They’re on the trail

By Sarah Schwager
Children honed their detective skills as they followed a trail of clues in all the nooks and crannies of the library.
The school holiday program was part of a year-long spy and detective theme at the library.
Hampton Park Library branch manager Kathie Olden said about 25 children aged seven to 12 made a code wheel and had to decipher various codes given to them by librarians.
They were then sent on a detective trail to find clues to lead them to the next clues.
“They were hilarious,” Ms Olden said.
“The ones in teams worked quicker and the others quickly worked out that was the way to do it.”
One of the clues was hidden under the arm of Secret Agent Lola, a dummy dressed up as a detective who has become a regular at the library.
To go with the spy theme, librarians have invited a crime writer to visit and are trying to get a forensic psychologist to talk at the library to provide something for adults as well.