DonateThe library’s annual community read program, Arlington Reads Together (ART), returns in March 2026. This year’s selected title is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Nobel Laureate in Literature.
This 2021 literary science fiction novel is the story of Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend who observes human behavior and hopes to be chosen by a child. She is eventually purchased by a girl who is chronically ill after a genetic “lifting” procedure. Klara, who sees the sun as a source of life and power, becomes devoted to her and believes she can bargain with the sun to save her life. The book explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to be human? Klara and the Sun was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and selected for The Washington Post’s “10 Best Books of 2021” list, among many other accolades.
Library Director Anna Litten says, “With the rise of generative AI, the time is right for us to read a book that asks us to delve into questions of machines, humans, and where the boundaries lie. We hope that this book will be a great launchpad for important discussions in Arlington.”
Library visitors can pick up copies of Klara and the Sun at Robbins or Fox Branch libraries, or request a copy online via the MLN catalog. The title is also available as a digital download via Libby.
To explore the book further, please check out the Penguin Random House Reading Guide.
Since 2003 the ART program has been bringing Arlingtonians together around a book with discussions, presentations, and more. The program gives all in Town a chance to participate in a shared reading experience, to address issues facing our community, and to understand differences and create connections. For 2026, the ART Committee sought nominations for books that made people think, a title that readers would want to talk about with a friend. Our hope is that readers in Arlington will join us for conversations at the library, strike up a conversation on the bus or while dog walking, and find opportunities to use the ART program to engage with each other in new ways.
ART 2026 Events and Programs
AI or Not? Can You Tell If It’s
Real or Made by a Bot?
Sunday, March 1, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
Join us for a unique hands-on workshop exploring the impact and implications of AI in our daily lives. We will discuss beneficial, real-world applications and how to safeguard against risks posed by AI-enabled deep fakes, scams, and misinformation. If you would like to help us prepare the workshop, click here to share with us your familiarity with AI. Sponsored by Plug In, a Robbins Library series. Adults, Teens, and Children
Arlington Reads Together: Kids’ Storytime Ages 3-5
Wednesday, March 4, 10:00-10:45 a.m.
Robbins Library
Sit on a carpet square for books, songs, and silly rhymes! In honor of Arlington Reads Together, this storytime’s theme is robots! We will make a craft or play with a parachute. For ages 3-5. Pick up a free ticket 1/2 hour before the program. Children
Teen Tomfoolery Debate Club: ART Edition
Thursday, March 5, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
Come join a fast-paced, silly discussion of fantastical topics inspired by this year’s ART book! Teens
ART Storytime (for ages 1-5)
Saturday, March 7, 10:00 -11:00am
Fox Branch Library Community Room
Join us for stories, singing, and dancing with a robot theme. Pick up a free ticket ticket 1/2 hr before the start of the event. Children
Suncatchers Community Craft
Wednesday, March 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Arlington Center for the Arts
20 Academy St., Arlington, MA 02476
We invite you to join us to make suncatchers out of recycled and found materials, which will be displayed in the trees outside of Robbins Library!
Adults, Teens, and Children
Register for this free event here.
Buildwave for ages 5-11
Saturday, March 14, 11:00-12:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
In this program, you’ll receive wave after wave of materials like blocks, bricks, and other hands-on pieces. The waves of building are structured like a game! With each wave, you’ll build, then disassemble. Build, disassemble and repeat. It’s a creative challenge! Pick up a free ticket 1/2 hour before the event. Children
Let’s Talk: AI Agents, Companions, and
Social Connection
Saturday, March 14, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
Come have an interactive and multigenerational discussion on the barriers and pathways to human connection in an age of AI. This hands-on and interactive workshop will encourage collaborative conversation about human-like AI agents and the ways we encounter them today, and explore building connections with each other. If you would like to help us prepare the workshop, click here to share with us your familiarity with AI. Sponsored by the Friends of the Robbins Library. Adults, Teens, and Children
Literature, Artificial Intelligence, and the Uncanny
Thursday, March 19, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
What can literature tell us about AI? Join Dr. Jess Keiser from Tufts University and consider how Klara taps into a deep vein of literature about all manner of lively automata and thinking machines. “Uncanny” is what we call things that are both familiar and strange – like artificial beings who are just like us but also utterly alien. Adults
Electronics Building (for ages 6-10)
Friday, March 20, 3:30 -4:30pm
Robbins Library Children’s Room
Drop in to build and create with some of our electronics kits. Children
Family Movie: The Wild Robot
Saturday, March 21, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
Stop by for a movie day at the library. We’ll be showing The Wild Robot.
Children and Teens
Film Screening and Discussion: M3GAN
Tuesday, March 24
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
We will watch M3GAN (rated PG-13, 2022) and then discuss the themes of Artificial Friends in Klara and the Sun and the film. Adults and Teens
Teen ART Craft Day
Wednesday, March 25, 1:30-5:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Teen Space
Drop in and make crafts inspired by the 2026 ART book selection! Teens
The Future of Being Human: Technology, Ethics, Choice, and Everyday Life
Monday, March 30, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Community Room
From AI companions to gene editing, new technologies are becoming part of everyday life. This panel, featuring Dr. Anna Lewis and Dr. Shoumita Dasgupta and moderated by Alham Saadat, invites the public into a thoughtful conversation about how these advances are changing the way we think about identity, relationships, and what it truly means to be human. Adults
Book Discussions
Thursday, March 5
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Conference Room
Wednesday, March 18
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Conference Room
Intergenerational Book Club
Thursday, March 19
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Arlington High School
For more information about this book group, please contact the Arlington Council on Aging.
Tuesday, March 24
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Robbins Library Conference Room
The program is made possible by the generous support of the Arlington Libraries Foundation and The Friends of the Robbins Library. Questions can be directed to Lara Vilahomat at [email protected] or 781-316-3202.
