Whether you're shopping used cars dealers or Craigslist, auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup will tell you the things you need to know to buy a car that not only looks good but runs well too. This program, titled "Buy a Ride: No Clunkers, Lemons, or Junkers," will be held from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, in the Malletts Creek branch program room.

Great news! The premiere edition of The 826 Gazette published by students of 826michigan is attractive and impressive. I just picked up a copy at the downtown library youth desk, and I particularly liked the articles ”Restaurant patrons to help fight cystic fibrosis,” by Maureen McCord, and “Michigan’s Green Schools initiative aims to make schools more environmentally friendly,” by Andrew Yoo. The newspaper was written and reported by local tweens age 10-14. Erik Gable of The Daily Telegram in Adrian helped with the journalism, many volunteers assisted, and printing was donated by The Ann Arbor News. Yay! Already I’m looking forward to the next issue this summer!

If you loved the Death Note manga, you won’t want to miss the fabulous anime adaptation now available on dvd at the library. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it’s the story of a bored high school student, Light Yagami, who takes justice into his own hands when he finds a notebook which gives him the power to kill simply by writing down someone’s name. But when criminals begin to die of unexplained causes, the authorities send the legendary and eccentric detective L to track down the killer. The cat-and-mouse chase between Light and L is one for the ages. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are in, and volume 4 is on order. Add your name to the hold list today! For older teens and adults.

Come and play one of the world's most popular games with players of all ages! Chess sets are provided.

Join us 1-4 p.m., Sunday, May 4, 2008 at the Pittsfield Branch.

What are you waiting for? Tap, hip-hop, ballet, or tango, it's all good. It also happens to be National Dance Week. If you're learning how-to, Steppin' Out Latin Dancing has everything for the beginner to the advanced.

Your all-time-best dance scene in a movie?? Mine is that scene from White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines. It's about a Soviet dancer, who has defected to the West, but finds himself having to escape a second time. Two greats on the stage together.

The Dance Ensemble of Michigan is one of many acts at Breakin' Curfew, a show which is in it's fifth year and is happening May 3rd, 8pm at the Power Center. It showcases talented and creative teens from Ann Arbor and southeastern Michigan. Performances range from hip hop, jazz piano, a rock band or two, and classical guitar. This show is a collaboration between the Neutral Zone and the University Musical Society.

If Duff, from Jeanne DuPrau’s Car Trouble, had come to Malletts Creek on Tuesday, May 13 (7-8 pm) and heard auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup share his knowledge about buying your first car and keeping it in great condition, it probably would have not been much of a story.

But instead, Duff goes out unprepared and buys a used car. It runs ok but the dash lights don’t work. Duff thinks it’s no big deal since he plans to do all of his cross-country drive in daylight and can easily read the speedometer and gas gauge. But that is no help for the engine trouble lights. Three hours into his trip he has no way to know he has low oil and eventually throws a rod. Don’t be a Duff. Join us May 13.

Plan to buy your first set of wheels soon? Come to Malletts Creek Tuesday, May 13 (7-8 p.m.) to learn what you need to know to buy a car that not only looks good but runs too. Auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup will share his knowledge about buying that first car and keeping it in great condition.

Yep, it's poem in your pocket day; it's official. Not to worry though, if you don't get an opportunity on this particular day to share your poem,
April is National Poetry Month. You'll want to browse the 811's and maybe start with these: Blue Lipstick, by John Grandits, is full of concrete poems (words, ideas, type, and design that combine to make pictures and patterns). Or try some Sijo, a traditional Korean form of poetry, by Linda Sue Park, such as Tap Dancing on the Roof, or most anything by Mel Glenn or Naomi Shihab Nye.

Princess Rosalind is meant to fulfill a 600-year-old prophecy foretold by Merlin. As the 21st queen she will restore her family's good name and end a war. But there’s one little problem - her left ring finger is a dragon talon. To hide the secret, the Queen forces Rosiland to wear gloves at all times while she seeks a cure.

When a dragon carries off Rosiland everything she thought she knew falls apart. How is it that Rosiland carries dragon’s blood? And what other secrets have her mother kept from her all these years? Dragon’s Keep will keep you turning the pages to the very end.

Bored this week? Come to the downtown library for open play this Tuesday, April 8, Wednesday, April 9th, and Thursday, April 10 for gamecube, ps2, and Wii open play! Each day, we'll welcome Kids from Noon until 3 PM and Teens from 3 to 6 PM. Will there be Brawl, you ask? OF COURSE there will be Brawl. Winner stays. How long can you stay in command? Come find out.

That very question is posed in Searching for Bobby Fischer when a chess teacher talks with the father of a 7-year-old boy, Josh, who shows an amazing gift for playing chess. The teacher goes on to say that, "Bobby Fischer got underneath it like no one before and found at its center, art." And what's Josh's answer? When talking on the phone with a buddy, Josh explains, "Chess. It's a game, like Monopoly."

If you've never seen this flick, check it out. And, if you enjoy playing chess, come this Sunday, April 6 (1-4 p.m.), to Pittsfield Branch for Chesstastic. It's a chance to play a whole variety of opponents from the youngest age to senior citizens.

Don’t miss the last AXIS Coffeehouse for the spring this Friday at the Malletts Creek Branch. If you’ve never been to the coffeehouse, it’s an open mic night for teens in grade 6-12. Perform your own work, or your favorite by somebody else. Recruit one of your friends, and perform something together. Don’t feel like going up to the mic? No problem! Just hang out, enjoy the free snacks, and enjoy the company. All teen performers will receive a $5 fine forgiveness coupon.

The Uglies trilogy lives on in the companion book, Extras. Thanks to Tally Youngblood the world of uglies, pretties, and specials is over. Now people are free to be whatever they want to be. Fifteen-year-old Aya is a kicker, who uses her hovercam, Moggle, to record interesting happenings in her city and feed it to the city network in hope of becoming famous.

The more others watch your feed the higher your face rank and thus social status rise. When Aya, sends a feed about a discovery she's made that could have world wide implications, she not only gains instant fame but also the attention of those who might want to silence her. The legendary Tally Youngblood also notices her feed and pings Aya with a warning. Then it's time for Aya to buckle up for the most vision warping, dizzy making experience of her life!

Think you know everything there is to know about Fullmetal Alchemist after watching the anime? Think again. The manga’s and anime’s plots diverge after a certain point, and the most recent events in the manga will be a big surprise to anime-only fans. Fans of the state military characters will especially like volume 15, which takes readers back to the Ishbal Conflict that Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and others fought in seven years earlier. Catch up with the story today!

Branded a troublemaker at school, Marcus is quick to use his fists when he feels hassled. Then his principal sends him to the library, where he meets CM, a local chess master who teaches students to fight their battles on the board instead of the streets. Learn how Marcus transforms himself into a warrior who stays three steps ahead of the enemy in Chess Rumble.