If you like...Read Alikes Booklist

Your kids have read all the Harry Potter books and just saw the last movie, now what? 

Or do you have a little Wimpy Kid or Junie B. in your life who's ready for something new? 

Then look no farther because the friendly neighborhood librarians at Burbank Library have a booklist for you!  You can find the suggested books at the Burbank Library (please call for availability).  If you would like more "read alike" suggestions then just ask!  We're always happy to help!

Staff Pick: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

For Your Reluctant Middle School Reader!

Now being released in paperback, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger has become a an underground favorite of middle school guys since its release last year.  It has just the right mix of middle school fear about asking girls to dance, fitting in, and leaving your childhood fantasy world behind.  Our hero Tom is trying to figure out if the seemingly wise prognostications of the dweeb Dwight’s origami Yoda finger puppet are in fact coming from Dwight or are emanating from some magical Force, one that is kindly trying to help Tom navigate successfully the dangers and pitfalls of his middle school life.  We hear the various testimonies he has collected about Origami Yoda from his friends, told in their own spot-on voices.  The text is accompanied by cartoons drawn by another friend, Kellen, that illustrate and make sly comment on each of the stories. What Tom discovers in the end is that that there may be more to the weird loser Dwight than anyone thought, that as so often seems to happen in this time of rapid changes and sudden reversals in the life of kids, the dipwad turns out to have been more mature and wise than anyone thought, and a better friend too than any Force beyond the stars. 

The book even contains instructions for folding your own Origami Yoda!  Plus, the sequel, Darth Paper Strikes Back is coming August 23rd!

It's the Party of the Century!! Downtown Burbank this Friday, 5-10pm

Burbank may be 100 years old but she still knows how to party! 

On the anniversary of its incorporation in 1911, the City of Burbank will celebrate its 100th year with the Party of the Century in Downtown Burbank, Friday, July 8 from 5:00 to 10:00 P.M.  A supersized festivity with flybys, parades, multiple stages, memorabilia, mascots, children's entertainers, stilt walkers, awesome food from Downtown Burbank restaurants, community booths and more, the Party of the Century will be the ultimate night on the town for kids and families alike.

Encompassing six city blocks including San Fernando Boulevard, Palm Avenue, AMC Walkway, Orange Grove and Olive Avenue, it will express the civic pride and community spirit that have defined Burbank’s first 100 years. Things will really heat up when the sun goes down. That's when the grand finale with a stunningly choreographed firework show will cap festivities in a profusion of light and sound.

** Free shuttles courtesy of SuperShuttle will be running continuously from 4:00 to 11:00 P.M. with stops at McCambridge Park Recreation Center (Glenoaks Boulevard and Amherst Drive) and the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station (201 N Front Street)**