HELLO! We are the Newts of Newton Abbot! Our bookclub is going from strength to strength and we are having more and more fun! Every four weeks we meet to discuss the book that we have chosen to read. Everyone gets to suggest a book that we might like to do. We talk about all sorts of things from who our favourite character is to which bits we found funny, scary or just very rude! We also take part in activities and games, like special treasure hunts for prizes and all sorts of fun quizzes. We’re very creative and the art that we make is often displayed on the special ‘art wall’ in the Children’s Library. Some of our ‘newts’ have even won M@X goody bags for writing such excellent book reviews! All new members get to make their own membership card on which we collect gold stars and can use to get in free to holiday activities. We even took part in a global scheme for reading and writing called The Flat Stanley Project!

Check out the activities page for Newton Abbot on this website for details of the next club and what we will be reading.

Note from a Newt

"My dad asked me what I wanted to do the other day - I could either watch Torquay United vs Port Vale or go to Newts Book Club. I said I wanted to go to Newts instead of the football (which I really like) because at Newts I get to see my friends and also find out about new stories."

Jo, age 9 - Newton Abbot

Why not come join us! When: Newts Book & Film Club is held on Saturdays every 4 weeks 2:20 – 3:30pm. Where: Newton Abbot Library Contact: For more information please call 01626 206420

Newts Book Club 'Dig the Past' in the Library! Here's a short report  from Joanne who runs the Book Club.

I feel so lucky to work in such a magnificent building with such character and a wealth of history attached to it. I wanted to share this with my book group, so to celebrate the NYR local History month, the ‘Newts’ of Newton Abbot gathered at the library to find out about the history of the building. We tried to imagine what it must have been like to borrow a book in 1904, what the original layout of the library looked like and about the man who funded it - John Passmore Edwards

We learned it was very different from today, no children’s library, a ladies reading room, (DEFINITELY NO BOYS!)

When you chose a book in 1904 you had to look at the book indicator boards, make your choice and then the librarian would fetch it for you-not like today where you can chose your own books by looking at the pictures/blurb.

We looked at internal pictures of the library from 1946 and compared it with today. Looked around the original caretakers living quarters whilst all the time keeping an eye out for the ghost, we thought we heard him once! But that's another story ……