The Family Library is an important social and literary resource for schools, adults and the wider island community, based at Westmoreland Road in Douglas.

School’s out, summer is here and what a busy time it’s proving to be since we re-opened our doors.

Not only has it been great to see everyone again in person, but the Family Library has truly been a hive of activity, even before we launched our summer reading challenge last weekend!

As well as holding some of our regular classes online, we’ve welcomed more than 350 children and staff from Henry Bloom Noble School over three days.

There were 14 class visits in total, along with some familiar faces and new visitors.

Just in time too as we have a host of new releases for you to enjoy reading.

These range from ’The Great Pants Robbery’, by Heather Pindar to ’Dream Team Attack of the Heebie Jeebies’, written by Tom Percival to ’The Funniest Animal Joke Book Ever’ to ’ and ’Cookie! And the Most Annoying Boy in the World’, written by former BBC Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq.

There are so many fun titles to choose from so pop in and take a look.

Perhaps one of our new titles will grab your imagination in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge: ’Silly Squad’.

We are delighted to have joined forces with the Henry Bloom Noble Library and sponsor PwC for the initiative which encourages primary school-aged children to read six books.

Alternatively, you can set your own reading goal.

As you read, you earn reading badges and unlock a whole range of incentives.

The Silly Squad website is interactive, with a ’book sorter’ which helps with book selection and provides games, ideas and polls.

If you’ve not done so already, come and see us to pick up your own Silly Squad summer reading challenge pack or visit sillysquad.org.uk to register and record your summer reading.

And don’t forget to visit our new-look website at familylibrary.im as well as keeping up with events on the on our Facebook page.

Time now for the third in our series of local book reviews.

Local author Douglas Stewart released his novel, ’Deadline Vegas’, earlier this year.

Deadline Vegas by Doug Stewart is published by Chewton Books, is available now.

Enter the crime-ridden world of casinos and high-stakes gambling, controlled by ruthless and dangerous criminals.

Finlay Dexter, better known as ’Dex’ takes revenge on the corrupt owner of a London-based casino when his sister, Beth, is killed in a mysterious accident following a heavy gambling loss.

Suspecting fair play, Dex immerses himself into the glitzy and dangerous world of mega casinos and Pepe Camino, the owner of the casino that his sister lost her money.

Dex discovers Camino’s plans to expand into Las Vegas by building ’Space City, a glitzy new casino using dodgy money and vows to derail his plans.

This is the latest taut and fast-paced thriller from Doug Stewart, the author of nine other globally successful mystery thrillers.

Doug’s knowledge and research is impeccable as he brings the ruthless world of gambling, extortion and money laundering to life.

In Dex there is a lot to like and appreciate that goes beyond the stereotype of a typical hard-nut lone protagonist searching for vengeance.

He meets his match in Camino, who is slippery and hard to predict.

From an outwardly clich éd setting, ’Deadline Vegas’ turns into a gripping and immersive thriller that switches pace effortlessly as the action begins to heat up.