Ages 11-18
Blog Post
This week: Pokémon, Super Smash, and Mario Kart Tournaments, plus DDR at the Art Fair!
by eli
It's late July in Ann Arbor, and that means (at least) two things; the Art Fair, and the return of the Super Smash Double Dash Championship Season! It will be a busy week at the library, and it all starts off with Pokémondays, this time at Malletts Creek Branch on Monday, 7/16, from 1-5 PM for players of all ages and Pokémon level 51 & up.
Then, come see us at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair main stage next to the Belltower for DDR on Wednesday 7/18 and Friday 7/20 from 1-4 PM. There will be some prizes for the very best players, but you can also just come to show off in front of the crowd. You know you want to.
Finally, it's the end of the arduous off-season, as the clans converge on the Downtown Library on Saturday, 7/21, from Noon - 5 PM for the long-awaited Super Smash Double Dash Preseason Event! We'll have single and team kart and smash, and an opportunity to try out some new methods, recruit members for your clan, and size up the competition, and eat pizza. Hope to see you all there!
Blog Post
Justice League: A New Beginning
by anned
Back in 1987, following the DC Comics LEGENDS crossover event, a new Justice League was born. Not only was it under the creative team of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (with new artist Kevin Maguire), but it featured a cast of "second stringer" heroes such as Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, and the macho-jerk Green Lantern known as Guy Gardner. What's more, this particular league's stories focused a lot on the humor found in the down-time between their inter-dimensional monster fighting adventures. Some have even compared the Giffen/DeMatteis run on Justice League to how a sit-com is structured. The biggest surprise of all was when it became the top-selling comic in the late '80s and early '90s. Issues 1-6 of Justice League and Justice League International 7 have been collected in A New Beginning,which is now available at aadl.
The humor and humanity of this title is further emphasized by the artwork of Kevin Maguire, master of the expressive face. Maguire's art takes comics character acting to new heights. Though they're wearing costumes and calling each other by code-names, the characters register as real people and the comedy speaks to all ages.
Blog Post
Get Automotive TIps on Tuesday, July 17
by K.C.
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Thinking of buying a car? Have one, but it’s a junker? Let auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup clue you in with tips on how to pick out a car, keep it running, and find reliable repair service.
Join us at Malletts Creek, Tuesday, July 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Blog Post
Calling all teen Harry Potter fans!
by joy k
What street do the Dursleys live on? What are Hufflepuff's house colors? Who owns the store where Harry Potter buys his wand? If you know the answer to all these Harry Potter trivia questions without looking them up in the books (or via Google!), be sure to come to our Harry Potter Trivia Night for Teens (grades 6-12) on Monday, July 16th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Pittsfield Branch. Work in teams of up to 5 players to compete for the grand prize: $15 giftcards to Borders Books & Music. You can come with your own team of friends, or we'll assign you to one. All teens who participate will also be entered into a drawing to win one of two cool tote bags with the cover art of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Blog Post
TweenScene-Cup Stack Attack
by lola
Looking to stay out of the heat today? Hang out in the air conditioning at Northeast Branch and show us your skills at cup stacking. Learn the different stacks or impress us all with your fancy maneuvers at the Cycle Stack. Get some practice time in or join our tournament. Prizes given for the three fastest times in the beginner and advanced brackets.
Northeast Branch, Wednesday, July 11 @2:00-3:00 PM
Blog Post
Pickles' Picks for 20-somethings
by muffy
If you are young, smart, brash, you wear flip-flops to the office or listen to iPods at your desk, you want to work but you don't want work to be your life, Joanna Spikol (aka Pickles), the resident 20something at HarperLibrary Marketing might just know what appeals to you, book-wise.
Check out the blog Pickle's Picks for 20-somethings on myspace.com.
Good reading.
Blog Post
Investment 101 on Tuesday, July 10
by K.C.
Have your allowances or job earnings been adding up lately? Great! Now learn how to make your money grow. Financial advisor Amy Doyle will take you through the nuts and bolts of investing.
Join us Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Malletts Creek meeting room.
Blog Post
No "Stranger in a Strange Land"
by Maxine
Today, July 7, is the 100th birthday of science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein. Considered by some to be the father of modern science fiction, Heinlein wrote over 50 novels and collections of short stories. He never considered becoming a writer. While serving in the Navy, Heinlein contracted tuberculosis and was at a loss on what direction his life would take. When he saw an ad in a pulp fiction magazine offering $50 for a story, he wrote one but decided it was too good and sent it to a science fiction magazine where it was accepted. And so began his new career. Unlike other science fiction stories at the time that were full of gadgets and imaginary machines, Heinlein's fiction dealt with the world as it was and how it could be imagined realistically in the future.
He was ahead of his time in discussing atom bombs, cloning and how space travel could actually happen.
His most famous book was Stranger in a Strange Land which was about a boy raised by Martians.
Blog Post
Trigun @ Animanga Club, Monday, July 9th
by joy k
Join us this Monday @ the Northeast Branch from 6:00 to 8:00 for the June meeting of the AADL’s Animanga club. We'll be watching episodes of the Trigun anime, which is based on Yasuhiro Nightow’s manga of the same name. Trigun is the story of Vash the Stampede, a notorious gunman who has a 60,000,000,000 double dollar bounty on his head due to his destruction of an entire city. But as Milly and Meryl, two investigators from the Bernadelli Insurance Company, soon find out, Vash isn’t exactly what you might expect in a hardened criminal. We’ll also have a cool craft to celebrate the Japanese festival of Tanabata.
Not familiar with the series? Come anyway! Tell us about your favorites, and hear about our fall events. Snacks and drinks will also be served.
Blog Post
A good sketch is better than a long speech
by N3RD
I've been in to picture books, comics, manga, graphic novels or what ever you prefer to call the medium of artistic story telling for a long time. I remember trying to explain my appreciation for graphic novels to my parents. They looked at me with slightly puzzled, slightly worried looks...
"...so are they called graphic novels because they are violent?"
"Some are some aren't, but thats not important"
"... so are they called graphic novels because they have naughty pictures?"
"Some do some don't, but that's not important"
".. so is it the foul language that makes them graphic?"
" NO!, they are called graphic because of the art work."
I grew up with weekly comic book anthologies where I got to follow many stories by different writers. These stories some times had dedicated artists some would change artists and styles from weeks to week. I'm sure just about everyone has heard the proverb about the textual value of a picture and with with artistic story telling a picture is worth even more. With so many changes I came to a realization that I can forgive a bad plot if the art is good but if the art is bad the plot better be 'super fantastic' to continue holding my attention.
I had my favorite writers like Pat Mills, John Wagner, Alan Grant, Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison and Alan Moore and when they worked with my favorite artists of the time like Carlos Ezquerra, Ian Gibson and Massimo Belardinelli then they could do no wrong in my book.
Over the years I've come to experience many differing forms of artistic story telling and my list of favorites is long and twisted. I remember the first time i read Arkham Asylum : a serious house on serious earth, such a dark story it left me a little disturbed. Whenever I return to it I'm amazed at the levels and detail in the work.
OK at the risk of totally undermining anything I've said above, I'll let you into a big secret. One of my other favorites even surprises me. Its not my usual fare but when I accidentally flicked through a copy of the book my eyes caught the mix of photographs and drawings and I actually stopped and took the time to read it.
Knuffle bunny, is a young children's picture book, very short and the art works so well to draw you into the story. Now having said that if you where to stop me on the street and ask me about it I'll deny everything... but really I did enjoy the book ;0)