An Unexpected Path to Redemption

Sat, 07/02/2016 - 5:50pm by mansii

Ramona Ausubel's newest expertly crafted novel, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, explodes with searing heartache and shocking joy. Through failure, she reveals the mysterious grace that sometimes a person’s most devastating choices are also their means to redemption.

Beginning with all the glitz of Gatsby, we are introduced to a young couple in their 20s, Fern and Edgar, who enjoy the life of the rich while romanticizing visions of laboring for every penny. But when their wealth completely and suddenly disappears, Edgar and Fern catapult away from each other. Fern wants Edgar to take over his father’s business, be a man, and make them an income. Edgar revolts against Fern pushing him into the shackles of a life he does not want and runs head-long into his first affair.

In rage, and gasping for escape, both husband and wife set out on their own trips, paired with the temporary salves of other lovers, willing to risk their marriage to force their idea of happy. As wrongly motivated as their respective journeys are, these turn out to be pathways to redemption. Edgar becomes aware of his weakness as he incurs temporary blindness, causing him to long for the comfort of the wife who knows him in all his forms. Fern's journey confronts her with past regrets and destructive inherited values, a catharsis that reminds her that she is more whole not in isolation, but in the history and struggle of family.

Edgar and Fern return, softened, back into each other’s lives. Though their choices will undoubtedly scar, they have been rescued to a healing they had yet to know. Before the road they imagined existence and meaning might be found in a way of life they had not attained, with a different heritage and fulfilled dreams. Now, Fern and Edgar understand that completeness is found through giving of oneself, through allowing oneself to be defined in terms of another: a wife, a husband, a mother, a son, a neighbor, a friend.

In language emotional and gripping, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty affirms the worth and beauty of that sacred word: family.

New Kids Non-Fiction!

Mon, 06/27/2016 - 12:16pm by manz

When visiting the library the NEW book shelf is a great spot to find things that have just come out. You’re sure to find winners whenever glancing at it. Here are a few new gems for kids who are into non-fiction topics such slimy animals, upside down gardening, and the world’s largest cannoli!

Creative Gardening: Growing Plants Upside Down, In Water, and More! is a sweet book for all ages looking for simple and creative gardening craft projects to work on.

Pink is For Blobfish: Discovering the World’s Perfectly Pink Animals is a book asks the question “Think you know pink? Think again…” and features pink animals of all sorts including a tarantula, a mantis, a dolphin, and more! Think this sounds crazy? Read to find out the truth!

Awesome 8: Fifty Picture-Packed Top 8 Lists! is a great choice if you’re into the Guinness Book of World Records or just amazing and wacky facts. Read about the craziest water slides, the most expensive feather ever sold, a car with wings, a fish tank toilet, and the tallest roller coaster.

More Shakespeare Re-Imagined

Thu, 06/16/2016 - 7:09pm by Lucy S

"A riff on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, reimagining the character of the queen who becomes a statue as a devastatingly popular cheerleader who refuses to become a cautionary tale after she's sexually assaulted.” E.K. Johnston's web site

In Exit, Pursued By a Bear, a brilliant update of , E.K. Johnston takes one of Shakespeare’s most unconventional plays and turns it on its head. With character names and some plot points heavily inspired by the play, E.K. Johnston uses A Winter’s Tale as a platform from which to launch her well constructed and extremely relevant YA novel. Hermione Winters, the story’s main character, is the captain of a cheerleading team in a small town in Ontario, at a school for which cheerleading is a very big deal. At the beginning of the book, Hermione is heading off to her last summer of cheerleading camp with her best friend Polly and her boyfriend Leo. While at camp, Hermione is drugged and raped, and her life as she knows it changes. No longer the confident leader of the squad, Hermione struggles to come to terms with what happened to her and the way in which it alters her forever.

Shakespearean influences aside, E.K. Johnston’s book is an important contribution to young adult literature for a number of reasons. This book takes on the ugly but germane topic of rape in a brave and forthright manner. E.K. Johnston does not shy away from what happens to Hermione nor does she spend time focusing on the graphic details of it. What is central to the novel is the support that Hermione receives from many, sometimes unexpected people and the constant reminders to Hermione from these characters that she is not at fault. These messages are ones that cannot be reiterated enough for young adult readers, both male and female, today.

The strongest relationship in this book is the friendship between Hermione and Polly, and for E.K. Johnston to put this first speaks to the complexity teens face in balancing friends and romance and also to the idea that teens can feel many kinds of love. Acceptance is a theme that runs through , religious acceptance, acceptance of sexual orientation, acceptance of choices made, no matter how difficult. The strength in E.K. Johnston’s female characters comes through both physically and in spirit. Polly is a stellar example of this fortitude. There are many character throughout Exit, Pursued By a Bear that will stay with me for while.

In her note at the end of the book, E.K. Johnston recognizes that many sexual assault and rape victims might not have the support network that Hermione finds, and provides readers with resources for support in both the US and Canada. E.K. Johnston is giving us Hermione’s story as a possible outcome and in this, it is an exceptionally worthy pursuit.

A Summer Start to Forever Friends

Sat, 06/11/2016 - 4:18pm by mansii

If you haven't gotten on the list for Newberry award winning author Kate DiCamillo's delightful new book, you are seriously missing out. Raymie Nightingale will make you grin ear-to-ear, sob a little, and say, “I know exactly what she means!”—whether you are ten like Raymie, or all grown up.

In the wake of her parent's divorce and father's abandonment, Raymie enrolls in a Florida Little Miss contest, hoping to regain her father's affection with her baton-twirling expertise. What she doesn't expect is a blossoming group of unlikely friends: The Three Rancheros. Each privately possess a heart of small wounds they would rather not mention. In response, while one pretends to be as tough as nettles, the other invents grandiose stories to feel better. Still, little by little, they let each other in on their secrets and pool their unique strengths, rescuing a library book, an unexpected mutt, and a soaked person. Their real discovery is the kind of friendship that brings new purpose and hope. A friendship that makes life okay, even with the occasional mud-slide.

Despite themes as sensitive as divorce and poverty, Raymie bubbles with tenderness and humor. DiCamillo has a talent for helping us see the gifts placed before us even in difficult situations, one of the greatest of which is the belonging of friendship.

Each Kate DiCamillo book is more delightful than the last: read them all here. And once you've read them (or even if you haven't) look for AADL's upcoming Raymie Nightingale craft, and, soon after, author event. Yes, you heard correctly: Kate Dicamillo will be at AADL IN PERSON. NEXT MONTH. Click here for more info.

Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Guest Speaker: Patrick Flores-Scott!

Mon, 06/06/2016 - 10:32am by BugsAndSlugs

Patrick Flores-Scott is the guest speaker at this year's "It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Final Celebration and the author of the award winning novel, Jumped In. In Mr Flores-Scott's debut novel, the protagonist, Sam, is intent on slacking his way through high school until a love of music and poetry spark an unlikely friendship with Luis - the undisputed scariest kid in school. Jumped In was named to the 2014 YALSA best fiction for young adults list and was a finalist in the Michigan Great Lakes - Great Books competition for 2016.

For more about Patrick Flores-Scott, check out his blog, watch for his new novel American Road Trip coming in January, 2017, and celebrate all the “It’s All Write!” contestants while the top nine finalists are announced on Sunday June 12, 2016 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room!

Stay tuned to find out the winners of the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest!

Shakespeare Re-imagined

Fri, 06/03/2016 - 10:36am by Lucy S

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

"The Hogarth Shakespeare project sees Shakespeare’s works retold by acclaimed and bestselling novelists of today. The series launched in October 2015 and to date will be published in twenty countries."

Crown Publishing

As the third installment of the The Hogarth Shakespeare Project, Anne Tyler re-imagines The Taming of the Shrew in her newest book, Vinegar Girl. This version of the story is set in Tyler’s familiar territory of Baltimore. And as in many of her previous novels, Tyler deftly addresses relationships in the family and between the sexes. For long time Tyler readers, Vinegar Girl will provide a comfortable tone and setting. Her effortless writing is wholly absorbing. Tyler's Kate Battista is the daughter of an absented-minded research scientist, Louis. Kate is 29, single and a preschool teacher, though she doesn't really like children. She is stuck in a life taking care of her preoccupied father, whose prize research assistant, Pyotr, is visiting from Russia on a 3 year visa that is about to expire. In order to keep Pyotr in the country, Dr. Battista tries, through comical twists, to persuade Kate to marry Pyotr.
In keeping with Shakespearean comedy, Tyler's romp is predictable, playful, and delightfully entertaining. Her characters, the matronly pre-school teachers, the blond, ditzy sister, seem slightly overdone, but this gives Vinegar Girl an edge of bite. The one exception to this characterization is Kate herself, who is forthright, intelligent and endearing. In an interview in The Guardian, Tyler said of The Taming of the Shrew, “I hate it. It’s totally misogynistic. I know it thinks it’s funny, but it’s not. People behave meanly to each other, every single person.” Tyler steers clear of this trap through her portrayal of Kate as a singular woman and through the way in which Kate and Pyotr come together. "I loved Kate and Pyotr and the way they discover the oversized, tender, irreverent relationship that fits them...It is joyful," says author Rachel Joyce. Tyler’s firm grasp of family dynamics shines in her lovely interpretation of this Shakespeare classic.

Prior knowledge of The Taming of the Shrew is not necessary to enjoy Tyler’s giddy tale. She provides an enjoyable read for both her avid readers and Shakespeare fans.

Tyler’s work follows Jeanette Winterson’s The Gap of Time (A Winter’s Tale) and Howard Jacobson’s Shylock is my Name (The Merchant of Venice).

Next up, Margaret Atwood takes on The Tempest in Hag-Seed, and then we can look forward to contributions from Jo Nesbo, Tracy Chevalier, Gillian Flynn and, Edward St. Aubyn.

Teens! Volunteer at the AADL this summer!

Wed, 06/01/2016 - 4:07pm by eapearce

Hey, teens! Are you interested in volunteering at the library this summer? If you’re between the ages of 14 and 18, you can! We need your help with program prep, filling summer game prize shop orders, and with hosting the tons of great programs that take place over the summer including the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival and the Detroit Circus’ performance at the AADL!

Visit www.aadl.org/teenvolunteer to fill out the application form and find out information about orientation dates and times. You’ll also find a link there to the permission slip, which needs to be printed out and signed by a parent or guardian and brought to one of 6 orientations taking place over the course of the summer. At these orientations, you’ll learn about volunteering at the library and have the chance to sign up for the volunteer shifts you’re interested in, so bring your calendar!

At the end of the summer, you’ll get a letter from the AADL emailed to you that states the number of hours you volunteered helping us out.

Questions? Email teenvolunteer@aadl.org or call (734) 327-8326. See you this summer!

Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Judge #8 - Adi Alsaid!

Thu, 05/26/2016 - 11:49am by BugsAndSlugs

The final judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest is Adi Alsaid! Adi was born and raised in Mexico. He currently lives in Mexico City, where he writes and coaches basketball.

Adi Alsaid is the author of two YA novels Let's Get Lost, the story of a 17 yr old girl who travels cross-country and touches the lives of four strangers, and Never Always Sometimes, about teenage friends Dave and Julia, and their discovery that avoiding all the clichés can mean missing out on some of the best parts of high school.

Adi Alsaid is also working on a third and still untitled YA novel, due to be released in 2017!

Up Next: Patrick Flores-Scott, this year’s guest speaker for the “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest final celebration on June 12th!

Meet Miss Moon, Dog Governess

Tue, 05/24/2016 - 9:00am by manz

You know that moment when you walk by a book shelf and a face-out book catches your eye, so you pick it up and open it, and you instantly feel the warm and fuzzies? This is one of those books for me. With beautiful oil paintings of so many dogs paired with such kind words of wisdom my heart just melted.

Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess is a picture book, but isn’t quite a story, and is absolutely not just for kids. Miss Wilhelmina Moon sets off to a small island off the coast of France to be a governess to sixty-seven dogs. (DOGS!) Each page is consumed with gorgeous full-color oil paintings of Miss Moon and her companions biking, bathing, reading, celebrating, and more. With each page the only text is a life lesson. Lesson One: Friends can come in many shapes and sizes. Lesson Two: Be true to your adventurous spirit. It’s really quite sweet, and the whimsical nostalgia-inspired images illustrate such wisdom perfectly. Don’t miss the “class photo” at the end.

This book is great if you like works by Maira Kalman, or are a fan of dogs or of wisdom for the soul kinds of books.

Since finding the book I have discovered that the Canadian author/illustrator Janet Hill has had her work featured all over, and she has an Etsy shop where her work is available for purchase – including art from Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess! So if you’re into dogs doing amazing things, take a peek.

Spot, the Cat

Mon, 05/23/2016 - 10:33am by manz

Can you spot the cat in Spot, the Cat? In this charming and wordless new picture book by Henry Cole Spot the cat weaves his way through busy cityscapes. When Spot is off exploring his young owner is busy looking for him. While Spot is exploring the city the reader gets an inside look at what’s going on around town, and we are invited to search the detailed black and white pen and ink illustrations for the cat named Spot, the white cat with a big black spot on his back. We venture to the farmer’s market, the museum, the park, and busy streets, stretching our eyes and minds to spot Spot. The tender book helps demonstrates the bond that exists between a cat, his home and his young boy caregiver. There's so much to say without words and this book does it well.