Charles Dickens, the master story teller of the 19th century, would certainly have approved of his 200th birthday tribute by the TAB and NiteLite groups of the Western Pocono Community Library (WPCL).

The young people gave a lively performance of an adaptation rewritten by one of their members, Megan Bush-Weiss, and adviser, Patti Weiss, and as interpreted by, the WPCL TAB and NiteLite groups, of Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist." It was done in six scenes.The sets and costuming were minimal, but the acting was anything but. The kids put their heart and soul into their performance on Wednesday night with a repeat on Saturday.Nathaniel Rhodes, a Pleasant Valley High School ninth grader, played the lead role of Oliver. He has had previous acting experience in other school dramas and enjoys acting. He said they had a great time doing "Oliver Twist" even though it was a lot of hard work."It was hard memorizing all our lines but we had a lot of fun," he said.Kayla Wolf, also a PVHS ninth grader, loves acting and has appeared in several school productions. She played the part of Nancy."It was fun. I'm looking forward to our group doing more dramas," she said."They did a wonderful job. They should be so proud of themselves. I know I am," said Patti Weiss, their adviser and WPCL circulation desk manager/cataloging manager.There will be another free performance on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.Carol Kern, WPCL director, said, "It couldn't have been better. They did a great job."TAB (grades 7-12) and NiteLite (grades 3-6) are always looking for new members. Both groups meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.The Western Pocono Community Library is located on Pilgrim's Way, just off Rt. 115, across from Pleasant Valley Middle School in Brodheadsville. If you have any questions, please call 570-992-7934, email

wpcl@ptd.net or visit its website at

www.wpcl.lib.pa.us.