When a book voted “best novel of the 20th century” by librarians across the country hits 50 years in print, it deserves a really big party. And “To Kill a Mockingbird” is getting one.

Its publisher, HarperCollins, contacted bookstores across the country earlier this year to alert them that the milestone was coming up (the publication date was July 11, 1960) and ask them to “dream up something that would be special and splendid,” reported Nicola’s Books owner Nicola Rooney.

According to the official anniversary celebration page, nearly 50 cities from Spokane to Boston have risen to the challenge, and that includes ours: Nicola’s is teaming up with the Michigan Theater at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 10 for an event featuring the book, the movie, local literary figures and a community discussion.

“We decided that it would be good to get the movie — which is good, and which (author) Harper Lee really liked — and to compare and contrast them,” explained Rooney. To do that, they’ve invited Michigan author Thomas Lynch (“The Undertaking,” “Apparition and Late Fictions”), Ann Arbor poet Keith Taylor (“Guilty at the Rapture,” “If the World Becomes So Bright”) and Detroit filmmaker Sultan Sharrief (“Bilal’s Stand”) to reflect on the book and its legacy before screening the 1962 classic film starring Gregory Peck. AnnArbor.com entertainment journalist Jenn McKee will also participate.

“They pretty much seemed like naturals,” said Rooney of the panelists, “because what we wanted to get were people with serious academic and literary backgrounds and some people from the film world to help out. So what we’re going to get (after the screening) is a discussion led by panelists to compare literary qualities of the book and movie qualities of the film, and how they fight and complement each other.”

“It’s the combination of the written word plus the film experience,” agreed Michigan Theater sales director Drew Waller. “You can read it on your own, but here’s a way of interaction: you get to watch the film, you get to see it from the view of these noted figures and you can discuss it. It’s not just one vantage. And everyone gets involved, so we become not only a venue but a community center. I think that’s kind of what the Michigan Theater, in its 80 years, has tried to be — a place where people can meet up and do things so they feel like they’re a part of a thriving downtown.”

This isn’t the first collaboration between our nonprofit movie house and our independent bookseller (they presented the recent Ann Arbor Conversations series with Anthony Bourdain, Frank Warren and David Sedaris, and the last “Not Just for Kids” live theater series featured popular children’s stories), and it’s not going to be the last: excitement ran so high in planning this event that a quarterly book-and-film discussion series is in the works.

Said Waller, “In talking with Nicola, we have the same Idea of what you can do to give people a heightened experience of that love of books or love of entertainment. So we said, ‘Let’s build this and see what we can do.’ Book-to-film adaptations are something that I’m very passionate about, because there’s always something to discuss. They’re both great individual experiences, and when you combine them, there’s always a point of view and a good one. So why not have (that discussion) here?”

Which stories might we see in the future? If you attend this event, you may have a chance to help make that decision. “I’d like to get books where people are in general agreement that the movie was a good adaptation, or maybe it was a good movie that wasn’t like the book,” said Rooney. “And maybe somewhere, maybe (we could talk about) one that everyone agrees that the translation didn’t work, and find out why. How did that get messed up? Just because it’s a good book doesn’t mean it will be a good movie, because you do need different things. Sometimes you can get a good book and a good movie, but the two things are quite divergent. To my mind, the credits should sometimes say ‘inspired by’ rather than ‘based on’ because sometimes people take wonderful liberties with the story. And sometimes dreadful ones.”

Rooney would be interested in a community discussion of Chelsea writer Laura Kasischke’s 2002 book, "The Life Before Her Eyes," which was made into a 2008 feature film with Uma Thurman, saying it would be great to have an author’s commentary on the process. “Sometimes authors get involved, and sometimes they’re advised to take the money and run. Very occasionally, like in the movie ‘Holes,’ the author gets to write the screenplay.” She’d like to get author Louis Sachar back in from Texas to talk about that one, too.

As for the stories Waller would like to see? “The list is endless!” he boomed. “But I think that’s part of the joy of this — we want to get people out and get started on this. If we can get a good turnout, the sky’s the limit. Potentially, it’s such a great opportunity that we could make it a regional or even national destination. We could collaborate with noted literary figures, actors, entertainers. I would really like to see this grow and evolve. We have a very smart community here, and they deserve to be entertained in this way.”

Regular Michigan Theater movie prices apply for the screening of "To Kill a Mockingbird" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 10, but Waller greatly encourages anyone who wishes to support this endeavor to buy at $15 premium ticket through TicketWeb. It includes access to prime seating and a paperback copy of the 50th anniversary edition, and he points out that it's a way to support the theater, support the bookstore and have an entertaining evening — all for less than the retail cost of the book alone.

Leah DuMouchel is a free-lance writer who covers books for AnnArbor.com.