Read Across Lawrence events scheduled

Get out your reading glasses.

RAL 12 featured events

• Kick-off book night: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at the Percolator, in the alley behind 913 R.I.; free copies of “Winter’s Bone” as well as musical performances including one by the Hairy Vetch String Band, which was featured in the 2010 movie adaptation soundtrack

• Nerd Nite: 8 p.m. Sept. 12 at Pachamama’s, 800 N.H.; presentation of topics relevant to the book

• “Methland” discussion: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Dole Institute of Politics on Kansas University’s West Campus; author Nick Reding will talk about his book on meth addiction in small-town America

• Smackdown Trivia: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Bottleneck, 737 N.H.; book-relevant quiz (18 and over and $6 per person)

• Daniel Woodrell talk: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Liberty Hall, 644 Mass.; the author will discuss his work with Lawrence Public Library director Brad Allen

• “Winter’s Bone” screening: 11 a.m. Sept. 30 at Liberty Hall; there will be a screening and discussion for $6 plus an optional brunch for $6 more

• Canned food drive: Sept. 1 through Sept. 29 at the public library and Sept. 9 through Sept. 23 at Anschutz and Watson libraries at KU; the first 200 patrons who donate an item to Just Food will get a free copy of the book

• Scavenger hunt: 2 p.m. Sept. 22; participants meet at the public library and search around Lawrence for clues relating to the book’s characters

This year’s Read Across Lawrence program — the 10th annual — kicks off on Friday. And this year, organizers and sponsors with the Lawrence Public Library and Kansas University libraries also have planned a separate reading event for children.

A small committee picked “Winter’s Bone” from a short list of 25 books because the libraries wanted to feature a living author and a novel that could inspire discussion of relevant social issues, said Rachel Smalter Hall, adult programs librarian at Lawrence Public Library. Author Daniel Woodrell is a KU graduate, and “Winter’s Bone” follows the hardships of 16-year-old protagonist Ree Dolly and her poverty-stricken, meth-addled Ozarks family.

Read Across Lawrence runs through the end of September, starting with an event Friday at the Percolator, in the alley behind 913 R.I., where librarians will give out free copies of the book. Participants are then encouraged to take part in public reading discussions, talks on meth culture and appearances by Woodrell.

Organizers wanted to reach a new, wider audience with this year’s programming, Smalter Hall said, so events also include a scavenger hunt on Sept. 22, a trivia night on Sept. 23 and a special screening of the film adaptation of “Winter’s Bone” at Liberty Hall on Sept. 30. About 2,000 people participated in last year’s programming on “To Kill A Mockingbird,” she said.

The book selection for the children’s version is “The Cabinet of Wonders” by Marie Rutoski. It also features a young, female protagonist on a quest relating to familial secrets. It’s aimed at readers between the ages of 8 and 14, but teens and tweens are welcome to join in reading and events, said Rebecca Dunn, youth services librarian at the public library. Those events start with a pizza party where youngsters can get introduced to the book — and get a free copy — at 5:30 p.m. today at the library, 707 Vt.

RAL Children’s events

• Cabinet of Wonders tour: 1 p.m. Sept. 15 and Sept. 22 at Watkins Community Museum, 1047 Mass.

• Geocaching scavenger hunt: Ongoing; youngsters can borrow a GPS device from the public library to find coordinates and hidden treasures around downtown

• Virtual visit from Marie Rutoski: 10:30 a.m. Sept. 29 at Lawrence Public Library; the author will give a talk via Skype and participating youngsters will present their very own book trailer

The libraries are also working with 20 teachers in the Lawrence public schools who are using Rutoski’s book in their classes.

The full list of events for both young people and adults can be found at the programs’ website.