Mentor Library kicks off summer reading with super party

Colt and Rusty help kick off summer reading at Mentor Library. This year's theme is "Every Hero Has a Story."

Thanks to everybody who helped us kick off our Summer Reading program on Saturday! (And sorry about the rain. I blame Thor.)

The party may have ended, but the fun has just begun and there's still plenty of time to sign up for summer reading.

And just a glance at our calendar shows you all the fun events and programs we have coming up.

Grant and Linsey take aim at supervillains during our Summer Reading kickoff party.

On Marvelous Mondays, kids can have fun with superhero crafts, games and experiments on the Read House lawn. Our first is June 8. Kids can come dressed as their favorite superhero.

On Thursday evenings, community heroes like nurses, police officers and firemen will join the library for special story times. After all, not all heroes wear capes. On June 11, a nurse will lead a teddy bear clinic.

The library will also be celebrating literary heroes like Junie B. Jones, Wimpy Kid and Dr. Seuss this summer. For example, kids can learn the power of positive thinking with Pete the Cat at 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, at our Main Branch.

Tristan hulks up during our kickoff party.

We believe that reading is its own reward. However, kids can still receive prizes from us for reading or being read to. Every hour they read earns them a ticket in a raffle where they can win everything from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Princess Powerful Barbie. If they read 20 hours this summer, they also receive a golden ticket in a raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys 'R' Us.

Additionally, children who read or are read to up to 15 hours will receive a Library Champion lawn sign and window cling.

Matt tests his accuracy with a shield during our Captain America challenge.

We've talked a lot about kids here, but summer reading is for anyone who wants to stimulate their creativity and satisfy their curiosity.

Our summer reading program for teens is Unmask! and for adults is Escape the Ordinary. You can register for both the teen and adult programs online. (However, to apply for our children's program, you will have to come to one of our branches.)

Everyone who participates in the summer reading programs—either by reading books or attending library programs—has a chance to win prizes. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

For more information on Mentor Library’s summer reading program, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Natalie is really excited about the Hulk Smash.

For more photos from our Summer Reading kickoff, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Let your mind wander, even if you’re staying home

Going anywhere?

That’s the first question people ask when they’re talking about summer vacation. Are you going to the beach? Out west? Buenos Aires? How are you making the most out of these few, fleeting moments of freedom?

So what do you do if you don’t have the time or money to travel?

Well, even if you’re body’s stuck at home, you can still let your mind wander.

Mentor Public Library has a summer packed with events and programs that are designed to satisfy your curiosity and stimulate your creativity.

For example, if you want to learn more about the most influential director in the history of cinema, come to our One Night with Orson Welles program at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 4, at Great Lakes Mall Atlas Cinemas. Want to listen to some new music? We’re hosting a free concert by folk duo Simple Gifts on Wednesday, July 29, at MPL’s Read House. Want to expand your food palate? Come to our Tasty Tuesday program and sample different balsamic vinegars and olive oils with the experts from the Olive and the Grape on June 30 at our Main Branch.

Maybe you want to know more about those superheroes who are lighting up the multiplexes. Come listen to comics scholar Valentino Zullo talk about the history of the Avengers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, at the Main Branch.

Want to keep your kids’ minds’ active too? Two words: summer reading.

Everyone who participates in the summer reading programs—either by reading books or attending library programs—has a chance to win prizes. Those prizes include gift cards from Toys ‘R’ Us and Lake County Captains tickets, as well as gift cards from other local businesses. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

On Marvelous Mondays, kids can have fun with superhero crafts, games and experiments on the Read House lawn. On Thursday evenings, community heroes like nurses, police officers and firemen will join the library for special story times. The library will also be celebrating literary heroes like Junie B. Jones,Pete the Cat, Wimpy Kid and more.

Kids who read or are read to up to 15 hours will receive a Library Champion lawn sign and window cling.

Meanwhile, teens can compete in Clashing Controllers—the library’s video-game tournament for casual and hardcore gamers alike. It will be held on the third Wednesday of each month at the library’s Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch. Teens can also enjoy special programs like the Top Chef Challenge where they will team up to create new ice cream flavors at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, at the Main Branch. Then they can face off during the Hunger Games Water Wars at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, at the Read House. (Bring a towel.)

For more information on Mentor Library’s summer reading program, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

So don’t let a lack of vacations keep your mind from traveling. Because your imagination can go wherever you want it to this summer.

10 comics you can check out now on Hoopla

Remember Hoopla? That cool digital service we offer that lets you stream music, TV shows and movie anywhere and at any time for free?

It just got better.

You can now check out eBooks and comic books on your computers, phones and tablets too. (And, once again, it's all free with a Mentor Library card.)

Hoopla has hundreds of comic issues from dozens of titles in its collection. To help you get started, we're recommending 10 of our favorites.

1. Fraggle Rock: Journey to the Everspring

You remember Fraggle Rock, the glorious Jim Henson-created show with the Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs and all-knowing Trash Heap. It's back in the form of sequential art.

All your favorite characters—Gobo, Wembley, Red, Mokey and Boober—must work together to find the legendary Everspring when Fraggle Rock runs dry.

2. Lumberjanes

Set in Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, five of these hardcore lady types—Jo, April, Molly, Mal and Ripley—have to figure out the secret of their summer camp.

The story involves three-eyed foxes, holy kittens and mysterious bearwomen; but, if I had to sum it up in four words it would be FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

3. Adventure Time

The adventures of young hero Finn and his shapeshifting dog-brother Jake have transcended the television. You can now follow their travails in the magical, post-apocalyptic land of Ooo via comic book.

Give it a read. It's mathematical. (Personal favorite: Marceline Gone Adrift where our heroes must find a freshly intergalactic vampire queen.)

4. Garfield

If you can't get enough of the lasagna-loving, Monday-loathing, Odie-taunting, owner-tormenting fat cat from his multiple television shows and movies, then there's always the comics.

Fair warning: This cat has not softened toward either Mondays or Nermal since you last saw him.

5. Doctor Who

If you are a Dr. Who aficionado, then decades of BBC programming and a dozen doctors aren't enough. You want as many stories in as many formats as you can get.

With this comic, you can follow the tenth through 12th doctors through anywhere in time and space.

6. Angel

Joss Whedon's Angel ended the Buffy-verse on a frustrating cliffhanger; but, through the magic of sequential art, the story can continue. Most of the comics are written or co-written by Whedon himself.

7. Peanuts

Charles M. Schultz may no longer be with us, but his stories about Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally and, of course, Snoopy will be with us forever.

8. Rocketeer

The Rocketeer feels like a franchise that should have happened. There were so many stories to tell with that character in that universe.

Fortunately, we have comics to continue the tale that began in the cinema.

9. Ghostbusters

Speaking of which...

With all due respect to the upcoming Ghostbusters films, if you want more stories about Dr. Venkman, Stantz and Spengler, then your best bet is the Erik Burnham-penned comics.

10. Jim Henson's Storytellers

Let's conclude with another story that began in the imagination of Jim Henson, specifically his Storytellers anthology.

The television show turned to mythology for inspiration. However, the comic takes a different tactic by retelling famous tales of witches.

Give it a read. You'll be enthralled by the pretty art, masterful storytelling and unorthodox design.

Paws-ing to Read this Summer at Mentor Library

There are few audiences as supportive as a canine. Diva listens to Noni read during Paws to Read at Mentor Library.

So you want to get your children involved in summer reading, but they're reticent readers.

Perhaps, it's difficult to motivate them or they simply get nervous when they have to read in front of an audience.

Have you considered having them read with a therapy dog? It's a supportive audience that only listens and never criticizes.

A lot of children become more confident and enthusiastic readers by participating in Mentor Library's Paws to Read program.

Caesar relaxes while listening to Alyssa.

Paws to Read pairs young readers (between the ages of six and 12 years old) with therapy dogs, who listen to the children as they read.

Registration for the June sessions start June 3. There will be two 30-minute sessions on June 17 at our Headlands Branch; one beginning at 6:30 p.m., the next at 7 p.m. We only have so many therapy dogs; so, unfortunately, there’s a limit on how many kids can participate each month.

Furthermore, those spots tend to fill up quickly, so contact the children’s department at Mentor Public Library soon if you think you child could benefit from Paws to Read.

For more information on Paws to Read and other children’s programs at Mentor Public Library call (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

Justice scratches Ruckus's ears neck between pages.

For more photos from Paws to Read, visit Mentor Library’s Facebook page.

$5 Book Sale at the Read House this Weekend

Buy as many books as you can fit into a bag for $5 this weekend at MPL's Read House.

The Friends of Mentor Public Library will hold a $5 bag sale at Mentor Library's Read House from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, May 23, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday, May 24.

That means you can buy as many books—picture books, chapter books, fiction, nonfiction, whatever you want—for just five dollars.

Best of all, the money from these book sales go to support library programs and services, including:

• Summer reading programs
• Author visits
• Children’s story time and programs
• Teen programs

So visit the Read House, buy some cool books (for really cheap,) and help support the library.

And if you'd rather not spend money on books, that's fine. I know this cool place where you can borrow as many books as you want for free.

Young artists test their brains with Studio MPL

By turning common objects upside down, Leah transforms a familiar item into a series of unfamiliar shapes.

Studio MPL—Mentor Library’s art club for kids—tested the artistic and organizational parts of their brain on Monday, May 18.

They did this by drawing recognizable objects—hands, horses, even a Pablo Picasso painting—while the objects were flipped upside down.

“By turning them upside down, you transform a horse into a group of unfamiliar shapes instead of the familiar ‘horse,’” said Lisa Layton, the children’s associate from Mentor Public Library who oversees Studio MPL. “This forces you to use the organizational part of your brain when drawing it, instead of your artistic side.”

Mira recreates a Pablo Picasso painting with markers during Studio MPL, an art club for kids at Mentor Library.

Studio MPL meets on the third Monday of most months. Each month, students work on different art challenges, as well as their own projects. However, it will be on hiatus during the summer and shall return in September.

In the meantime, kids can participate in Mentor Library’s summer reading program. This year, the theme for children is “Every Hero Has a Story.” The kickoff party is May 30 at MPL’s Main Branch.

Kids can win fun prizes—up to the grand prize of a $50 gift certificate from Toys ‘R Us—just for reading (or being read to) and coming to fun programs at Mentor Public Library.

Colin starts sketching his superhero for MPL's "Every Hero has a Story" summer reading program.

To see more photos from Studio MPL, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

One Night with Orson Welles at Great Lakes Malls Atlas Cinemas

Local Orson Welles expert, Chris Lambert, will introduce a free screening of "Touch of Evil" as Welles himself.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Orson Welles’s birth with a special, free screening of his noir classic “Touch of Evil” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, at Great Lakes Mall Atlas Cinemas.

“Touch of Evil” tells the story of a Mexican Drug Enforcement Agent (played by Charlton Heston) and an American police captain (Welles) who investigate a car bomb. They must discover who committed the crime, as well as uncover who is planting the evidence that would frame an innocent man.

The screening will be hosted by Chris Lambert, a local Welles expert who will introduce the film while in character as the director.

Lambert has spent decades studying Welles and the last three years speaking as him. He has performed at places as diverse as bookstores, churches and even the Cleveland Museum of Art. He will talk about both Welles and the creation of “Touch of Evil” before the screening. His talk will begin at 6 p.m. with the film following at 7:30 p.m.

“‘Touch of Evil’ is special, I feel, because it is underrated,” Lambert said. “With repeated viewing, we see both how multilayered the film is how and how tortured Welles’s character, Captain Quinlain, is.”

The screening can serve both as a celebration and as an introduction to Welles, one of cinema’s most celebrated directors. Furthermore, one need not be an expert to appreciate Welles’s work, Lambert said.

“You do not need to be a cinephile to enjoy a Welles film,” he said, “but it helps to find all the interesting and minute details in his films, as he makes such complex films.”

This special screening is presented by Mentor Public Library and Atlas Cinemas and sponsored by the Mentor Community Arts Commission.

“Orson Welles was a pioneer in filmmaking whose approach to writing, acting and directing is studied and interpreted even today,” Atlas Cinemas Director of Operations Christopher Baxter said. “He was an artist. Making films wasn’t just a job. His passion came through as he was personally connected to the films that he made.”