2011 LEGO Contest
If it's summer it's LEGO Contest time! One of our largest and most anticipated events is scheduled for Thursday, August 2, at the Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Blvd., (near Briarwood Mall). Last year we had over 200 entries and we can be sure there will even more this year!. Preschoolers, Kid, Teens and Adults are invited to participate. New this year: PEOPLE'S CHOICE! Attendees of the contest may vote for one project in each age category. People's Choice winners will receive a special LEGO trophy. For all the details read the complete rules and guidelines, and then start building!

Thursday, June 14 | 7:00-8:30 p.m. | 1831 Traver Road | All Ages

Meet at the Project Grow Garden of the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road and join a naturalist from Natural Area Preservation (City of Ann Arbor) on a nature walk. Learn about native plants and trees, ecological restoration, and responsible use of public lands, as well as volunteer activities in Ann Arbor Parks.

Black Pond Woods is named for a small, vernal pond whose basin was carved by receding glaciers. Tannins and humic acids from leaf litter cause the water color to be dark brown, thus giving rise to the name “Black Pond.” This pond provides favorable conditions for frogs and salamanders. The land around the pond includes an oak-hickory forest, a savanna, and a wet meadow.

Join us on a nature walk full of fascinating things to see. Prepare for a potentially “buggy” evening as mosquitoes are likely to be out in full force.

MINECRAFT is the biggest thing to hit cubes since ice! AADL is proud to launch MINECRAFT ANN ARBOR, a Minecraft server for Ann Arbor, by Ann Arbor, and of Ann Arbor! We'll be working together in creative mode not just to make crazy Minecraft stuff, but also to make models of Ann Arbor as of now, 1950, 1900, and 1850, plus who knows what else!

You can reach MINECRAFT ANN ARBOR by pointing your home copy of Minecraft at minecraft.aadl.org ; you can also point your browser to http://minecraft.aadl.org to reach this blog, where we'll organize building projects, talk about server changes, and keep the community going!

Stay tuned for updates, discussion, and big projects.... and for Summer Game players, there will surely be some Summer Game badges and challenges you can only complete inside MINECRAFT ANN ARBOR!

Also, we are working on installing Minecraft on computers at the library, so if you don't have Minecraft, you can come play it at AADL locations without a Minecraft login. So stay tuned for that too!

Thanks for your interest in a blockier side of town, and THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Sunday June 3 | 1:00-3:00 PM | Downtown 4th Floor Meeting Room

Chickengirl is back! Cartoonist and children's book illustrator Jannie Ho will offer a demonstration on the use of Adobe Illustrator for creating comics and discuss the pros and cons of creating and submitting work with Illustrator. Illustrator is a popular tool in the publishing world and one to become acquainted with if you have never used it.

Join the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing supplies will be provided, so drop in to draw, learn, and network with other cartoonists.

"I am Marzi, born in 1979, ten years before the end of communism in Poland. My father works at a factory, my mother at a dairy. Social problems are at their height. Empty stores are our daily bread. I'm scared of spiders and the world of adults doesn't seem like a walk in the park."

Told from a young girl's perspective, Marzena Sowa's memoir of a childhood shaped by politics fits right in today’s world of political upheaval. The striking thing about her story is that in spite of the harsh realities of life behind the Iron Curtain, Marzi: A Memoir also portrays the simple normalcy of everyday life - going to school and to work, children playing in the courtyards, holidays.

Marzena’s stories are engaging while Sylvain Savoia’s art draws the reader in with many of the panels presented at a child’s level view. This is one story not to be missed.

53 Finalists were honored on Saturday, May 12, from a pool of 350 submissions for this year's 20th Annual Teen Short Story Writing Contest.
Caitlin Horrocks, author of an applauded debut collection of short stories, This is Not Your City and a previous winner of the AADL contest
in 1997 spoke to a packed house of teen writers, their families and friends. She was inspiring and witty in her remarks. Below are the top nine winners in each of three grade categories:

Middle School (Grades 6-7-8)
1st Place - Elise Blaauw - Story/Expressionless
2nd Place - Sarah Kopacz - Story/Like Summer Rain
3rd Place - Kristen Hayden - Story/Shades

High School (Grades 9-10)
1st Place - Hannah Blaauw - Story/Glass Cage
2nd Place - Leon Pescador - Story/When the Sky Falls
3rd Place - Madeline Woods - The Rapid Evolution from Dumpee to Dumper

High School (Grades 11-12)
1st Place - Madeline Bradford - Story/Everything But Wings
2nd Place - Josie Benson - Story/Black Walnut
3rd Place - Vanessa Decker - Story/Sadie's Eyes

Congratulations to all!

If you like assisting library staff with fun programs, OR if you like working behind the scenes packaging up Summer Game orders, then AADL has some work for you between June 20 and August 31.

What do you need to do? Stop by a branch, sign up, and take an application packet. NOTE: you MUST be age 14-18 AND be able to attend an orientation at the Downtown Library on 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 18.

Complete the application, information sheet, and permission slip. Return it to the branch no later than June 8. Library staff will contact the adult references you list and let you know if you are part of the summer AADL volunteer crew.

This summer’s game is for all ages but only you, our teens, will get to help on the inside. The numbers of volunteer slots are limited so stop by today and pick up an application!

Kelly Milner Halls has more than 25 books published, one of which is the amazing non-fiction title Operation Rescue: Saving the Baghdad Zoo, which tells the story of remarkable animals and the team that worked to save them. A recent release, Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story is a collection that she edited with a lineup of YA authors with a he said/she said telling of each story. Her shorter nonfiction has been published in numerous publications. She lives in Spokane, Washington.

She is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write Teen short story writing contest. The panel of 10 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who will be announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 12, 2012.

Bluefish is the fourth teen novel for Pat Schmatz. This latest book received a starred review from Horn Book Magazine, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and School Library Journal. In Bluefish, everything changes for thirteen-year-old Travis, a new student who is trying to hide his illiteracy, when he meets a sassy classmate with her own secrets and a remarkable teacher. Pat currently lives in rural Wisconsin.

She is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write Teen short story writing contest. The panel of 10 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who will be announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 12, 2012.

If you haven't made plans for Friday, May 11th, or even if you have, check out Breakin' Curfew a show produced by Neutral Zone teens. Talented teens from all over southeast Michigan will be taking the stage at the Power Center. Performances by singer songwriters, string musicians, poets, fiddlers, hip hop artists, and violinists are not to be missed. Put together by creative hard-working teens all year, who have said, 'the show this year will be, unpredictable, remarkable, and unforgettable.'
May 11, 8 pm, at the Power Center.