This is the current nest in the bird house located in our side yard. Right off of my mini space I dub the “William G Cathcart Memorial Park”. This was the first time this type of nest was built in any of my birdhouses and my daughter and I had no idea which bird created this masterpiece.

Turns out it is a wren – and since I have seen a Carolina Wren hanging out around the yard and this specific bird house – I figure it is that specific wren. We’ve had quite a few nests made in this house over the years but this was the first time we were amazed and also stumped by a nest.

At this point, the different bird nests we’ve seen through the years have been:

• Black Capped Chickadee
• Robin
• White-Breasted Nuthatch
• Tufted Titmouse

And now the Carolina Wren. I have been into birding for quite a few years ow and I am still excited to see something new and learn something new about birds.

Tomorrow is Bridgewater Library Wednesday. Show begins at 10:30am come hear the toddler tales – so make sure to be there early and let’s have a blast!

Sponsored by the Mass Cultural Council.

Summer has really started now! Including the premiere of The Monster Mash at the Kingston Library at 2:00pm! Make sure to register today because space is limited. I am really excited to get summer shows going and I have some of the best places to go this week! North Andover, Bridgewater and, of course, Book Love on Saturday! Come find refuge from the heat and get comfortable with some great stories!

Also, if you’re looking to schedule a show please call me at 508-641-5336.

Here is the storytelling schedule for this week. The days listed in RED are free for the public to attend and the events listed in BLUE are free to attend but require registration. For more information, please visit the Upcoming Shows page:

• Monday: Preschool Playmates @ 10:00am
• Tuesday: North Andover Children’s Show @10:00am
• Wednesday: Bridgewater Library @ 10:30am
• Thursday: Stepping Stones Learning Center @ 10:00/10:30am
• Thursday: Kingston Library @ 2:00pm – Big Ryan’s Traveling Mystery Rooms – The Monster Mash
• Friday: Tiny Town @ 10:00am
• Saturday: Book Love @ 10:00am

Towns I will be visiting this week:

1. Bridgewater
2. North Andover
3. Hingham
4. Kingston
5. Plymouth