The 2012 winner for the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during the November 1 2010 – October 31 2011 publishing year is Notorious Benedict Arnold. Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. Please meet the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale.

The four 2012 Excellence in Nonfiction finalists are:Sugar Changed the World : a Story of Spice, Magic, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, Wheels of Change : How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom, and Music was It : Young Leonard Bernstein.

This year’s winner of the Printz Award is Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. Seventeen-year-old Cullen's summer in Lily, Arkansas, is marked by his cousin's death by overdose, an alleged spotting of a woodpecker thought to be extinct, failed romances, and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

The 2012 Printz Honor Books are Why We Broke Up, The Returning, Jasper Jones, and Scorpio Races.

Saturday, January 21 | 10:00-11:00 AM | Downtown Multipurpose Room | Gr. 6-Adult

Learn mental and physical training for realistic self-defense situations in this hands-on workshop. Gain a greater awareness of how to avoid threatening situations, how adrenaline affects them both physically and mentally, and which self-defense techniques will be most effective in both standing and ground situations. Master Lockman says, "by utilizing role-playing, participants get the most out of our self-defense workshops."

Don’t miss this chance for a great Saturday morning workout and to learn from the staff of Master Lockman’s Black Belt Academy.

Kaplan logo

Thursday, January 19 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Traverwood Branch | Grades 9-12

In March, 2012 you get just one shot at the Michigan Merit Exam (MME). One of the MME components is the ACT Plus Writing Test. During the test you have 30 minutes to read a question, think, and then organize and write a short essay. Intimidating? Yes, but Kaplan instructors will provide you a road map for getting ready to write a dynamic response.

Sunday, January 15 | 1:00-4:00 PM | Downtown 3rd Floor Computer Training Center | Gr. 6-Adult

Bring in your comics art and use Photoshop Elements to clean it up and to apply color and shading. Cartoonist and Photoshop expert Jerzy Drozd will be on hand to provide instruction and answer questions for those who need it.

You can bring your comics art scanned and saved on a USB drive or we can scan it here at the Library. Don’t miss this chance to use PhotoShop to make your finishing work a snap!

Thursday, January 12 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Traverwood Branch | Grades 9-12

Approach ACT or SAT test day with confidence! Kaplan instructors will present strategies for preparing for the tests and guide you through some questions, demonstrating how to arrive at the correct answer.

Wednesday, January 11 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Multipurpose Room-Downtown Library

It's that time in the school year - some students may need to hone their learning strategies to succeed. Tips will be discussed to help middle and high school students with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia.

Learn how students can improve the way they tackle reading and writing assignments, as well as organize themselves and prepare for tests. Presented by Karen Wasco, M.S., CCC-SLP. Cosponsored by the UM Institute for Human Adjustment.

If you've been Downtown this season for any of AADL-GT Gaming Events then you probably already know about the Arcade Master Series . But if you haven't, don't worry, there is still a chance to participate! The Arcade Master Series is an Old-school Hi-Score Contest (think "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters") and each month we have had a different game. In August we took Ms. Pac-man out for a run. September had us battling space sprites in Galaga. Tapper in October taught us an important lesson about spending too much time at the bar. November was Frogger's 30th Anniversary, and with it came our first use of MAME in tournament play. This month is super special with Robotron.

To commemorate the big finish for this first-ever series, AADL and the UM Computer & Video Game Archive present the ARCADE MASTER CHAMPIONSHIPS, featuring LIVE MUSIC, OLD GAMES, and BIG PRIZES!

So how can you take part and fight for your chance to be crowned Arcade Master? not to mention win the grand prize: win an iPad2 with iCade mini arcade cabinet! Read on.

Sunday, January 8 | 1:00-3:00 PM | 4th Floor Meeting Room – Downtown Library

Guest artist Rob Stenzinger will show you how to publish your serial comic one page at a time, keep your readers interested, and have it all link together as one big story. In this interactive workshop via Skype, Rob will share comic storytelling techniques, the importance of the dramatic reveal, and why comics are the perfect home for your serial story. We'll even work as a group to chain together a few short comic strips into a serialized comic! Rob is the creator of Art Geek Zoo: The Way of Sound, a music fantasy adventure online, collected in print, and available as an eBook.

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, share, and network with other cartoonists.

It’s that time of year when the “best of 2011” lists start popping up all over the place. It's a great way to capture some of the stand-outs from a year's worth of books. For you readers of teen and young adult fiction, here are some of YALSA’s top picks this year that are in AADL’s catalog and are included on public lists:

Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks
Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults
Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Top Ten Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Don't forget to check out the 2011 Award Winners list as well!