Blog Post
Crossover Graphic Novels: Great for multiple ages!
by gulickb
There is something to be said for a good graphic novel that appeals to more than just its target age range. It takes a combination of great artwork and great story to make a graphic novel rise out of the ranks of its fellow titles and stand the test, if not of time then at least of readability. The following are titles that are great, not just if you happen to be the "right" age but also if you don't fit into that particular age range.
Bone by Jeff Smith is a great (and somewhat epic) tale about 3 characters who have been cast out of their home of Boneville. The story starts with Phoney Bone, Fone Bone and Smiley Bone stuck in a desert, unsure of where to go next. This is where the adventure gets kicked off. They find themselves lost in a world that they didn't know existed and thrust into an adventure that they probably didn't want. The catalog says it's youth but this series can be enjoyed by anyone of any age!
For ease of finding them I'm listing the books in order here (with links to the catalog of course)
Vol 1 Out From Boneville
Vol 2 The Great Cow Race
Vol 3 Eyes of the Storm
Vol 4 The Dragonslayer
Vol 5 Rock Jaw Master of the Eastern Border
Vol 6 Old Man's Cave
Vol 7 Ghost Circles
Vol 8 Treasure Hunter's
Vol 9 Crown of Horns
The next graphic novel series that is great for young and old alike is based on a hit cartoon network show Adventure Time The stand alone graphic novels and the volumes can (for the most part) be read in any order so jump right in.
For those of you who are not familiar with the show Adventure Time follows Finn and Jake, the last human on Ooo (what earth is renamed after a catastrophic explosion) and his shape-shifting dog Jake. The stories themselves are easy to read and enjoy but that doesn't mean that the overarching story of the series is not interesting. The creators manage to weave a very complex story into the seemingly simple stories. This series is great for young and old alike!
Also as a special non-graphic novel bonus you should check out the super secret (OK not that secret) travel guide to Ooo for under 20 Snails a day Adventure Time Destination Ooo
Blog Post
Huron River Day!
by Beth Manuel
The City of Ann Arbor is hosting its annual celebration of the beautiful Huron River this week-end. The public is invited to Huron River Day! Haven't been? It's tons of fun! HRD activities are held at Gallup Park from noon to 4 p.m.this Sunday, July 12th. Have fun discovering and learning about the Huron River. Paddle a boat with $5/boat canoe and kayak rentals, and enjoy live music all on the banks of our lovely Huron River. Among the many activities offered will be a children’s tent with art & science activities + the enviro-challenge game; have your picture taken in a canoe photo booth; catch a fish; dip for river bugs; see a live animal program with the Leslie Science & Nature Center; step into a Butterfly House; enjoy the history of the river with the Classic Small Boat Show; make a craft (and find a GAMECODE) with AADL or try out stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Check out Gallup Park for more information, call 734.794.6240 or visit www.a2gov.org/HRD.
Blog Post
The 2015 Summer Game Shop is NOW OPEN!
by eli
OH MY WOW! All your patience has paid off... the 2015 SUMMER GAME SHOP is NOW OPEN! We've got a bunch of new items, returning favorites, and PLENTY MORE SURPRISES YET TO COME! But for now, PUT THOSE POINTS TO USE and get some USEFUL STUFF from YOUR LIBRARY! Visit the Shop NOW and see what's new!
Just in case this is your first time, you can only spend SUMMER GAME POINTS in the SUMMER GAME SHOP, although you can use points from ANY SUMMER GAME YEAR! When you place your order, be sure to let us know at which branch you'd like to pick up your order. Then, wait for a notification that your order is ready! Orders generally take at least a week to be filled, and may be longer for certain items. Once you get your notification, just go to the branch and tell them the name on the order to pick it up! Enjoy, and as always, THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
READY, SET…GO! 2015 SUMMER GAME IS ON!
by mariah
SUMMER GAME 2015 has been ACTIVATED (can you hear its engine revving?), and is READY TO GO!
This year brings you:
- Simplified BRANCH MASTER BADGES. ALL codes required for these big time badges are already placed branches — so you'll have the ENTIRE SUMMER to get all the codes. Nice, right? You could even start TODAY! Though, remember, Downtown doesn’t re-open ’til tomorrow at 9am!
- 2000 POINTS for COMPLETING THE PAPER GAME (Summer Game Classic)! 1000 for the completion code, another 1000 for the badge you’ll earn!
- Plenty of GREAT NEW BADGES starting with BADGE DROP #1 coming around 5 PM today! Eeeeee!
- TOTALLY RAD PRIZES — including BIG LEGO banks, to-go tea tumblers, SUPER SPECIAL “sketch” bags (custom-designed by four cartoonists!), and of course, the RETURN of a few faves: the popular picnic blanket, quality coffee and chocolate! Plus, more, more, more…STAY TUNED!
Just WHEN will you be able to get your hands (or at least your eyes) on some of our super-stellar prizes? The SUMMER GAME SHOP will open July 7.
We’ve got a WHOLE MONTH+ between THIS VERY MOMENT and then, so you’ve got plenty of time to TAG, RATE, and REVIEW items in the AADL Catalog for points! Haven’t played before, but ready now? SIGN UP ONLINE!
Dig all this excitement, but have NO IDEA what we’re talking about? NO PROBLEM — glad you’re here! Here’s a quick video to clue you in!
Questions? Excited comments? Good/bad puns to share? Post here (for points!) or drop us a Contact Us anytime.
Team AADL is here to make sure EVERYTHING (SUMMER GAME) IS AWESOME!
as always....
THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Kids Read Comics is This Weekend!
by anned
Meet Faith Erin Hicks, Raina Telgemeier, Kean Soo, Tory Woollcott, and over 40 more of your favorite cartoonists at Kids Read Comics this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!
More than just a convention, Kids Read Comics offers over 50 free workshops and demos where you can learn more about making comics from the pros. The events are happening at the Ann Arbor District Library Downtown Branch, 826 Michigan Robot Supply & Repair Store, The Ann Arbor Art Center, and The Vault of Midnight. You can check out the full schedule of events (and download a printable PDF) here.
Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21, 2015 AADL is hosting the seventh annual Kids Read Comics festival, featuring 50 of your favorite cartoonists from across the continent who have come to lead free hands-on workshops and games designed to boost your creativity!
Friday, June 19
The festival starts at the University of Michigan's Duderstadt Center on North Campus with a Pre-Conference for Librarians, Educators, and Cartoonists. Register here to attend a workshop on how to make your own comics workshop, a talk on the history of comics with acclaimed comics scholar Carol Tilley, a panel discussion on comics in the classroom moderated by Colby Sharp, and a tour of the University of Michigan's Video Game Library.
Friday evening from 5:00 to 8:00 pm we'll all converge on The Vault of Midnight at 219 South Main Street for a Comics Jam Party where cartoonists, parents, and kids will be invited to contribute to a giant drawing wall facing Main Street!
Saturday, June 20
The main event kicks off at 11:00 am in the Multi-Purpose Room at AADL's Downtown Branch. Special Guests Kean Soo and Tory Woollcott will lead a presentation on making graphic novels.
Artist Alley opens at noon on the 1st floor of the Downtown Library and runs until 6:00 pm and workshops will be happening throughout the day at the Library, the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Robot Supply & Repair Store, and the Vault of Midnight!
Sunday, June 21
Artist Alley opens at 12:30 pm and runs through 6:00 pm. Get ready for another fun filled day of workshops at the Library, the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Robot Supply & Repair Store, and the Vault of Midnight!
You can check out the full events list here
Blog Post
New Blexbolex: PEOPLE
by eapearce
Enigmatic French artist and designer Blexbolex won numerous awards for his 2010 book Seasons. His latest book, People, features his signature style of illustrations, and depicts all sorts of people, real, imaginary, historical and legendary. Each illustration of an individual features a single descriptive phrase above it, such as PLUMBER, HIGH DIVER or MARIONETTE. As readers peruse through Blexbolex’s amazing images, they’ll enjoy discovering the connections between his different people. The breath of a shivering man crosses the page to become the smoke from a smoker’s cigarette. A painter, a graffiti artist, a poster hanger and an abstract artist are all depicted in succession and the differences and similarities in their tasks are made subtly clear. I just love how simple and clever Blexbolex’s work is, and how his diverse renderings of people break down preconceived notions of what a traditional WARRIOR or CYCLIST or MAGICIAN might look like. People is a great household book and is enjoyable for every age.
Blog Post
DROP EVERYTHING! It's the VERY FIRST BADGE DROP of 2015!!!
by nicole
OH. MY. GLOB. SUMMER GAME just got rolling mere HOURS ago and already it’s off to a MIND-BLOWING start!
Over 500 of you summer game SUPER-GENIUSES have scored points and there’s some absolutely INTENSE code-hunting going on at the branches! You guys are absolutely ASTONIGHING! Seriously STUPEFYING! Summer Game WIZARDS, that’s what you are! For the past 9 hours you guys have been TAGGING, REVIEWING, LISTING, and especially COMMENTING up a storm to let us know JUST how excited you are that SUMMER GAME 2015 is finally, finally (FINALLY) here!
And we TOTALLY hear you guys! We’re excited too! We know you can’t POSSIBLY HANDLE any more suspense, so without further ado: THE FIRST BADGE DROP OF 2015!!!
| 2015 Badge Drop #1 |
|---|
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That’s right, guys. Take it ALL in. The NERDY, MYSTERIOUS, BEAR-COVERED BRILLIANCE! We pretty much CANNOT wait to see just how many of you CONQUER these badges!
And don’t forget for anyone just getting started, earning those GETTING STARTED badges is a CINCH! So WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET TO IT!
And of course, as ALWAYS, and until FOREVER:
THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Rad American Women A-Z
by evelyn
Wow! I want to shout about this book from the rooftops! Rad American Women A-Z, written by Kate Schatz, and illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl, is the best introduction to women’s history in America I’ve ever seen!
Written in the form of an alphabet book, the 25 women in this book (X is for the women we don’t yet know) are an impressive group. Clear thought has been given to diversity of accomplishments, race, time period, and more. My favorite thing about this book is that the women represented in the pages are ones that children may not have heard of- Dolores Huerta, Kate Bornstein, Temple Grandin, Hazel Scott, Wilma Mankiller, and Yuri Kochiyama, just to name a few! Although this book is written for children, the gorgeous art and smart summaries makes this a winner for all ages.
Rad American Women A-Z picked up quite a bit of buzz prior to publication- check out articles about it from The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and more. You can also look at the images made available for download from the publisher.
Now go check out this book!
Blog Post
Nature Walk @ Barton Nature Area this Thursday
by eapearce
The Ann Arbor District Library and Natural Area Preservation team up each year to offer a series of informative walks at local nature areas throughout the summer. This year's first nature walk will take place this Thursday, May 7 from 7:00-8:30pm at the Barton Nature Area.
Barton Nature Area is a 102-acre park located along the Huron River divided into two sections. A variety of ecosystems can be seen in Barton, including old field, prairie, wet shrubland, mesic forest and emergent marsh. A representative from NAP will lead the walk, offer information about native plants and animals, and about the landscape, and answer questions. We'll meet in the parking lot off of Huron River Drive, just north of Bird Rd. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes and bring water if you'd like.
Other walks this summer will take place at Argo Nature Area, Furstenburg Nature Area and Black Pond Woods.
Blog Post
Large Print Materials-Easier on the Eyes
by Beth Manuel
Perhaps you've realized that your eye sight isn't what it used to be. You don't need to give up reading, if that's the case, because AADL has a Large Print collection that can be mailed to eligible patrons as Free Matter for the Blind.
If large print is still difficult to read, you may want to consider submitting an application to the Washtenaw Library for the Blind & Physically Disabled. AADL administers the WLBPD to all eligible Washtenaw County residents. This program provides Digital Books and a Digital Player at no cost.