Summer Reading

The 2026 Off the Wall rooftop film series, Summer on the Sidelines, wraps up with pop culture’s favorite eternal teenagers in the vampire romance, Twilight (2008, PG-13, 122 min.).

The 2026 Off the Wall rooftop film series, Summer on the Sidelines, continues with the coming-of-age teen comedy, Napoleon Dynamite (2004, PG, 82 min.).

Shelf Life, the popular show-and-tell storytelling event hosted by writer and director David Wayne Reed, returns to the Library for the Summer Reading Program on the theme of “team.”

The 2026 Off the Wall rooftop film series, Summer on the Sidelines, continues with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010, PG, 90 min.), exploring the awkwardness of adolescence.

Meet other book lovers and grab a free book at this adult Summer Reading Program kickoff with live music from saxophonist Adam Larson.

Fried Green Tomatoes (PG-13, 130 min.) is the second film in this year’s Off the Wall rooftop film series following the theme Color Our World. A middle-aged Alabama housewife unhappy with her life finds inspiration in her town’s history. Free popcorn and beer for the series provided by Young Friends of the Library.

The 2025 Off the Wall rooftop film series, Color Our World, celebrates the power of joy and creativity in different hues. The classic 1980s film Pretty in Pink (PG-13, 96 min.), about a teen from a working-class family (Molly Ringwald) who falls for a wealthy (and popular) classmate (Andrew McCarthy), kicks off the ser...

This road-tripping, hilarious, heart-wrenching, family-style adventure story is almost completely true, says author Pedro Martín. The Mexikid author, recipient of a 2024 Newbery Honor and the Pura Belpré Award, discusses the process of creating a graphic memoir and encourages students to author their own stories.

The West Coast celebrates Bigfoot and the East Coast has Champy, the purported lake monster claimed by both New York and Vermont. But Wisconsin English professor and author B.J. Hollars is here to tell you: The oft-overlooked Midwest is just as murky and mysterious as the next place. He joi...

What does film tell us about our fascination with and perception of the moon? University of Missouri-Kansas City film studies professor Mitch Brian explores the question, walking through Hollywood’s depiction of space flight and lunar landings using clips from silent movies, blockbuster classics, and d...