May 2015
May is a very special month for us here at the Library. Yes, the days are getting longer and warmer, and the Sun hasn't already disappeared by the time we leave the library for the day. And sure the school year is about to end and the Summer Reading Program is right around the corner. That's all very nice and everything.

But before we switch gears into summer, we have one more important thing on the calendar and one more concern that's burning through our collective minds...

COMIC BOOKS!



Free Comic Book Day Activities
@Your Berkeley Public Library

This year, the Library  is celebrating Free Comic Book Day (our favorite holiday, which takes place the first Saturday of May every year) by hosting events at all of our locations AT THE SAME TIME!

Come on down May 2nd from 1:00pm-4:00pm to any Berkeley Public Library location and join us for these spectacular activities:


 @Central Library
3rd Floor Meeting Room  Avatar: the Last Airbender Marathon! Come watch the ENTIRE first season of the cult favorite Nickelodeon cartoon!







@Central Library
4th Floor Children's Room Jedi Knight Magic!
We'll be giving away free comics from 1:00-4:00pm like everyone else, but come at 3:00pm to see The Force in action at our Jedi Magic Show, and stick around for pictures after! A perfect event for all young Padawans.


@South Branch
Make buttons of your favorite comic book characters while enjoying BOTH of the live-action Garfield movies!




@Claremont Branch
Comic themed Pictionary, a chance to create your own comics, and an amazing anime marathon!

@West Branch
Another marvelous marathon featuring your favorite anime! Come make buttons, too!




@North Branch
Superhero duct tape couture! We will be serving up some super-powered duct tape realness as heroes of all ages are invited to fashion power rings, masks, and gauntlets out of the most powerful substance known to man... DUCT TAPE!

What Can I Get on Free Comic Book Day?
As befits the name, there will be dozens of free comic books to be had at Free Comic Book Day.


But what comics you ask? WELL, we'll have exciting stuff for children, teens, and adults, including the debut of a brand new AVENGERS team, a massive sampler from Kodansha comics which includes a sneak peak at the popular ATTACK ON TITAN manga, a history of HIP-HOP icons, the comics-only sequel to FIGHT CLUB, and hilarious hijinks with THE SIMPSONS and BOB'S BURGERS. Plus new titles from award-winning creators!




We'll have something for everyone, and we're giving it all away for freeeeee!
Book Review
The Martian
By Andy Weir

This book is the basis for the amazing movie starring Matt Damon with directing by Ridley Scott that you've seen twice-- oh, wait; the movie doesn't come out until November.

Well, you heard it here first: this film will be incredible. That's because the book is one of the best science fiction stories in a long time. It is a pure science fiction book: no aliens, telepathy, faster-than-light travel, etc. (the author is saving that for his next novel).

The Martian is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, who is accidentally left on Mars when his team believes he has died and they must leave immediately or die as well. He wakes up with a piece of metal sticking out of him and his space suit.

Fortunately he is able to patch himself up and take stock of the reality he faces, which is he is the only living being on the entire planet and no one on Earth even knows he's still alive. To survive he must use all of his engineering and botany skills to buy time until he can do the impossible and find a way back home to Earth.
--Will Marston
More Events



Central Teen Room Redesign

 

Did you know the Central Library's Teen Room is being relocated, remodeled and reinvented? A group of teenagers from Berkeley is advising the architectural firm Noll& Tam on the project. Officially, members of this group are known as Architectural Design Team Consultants. Want to find out more? Talk to a teen services librarian at any location.

 

Library Newsletters

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          • Teen
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          • Art & Culture
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In This Issue
Our 8 Favorite Teen Graphic Novels

Free Comic Book Day is just May 2nd, but you can check out comics for free at Berkeley Public Library all year round! Here are some of our favorites:


Anya's Ghost
 by Vera Brosgol
"Lonely Anya befriends an untrustworthy ghost in lieu of conquering her fears of fitting in with her peers."
 

IRL
by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
"The ethics of online gaming, gender and global community are explored in this fun, thought-provoking work from Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang."
 

Locke & Key
by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
"In this modern gothic series, the Locke children uncover their family's secret legacy of magical keys that grant them the power to change the world around them--if they can keep them out of the hands of a dark nemesis disguised as a friend, that is."
 
 

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
by Lucy Knisley
"Lucy Knisely's beautiful memoir invites readers to feast on her lifelong love of food, family and foie gras."
 

March
by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell
Compelling, emotional and beautifully drawn, this graphic novel details Senator John Lewis' historical civil rights work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
 
 
Sumo
by Thien Pham
A beautifully compact story of an injured football player--cum--sumo wrestler learning how to let go of the past to be truly in the present.
 
 

Lost Boy
by Greg Ruth
"Atmospheric, dark and magical, Greg Ruth's story of adolescent turmoil is captured beautifully in this story of a young boy coming to terms with the haunted mysteries of his new home."


This One Summer
by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
"In this charming, deeply satisfying coming of age story, Mariko and Jillian Tamaki pay homage to the delicate divide between the innocence of youth and the turmoil of teenage years."

Library Closures

All  Berkeley Public Libraries
are Closed

Monday, May 18
Malcolm X Day
and
Monday, May 25
Memorial Day

All Locations
open later at
11:00am
on Friday, May 29