Firefighters, authors, storytellers and artists, media celebrities, and an award-winning video game developer all join Toronto Public Library to bring to life the 8th annual Keep Toronto Reading Festival this April.

This year’s city-wide celebration of reading will spotlight the One Book Community read: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The themes of this timeless novel – media saturation, censorship, memory and storytelling — are explored at dozens of events in every neighbourhood. Highlights include:

• A Ray Bradbury legacy tribute, with writer Michael Rowe, filmmaker Bruce McDonald and others 
• Amusing Ourselves to Death: Are we dumbing down as a society, as Bradbury warned? With Mark Kingwell, Johanna Schneller, Sara Grimes and Nora Young 
• Book burning in the digital age, with John Ralston, Saul and Charles Foran 
• Dirty Comics: a look at censorship in comics

Plus screenings of the Francois Truffaut film, discussions at 43 book clubs across the city, and performances of passages from banned books.

There will also be some great activities for kids, including outreach events with officers from the Toronto Fire Department, where they’ll read their favourite stories at branches across the city. There will also be author readings, magic and crafts. Science fiction origami! Build your Own Firefighter Mascot!

Firefighters from Yorkville Fire Station 312 – Image by Toronto Public Library

And, in a continuing partnership with the Toronto District School Board, 1,000 students will be reading the book at 35 schools across the city.

In addition to events, Torontonians are invited to:

• Check out an exhibit of Ray Bradbury memorabilia, including first editions of Fahrenheit 451 and a rare edition of his poetry, at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy at Lillian H. Smith Branch from April to June.
• Play the library’s first alternate reality game: KTR 451. Participants are invited to join the “Literary Resistance” on April 2 to prevent the dystopian future that Bradbury prophesized in Fahrenheit 451. They can call 647-931-1585 to be assigned three weekly missions that culminate in a live event on April 22.
• Join the TTC One Book Club. From April 2 to 21, Twitter users can respond to daily questions posted from @TorontoLibrary using the hashtag #OneBookTTC. Responses will be posted on Pattison Onestop Media subway screens across the city.
• Participate via social media: post a YouTube video answering the question “If the library were burning, which book would you save?” and tag your video as Keep Toronto Reading. Follow library staff and guest bloggers at torontopubliclibrary.ca.  And join the Library’s #TellTPL Twitter chat on April 10 about sci-fi and fantasy books.

Bloor/Glastone Library Branch – Image by Toronto Public Library

For complete festival information and event listings, go to keeptorontoreading.ca. Throughout the month of April, I’ll also try to post some of my favourite books here, as well as, on my Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pages. Now, go on, pick a favourite book, and set on an adventure… oh, and don’t forget to share!