Local library events
Storytimes and kids' library events near MAPLETON PUBLIC LIBRARY from the public library calendar.
104 1ST AVE, MAPLETON, MN 56065
Upcoming events
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
101 N Belmont Drive, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us on Thursday mornings at Erlandson Park, where we will build kid-size dinosaurs with foam bones. A variety of books will be available for check out, so don't forget your library card!
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
104 First Ave, P.O. Box 405, Mapleton, MN, 56065, US
Kim & Kari are leading a workshop on painting a watermelon on wood! Roll up your sleeves and prepare to get crafty!
5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
100 E Main St, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Myers Field House, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us at Maverick Adventures for a fun afternoon of rock climbing! Registration is required.
11:30 AM to 12:15 PM
15 Map Drive, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Sustainable Safari is stopping by to do a wildlife education presentation! We will be visited by five different animals and get to hear about their histories.
2:00 PM to 2:45 PM
100 Robinson Street, Lake Crystal, MN, 56055, US
Sustainable Safari is stopping by to do a wildlife education presentation! We will be visited by five different animals and get to hear about their histories.
4:30 PM to 5:15 PM
104 First Ave, P.O. Box 405, Mapleton, MN, 56065, US
Sustainable Safari is stopping by to do a wildlife education presentation! We will be visited by five different animals and get to hear about their histories.
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
US
Join us for a thrilling evening with acclaimed author Karin Slaughter as we chat about her North Falls series, consisting of We Are All Guilty Here, in which two teenage girls vanish in rural Georgia, and her upcoming sequel, The Secrets We Hide. In The Secrets We Hide, Slaughter welcomes readers back to North Falls. A small town with big secrets… 1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street. But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors. When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene. Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead. Everyone thinks they know what happened. But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town. And it’s up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth… Register now to take part in the discussion, and for an exclusive sneak peek of The Secrets We Hide, coming out August 11, 2026! About the Author: Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular storytellers. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels, including the Edgar nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls and False Witness. An international bestseller, Slaughter is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her, based on her novel, debuted at #1 worldwide on Netflix as an original series in 2022. Her bestselling thriller series, Will Trent, is now a television and streaming sensation in its 4th season. The Good Daughter has been adapted into a limited series starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy, and further projects are currently in development for film/TV. Karin Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
90 Power Dr, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Learn the basics of pickleball and play a game or two with us at the Picklebarn! We hope you are ready to have some fun! Registration is required.
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
101 N Belmont Drive, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us on Thursday mornings at Erlandson Park, where we will build kid-size dinosaurs with foam bones. A variety of books will be available for check out, so don't forget your library card!
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
US
In her ambitious new memoir, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, beloved bestselling author Reyna Grande illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival. What is the true power of stories? Can they heal the jagged edges of a traumatic childhood? Is the cost of telling the story worth the price of the cure? With her signature blend of sophistication and raw honesty, Grande interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the woman, mother, and writer she has become. Moving from the legacy of violence in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to a bittersweet family vacation in Europe spent reconciling her own impoverished past with her children’s world of abundance, she uncovers startling truths about the nature of survival. Whether being racially profiled in the Arizona borderlands or finding unexpected wisdom from the slugs in her garden, Grande unflinchingly asks: How do we bridge the gap between who we were and who we have become? How do we turn pain into power? When memory threatens to define us, how can we use story to heal while still honoring our boundaries? Register today for this virtual talk if you identify as a seeker, a dreamer, or “anyone who believes in the enduring, transformative power of finding one’s voice.” About the Author: Reyna Grande is an award-winning author, motivational speaker, and writing teacher. As a young girl, she crossed the US–Mexico border to join her family in Los Angeles, a harrowing journey chronicled in The Distance Between Us, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Her other books include the novels A Ballad of Love and Glory, Across a Hundred Mountains, and Dancing with Butterflies, the memoirs Migrant Heart, The Distance Between Us: Young Readers Edition, and A Dream Called Home, and the anthology Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings. She lives in Woodland, California, with her husband and two children. Visit ReynaGrande.com for more information.g. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
424 Warren Street, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join author Scott Dominic Carpenter as he reads from his Midwest bestsellers about Paris: French Like Moi (Next Generation Book Award) and Paris Lost & Found (Foreword Indies Book of the Year). Whether it’s cooking disasters, medical mishaps, unexpected encounters, or run-ins with la police, Carpenter captures the essence of the City of Light with hilarity — and from a distinctly Midwestern viewpoint. Reviewed as “the funniest book I’ve ever read that also made me cry,” Paris Lost & Found tells it all. Scott Dominic Carpenter is also the author of Theory of Remainders (a Kirkus Best Book of 2013), which is now in development to become a major motion picture. He is a professor emeritus from Carleton College.
11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
2030 Adams Street, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us for an up-close and personal look at different large vehicles! This hands-on experience will be fun for the whole family.
11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
224 State Hwy 30 , Amboy, MN, 56010, US
J.K. Pasture Farm is bringing books and bunnies for us to enjoy together; after all, what's better than cuddling a bunny after listening to a story?
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
100 E Main St, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Bring a friend and join us at the library to try your hand at Diamond Painting - a fun activity that's a blend of cross-stitch and painting by numbers! All supplies are included.
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
101 N Belmont Drive, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us on Thursday mornings at Erlandson Park, where we will build kid-size dinosaurs with foam bones. A variety of books will be available for check out, so don't forget your library card!
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
900 Mound Ave, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us at Sibley Park for a delightful morning of tea, conversation, and book exchange! Bring along a selection of books you’re ready to part with, as well as a treat to share, and settle in for a charming tea party surrounded by fellow book lovers. The Friends of the Deep Valley Libraries will also be in attendance with a curated collection of books available for purchase, ensuring there’s no shortage of wonderful reads to discover. Savor a cup of tea, engage in lively conversation, and connect with a community that shares your love of books. We'll be at Shelter #2.
11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
900 Mound Ave, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Celebrate the end of the Summer Learning Program with us at the Sibley Park Leas Schwickert Bandshell. There will be fun and games for everyone!
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
US
Join us in virtual conversation with bestselling author Dr. Marisa Franco, one of the world’s leading experts in human connection. Her book, Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make–And Keep–Friends, explores the science of different attachment styles and how they impact our relationships–often in ways we don’t realize! How do we make and keep friends in an era of distraction, burnout, and chaos, especially in a society that often prizes romantic love at the expense of other relationships? In Platonic, Dr. Marisa G. Franco unpacks the latest, often counterintuitive findings about the bonds between us—for example, why your friends aren’t texting you back (it’s not because they hate you!), and the myth of “friendships happening organically” (making friends, like cultivating any relationship, requires effort!). As Dr. Franco explains, to make and keep friends you must understand your attachment style—secure, anxious, or avoidant: it is the key to unlocking what’s working (and what’s failing) in your friendships. Making new friends, and deepening longstanding relationships, is possible at any age—in fact, it’s essential. The good news: there are specific, research-based ways to improve the number and quality of your connections using the insights of attachment theory and the latest scientific research on friendship. Platonic provides a clear and actionable blueprint for forging strong, lasting connections with others—and for becoming our happiest, most fulfilled selves in the process. Register today to learn more about how to harness the science of human connection to create cultures of belonging. About the Author: An enlightening psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and TED speaker, Dr. Marisa G. Franco is known for digesting and communicating science in ways that resonate deeply enough with people to change their lives. Dr. Franco works as a professor at The University of Maryland and authored Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends. She writes about friendship for Psychology Today and has been a featured connection expert for major publications like The New York Times, The Telegraph, and Vice. Dr. Franco speaks on belonging at corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and universities across the country, including Harper Collins Publishers, Cisco, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and The Department of State.
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
100 E Main St, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Break Out Box is back! Join us as we solve puzzles to unlock the box and win a small prize.
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
101 N Belmont Drive, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us on Thursday mornings at Erlandson Park, where we will build kid-size dinosaurs with foam bones. A variety of books will be available for check out, so don't forget your library card!
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
424 Warren Street, Mankato, MN, 56001, US
Join us for a special author talk with Bill Strusinski about his book and our Summer Community Read, Care Under Fire. In this powerful and deeply personal novel, Strusinski draws on his experiences as a Vietnam War combat medic to bring readers into the intensity of frontline care—where courage, loss, and lifelong bonds are forged under fire. In conversation, Strusinski will discuss his book, the realities faced by military medics, and how his service shaped both his life and his writing. With a long career in Minnesota state government and public policy, he also brings a unique perspective on leadership and service beyond the battlefield. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with the author and explore a moving story of resilience, duty, and transformation. Pick up a copy to read at the Blue Earth County Library or at the Blue Earth County Historical Society beginning on June 10!