Adventurous schoolchildren learned to ‘read in the dark’ when they spent a spooky night in Queen’s Park library last week.

15 intrepid bookworms aged 10-13 gathered for a night of quests, mysteries and a midnight feast at the first ever adventure night to be held at Queen’s Park library in Harrow Road last Friday evening.

The children were tasked with racing through time with the help of clues and riddles delivered by an unusual cast of characters in order to release them from the grasp of a sinister librarian intent on locking them in forever.

Challenges involved snowball fights, disco dancing and stargazing on the roof before the children defeated the dastardly librarian and hunkered down for a well-earned sleepover.

Leke Fonda, aged 13, said, “I really liked this experience because I liked the adventure and the way we were travelling through time.

“We learned not to judge a book by its cover and that the big bad guy in the story actually had a heart.”

The night of immersive fun featuring a historical quest delving into the past of Queen’s Park was led by award-winning theatre company Nimble Fish on behalf of Westminster Council’s library initiative.

Councillor Steve Summers, cabinet member for Sports and Leisure said, “It is great to see so much enthusiasm from our young residents for libraries in Westminster.

“The adventure night at Queen’s Park library shows the diverse range of activities that are on offer to local residents through our Libraries’ partnership with artists and cultural organisations.”

The adventure night is part of a series of events organized by Westminster Library and archives service’s ‘Made in Libraries’ initiative.

For more information on upcoming events see: http://bit.ly/1NXHKmJ.