Madison County Reads: Ready Player One
Families are invited to be a part of a county-wide book club this March!
During the month of March, the Huntsville Madison County Public Library will be having its annual Madison County Reads event. This community reading program encourages the county to read a specific book or the works of a specific author and has a wide variety of events to correspond with it.
[sws_pullquote_right]This book brings a lot to the table, making it enjoyable for a wide range of audiences.
It was a dystopian book before it was cool to read about games of angsty running teens diverging through hungry mazes. [/sws_pullquote_right]
About Ready Player One
This year, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline has been chosen. The book takes place in a dystopian future where much of the world lives in trailer park skyscrapers and other slums from which the masses escape into a free virtual reality environment called Oasis. In Ready Player One, much of the world is comprised of massive corporations and trailer park slums. Set in the year 2044, most day to day activities are done in a virtual reality world dubbed Oasis, which people use for work and school as well as leisure. This world was mainly created by a brilliant and eccentric programmer named James Halliday who was obsessed with 1980’s video games and pop culture.
Options For Younger Readers
Ready Player One is a great book for teens and up, and the library also offers reading options for younger readers: Game Over, Pete Watson by Joe Schreiber and Andy Rash and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein.
Madison County Reads Programs & Prizes
Madison County Reads will also have a ton of rad 80’s inspired events for the whole family at all twelve of its branches – from a month long film festival, crafts inspired by classic video games, tabletop gaming and vintage video gaming, to our own special scavenger hunt! There is also an 80’s Family Bash at the Bailey Cove branch that will have music, games, crafts and a photographer on hand to take some cheesy prom pictures.
A calendar of events can be found on the Madison County Reads Guide along with tons of cool links, a book playlist, pictures of the crafts and much more! There is also a Facebook Page for the event to keep you up to date, and a great list of kid’s programs too.
I’m especially excited about the library’s scavenger hunt, which will challenge people to complete tasks or find specific items pertaining to things referenced in the book. There are three tiers of tasks that all get you the same amount of entries; you can complete tasks online, throughout the library branch system as a whole, or at specific locations to complete for totally tubular prizes! I promise, they’re not just the box of wishing trolls I had in my closet…
A Librarian’s Take on the Chosen Book Title
Or, Why You Should Read This Book With Your Kids
When Ready Player One was chosen as this year’s book, I hadn’t heard of it before and quickly checked out a copy from the library and dove right in. I was amazed that such a gem had escaped my radar when it came out a few years back; it was right up my alley… chock full of nerdy 1980’s references. It’s not just about the nostalgia factor either, this book brings a lot to the table, making it enjoyable for a wide range of audiences. It was a dystopian book before it was cool to read about games of angsty running teens diverging through hungry mazes. It has strong male and female characters that speak their minds, and it’s got a diverse cast of characters. Wade goes on a truly epic journey with his friends for the fate of not just Oasis but his very life and the lives of those around him… It’s a story full of twists and turns with ample amounts of action and adventure.
Needless to say, once I was done reading I went out and bought myself my own copy of the book. That’s the point of Madison County Reads, to find enjoyable engaging books to read together and have an entire month bursting with fun activities for the whole family. So whether you’re a wild boy, material girl, or just like to wear your sunglasses at night, go join in the fun for what will be a memorable March at the library!
Madison County Reads Details
Date: The whole month of March 2015
Location: All Branches of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (map)
Phone:
See Full Calendar of Events | Check Availability for Ready Payer One at a Library Near You
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Jon Schafle is from San Jose, California and works at the Huntsville Madison County Public Library where he co-chairs Madison County Reads, oversees the Adult Graphics and is a founding member of Rocket City NerdCon. He is obsessed with all things geeky and has a personal comic collection of over 17,000. He currently lives in Huntsville with his lovely wife Amanda, 8 year old son DeAngelo, and two Jack Russell terriers, Penelope and Leia. [/sws_blue_box]
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