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Summer Game 2015 GAME OVER Gala!

by erin

Monday August 31, 2015: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm -- Downtown Library Lobby

Let's take the Summer Game out with a bang with a building-wide scavenger hunt, badge coloring, a free photo-booth and light refreshments to commemorate the 2015 summer game! Check out the new digs at the Downtown library and get a chance to meet other summer game players!

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SHOP MADNESS WEEK on a roll with the new POCKET STITCHERY!

by eli

SHEESH! Will this BARRAGE of new items ever end? NOT YET IT WON'T! Today we bring you not just ONE but TWO remarkably unsettling colors of our adorable new POCKET STITCHERY! Super-tiny but SUPER-USEFUL is how we roll... and you will too, with this amazing item! And we're not done yet... more items yet to come along with SG2015's PENULTIMATE BADGE DROP tomorrow evening! Stay tuned and.... THANKS FOR PLAYING!

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SG MADNESS III : THE SEARCH FOR SHOP... yields MICRODRIVERS!

by eli

WHOA! You've never seen something quite like this in the Summer Game Shop... it's the astounding AADL MICRODRIVER MINISET! Come follow AADL on our ADVENTURES IN TOOL LAND with this amazing item! There are still several more amazing new items waiting to be revealed, so stay tuned, and THANKS FOR PLAYING!

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SHOP MADNESS CONTINUES with the release of the ALUMI-FADE SIP-TOP!

by eli

But what, you ask, is an ALUMI-FADE SIP-TOP? Well, it's just a water bottle. BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU! This new item, available in Teal or Lime is just what you need to stay cool and collected in the waning days of the HOTTEST SUMMER GAME YET! Check it out and enjoy.... and come back tomorrow for more new items as SHOP MADNESS WEEK CONTINUES!

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It's SHOP MADNESS WEEK! Plus BIG POINTS at tonight's BOARD MEETING!

by eli

The end of Summer Game 2015 is just a few short weeks away, but there's still TONS of points, badges, and prizes yet to be earned! And THIS WEEK we'll be releasing new shop items EVERY DAY! Starting with today's return of the long-awaited Mug and Beans Combo Pack! But there are many new items yet to come, so STAY TUNED ALL WEEK LONG for amazing STUFF!

And you're going to need MORE POINTS to get that stuff, right? So come to TONIGHT'S AADL BOARD MEETING, starting at 7 PM on the 4th Floor of the Downtown Library, and make a public comment at the beginning or the end of the meeting to earn the ABOVE BOARD badge, worth 1000 Points and the SATISFACTION OF TRUE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT!

Plus, stay tuned for our upcoming GAME OVER GALA at the Downtown Library on the last day of SG2015, Monday August 31st, from 6-8 PM. MORE CODES, an amazing chance to swap FRIEND CODES, and delightful REFRESHMENTS FOR ALL! Please join us, and as always.....

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

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Congratulations to all of the WINNERS at the 10th Annual LEGO Contest! 2015 is the summer of LEGO Awesome!

by erin

Summer 2015 has been the summer of LEGO in all of its interlocking awesomeness and the highlight of EVERY summer, the annual LEGO contest, has come and gone and now it’s time to celebrate! This year we had 200 entries in 6 age categories:

Preschool, Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 and Adults!

We gave out 24 LEGO trophies, 72 medals and over $500 in gift cards to the winners! As always the house was packed and about 600 people attended to vote of their favorites, see all the projects and experience the Award Ceremony!

Congratulations to the winners in our 10th Annual LEGO Contest!

Preschool Category:

1st Place = Hotel by Emmet Forbes
Runner-Up = Outer Space by Nate Kubiak
Honorable Mention = Tootie Ta Train Tower by Clara Balazer
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Hotel by Emmet Forbes

Best Motorized = Its’s a Camp by Eleanor Coffman
Best Architectural/Engineering = Rainbow Pyramid by Sam Mickey
Coolest Robot = Rock Mech Robot by Gabriel Nazario
Best Vehicle = Drone Galaxy Cruiser by Jackson Erickson
Most Creative = Indian Street Food by Amit V.
Most Sophisticated = Knights of Fires all Fighting All Day by Liam Anderson
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Lava, Frank the Dog, Alligator, Ninjago Volcano by Isaac Semrau
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = Waterfall by Theo Tsai

Grades K - 2:

1st Place = Edmund Fitzgerald & Andersen by Alexander Burrow
Runner-Up = SS Collage by Dominic Nazario
Honorable Mention = M City by Emma Khan
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Farmer’s Market by Ivy & Ethan Miller

Best Motorized = Top in 10 Years by Mave Coffman
Best Architectural/Engineering = Gems & Marble Run by Desmond Beckerleg
Coolest Robot = The Best Workers by Lincoln Bolazer
Best Vehicle = Spy Tracker by Connor Geoghegan
Most Creative = Banana Boat by Sorin Bleed
Most Sophisticated = Spy Central by Evan Lowrie-Miuccio
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Pacmania by Ruby Brabbs
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = I Spy 10 by Will and Sean Beaupre
Best RV = Every kind of person animal Tubobus by Micah Jule Rijke-Epstein
Best Planes, Trains and Tower Cranes = Busy Day at the Harbor by Jacob Rice

Grades 3-5 Category:

1st Place = iPhone Characters Come to Life by Ennis Poskovic
Runner-Up = Castle Under Attack by Nathan Gillick
Honorable Mention = Under the Water by Avalon McNew
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Brenda Khuu

Best Motorized = Baja by Jeffrey Wang
Best Architectural/Engineering = Top Notch Security Robot Lab by Joe Bonenberger
Coolest Robot = B-29 Robot Dog by Beck Nordstrom
Best Vehicle = Ann Arbor Airport 2110 by Kevin Hudson
Most Creative = Dog Walker by Noah Forbes
Most Sophisticated = LEGO Jewelry Part 2 by Hiba Khan
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Frank the Pub by Gabriel Senrau
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = Tenth Anniversary of Ten by Caitlin Trievel
Wettest Infrastructure Fail = Ann Arbor After it Rains by Brendan Khuu
Best Municipal Amenity = Skate Park by Levi Berg
Fastest Spaceship = New Horizons by Alexa Daniels
Toxoplasmosis Award = 3 Kittens by Daniel Lee

Grades 6-8:

1st Place = LEGO Bridge by Deniz Kirza
Runner-Up = 21 Balloons by Ethan Mascato
Honorable Mention = PLAY by Elliot and Milo Varnum
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = LEGO Bridge by Deniz Kirza

Best Motorized = LEGO Car Wash by Brian Khuu
Best Architectural/Engineering = City of the Future by Bach Nguyen
Coolest Robot = The Robot that Shoots Bot by Aakarsh Verma
Best Vehicle = Main St. USA
Most Creative = Pizza Horse’s Food Temple by Connor & Charlie Wilcox
Most Sophisticated = Good vs Evil by Katrina Walbridge
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Snoopy & Woodstock by Nishant Domala
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = LEGO Chopped by Conor Pyle
Most Relaxing = Bernice’s 24 Hour Spa by Jennifer Shim
Bits to Bricks by Sam Fleming

Grades 9-12 Category:

1st Place = My Ride, Our Ride, The Ride by Casimir Mankowski
Runner-Up = A Day On Set by Hamza Khan
Honorable Mention = Winter Treehouse by Saskia & Tara Van Nieuwstadt
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = My Ride, Our Ride, The Ride by Casimir Mankowski

Most Sophisticated = Desolation by Isaac Ferguson
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Art in the Park by Ethan Jansen

Adult Category:

1st Place = Spinning the Cube by David Lorch
Runner-Up = Elves vs. Orcs by Gabriele, Matter and Valentina Carcassi
Honorable Mention = Save the Monarchs by Nieka Appell
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Elves vs. Orcs by Gabriele, Matter and Valentina Carcassi

Best Architectural/Engineering = I’m not saying it was aliens, but… by Denise Kratz
Best Vehicle = 201 Fiat Aburt by John Huber
Most Creative = LEGO Foosball by Michael Bleed
Most Sophisticated =
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Viking Ship by Paul Bierdz
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = Port-a-John by John Bayles
Master Minecrafter = Skeleton From Minecraft by Milo Hofer

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What's This? A NEW FEATURE appears: FRIEND CODES!

by eli

August, AMIRITE? So sleepy, warm, and humid; everybody's out of town, nothing ever happens. BUT NOT TODAY! From the Secret Software Development Complex buried deep below Summer Game Central comes an AMAZING new feature we think you're gonna love.... FRIEND CODES!!!

BUT WHAT, you ask, IS A FRIEND CODE? Well, we are so GLAD YOU ASKED! You'll now find on your player page a randomly-generated FRIEND CODE. This is unique to each player, and you can re-generate it and get a new random code if you don't like yours. The idea is that you distribute your FRIEND CODE however you'd like; make it into a button, put it on facebook, add it to your comments... that's totally up to you. But when another player REDEEMS your Friend Code by entering it like any other Game Code... they become one of YOUR FOLLOWERS! They get 100 points, and you get 100 points too!

When YOU enter SOMEBODY ELSE'S Friend Code, you become THEIR FOLLOWER, and you get 100 points, and they get 100 points too!

When YOU follow someone WHO FOLLOWS YOU (or vice versa), you become FRIENDS and you each get another 50 point bonus! IT'S AMAZING!

You can view your lists of players you follow, players who follow you, and your friends on your player page, and their names or numbers will show up just like on the leaderboard.... which also means that your player security settings REMAIN IN EFFECT for what shows to whom.

Also, once you have given out your FRIEND CODE, and some other player has REDEEMED IT and become your FIRST FOLLOWER, your FRIEND CODE is locked and can no longer be changed. So make sure you like it before you give it out to anyone!

This feature is HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL and we'll see how it goes; but we hope it is the foundation of lots of WONDERFUL NEW GAMEPLAY in SG SEASONS YET TO COME!

Questions? Bugs? Suggestions? Let's hear it! And here's my friend code to get you started: FELT373! YES! Now I'm like Tom from MySpace. ENJOY and as always....

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

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Come on a Nature Walk Thursday, August 6 at Furstenberg Nature Area!

by eapearce

As part of the Ann Arbor District Library's partnership with Natural Area Preservation, we organize nature walks at various local natural areas throughout the summer! These walks are appropriate for all ages, especially those interested in learning about local flora and fauna. This coming Thursday, August 6, the nature walk will be at Furstenberg Nature Area. This 38-acre park, located off of Fuller Road, contains mesic forest, prairie and wetland ecosystems. The land was first acquired by the City of Ann Arbor in 1971 and much of the 1980s were spent turning it into the park it is today.

The walk begins at 7:00pm and goes until 8:30pm. We'll meet in the parking lot off of Fuller Road. Wear shoes that can get a little muddy and bring water and bug spray if you'd like!

If you're interested in learning more about the ecosystems and communities in the Huron River watershed, try the lovely little book Along the Huron: the natural communities along the Huron river corridor in Ann Arbor, Michigan, available in the library's collection.

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Sparky!

by eapearce

I purchased the adorable picture book Sparky!, by Jenny Offill, for a friend last Christmas and I am so glad that the library now has it in our collection, too! Winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award for best picture book text, this book is a true gem for readers of all ages, especially those who consider themselves animal lovers. A young girl wants a pet, but her mom keeps saying ‘no’ to every pet she suggests. Finally, her mother says that she can have any pet she wants… “as long as it doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed." Of course, like the girl’s mom, most of us believe that description leaves few viable pet options. But, with the help of her school librarian, the girl finds a pet that fits the bill… a sluggish, yet strangely lovable sloth. Readers will grow to adore Sparky along with his owner as this too-cute book progresses.

Offill is the author of 17 Things I’m Not Allowed To Do Anymore, 11 Experiments That Failed and While You Were Napping, all for children, and the deeply moving Dept. of Speculation, for adults.

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New Books on World War I and World War II

by evelyn

Want to learn more about World War I or World War II? Take a look at a few of our new books!

Women Heroes of World War I: 16 Remarkable Resisters, Soldiers, Spies, and Medics and Women Heroes of World War II: 26 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue tell the true stories of remarkable women in war times. With profiles of many different women, these books will keep the attention of readers as they learn about spying techniques, wartime resistance, and even primitive surgery methods!

The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War is a unique take on World War I. Featuring the work of multiple authors, the short stories in this book each stem from an object recovered from World War I, be it a helmet, a toy solider, or a compass. This is a great book for children and adults to enjoy together.

From the new series History's Greatest Rivals comes the book Adolf Hitler vs. Winston Churchill: Foes of World War II. Featuring great graphics and short intriguing text, this is a winner for kids who want a shorter book on World War II.

For even more youth books on World War I, check out these recommendations! For books on World War II, look here!