Middle School News & Reviews
Crime Travelers by Paul Aertker
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
We have books 1 – 3! Book One: Brainwashed While sleeping on the roof of his father’s hotel, thirteen-year-old Lucas Benes finds a baby alone and learns that the Good Company has restarted its profitable kidnapping business. Book Two: Diamonds Are For Never After sabotaging a mass kidnapping in Paris, Lucas faces a new and
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Creepy Factor
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
Why do certain things creep us out? When fingernails scratch against a chalkboard, at times it makes a certain pitch that makes people cringe. Science has explained why this happens. A person screaming is usually an unpleasant sound. It resonates at a certain frequency much like the fingernails on chalkboard. Several studies have hypothesized that creepiness
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Longburrow Trilogy
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
When I discovered these books for The Middle fiction, I devoured all three in a few weeks. The series has been compared to a combination of Redwall and Lord of the Rings, and I couldn’t agree more. Larwood’s world building is quick, precise, and very enticing. In a classic fantasy world of anthropomorphic rabbits, three
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Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya
By: Goodreads.com
Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get
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Repeatedly
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
Why do we re-read books and re-watch movies? Familiarity is comforting. There are so many books, movies, and activities to do for the rest of our lives. It’s never a waste of time to find comfort in things you’re familiar with. Some benefits of re-reading: catch something new find comfort and stability re-live good memories
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Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
By: Goodreads.com
On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm gone wrong, and kids calling her “Yu-Meat” because she smells like her family’s Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she’s reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a
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What Drives Us
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
I went to the drive-in last night with some friends and saw Footloose, the original one with Kevin Bacon from 1984. It was being shown in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Huge shipping containers were stacked up (three of them) and a screen put on the side of them. The weather was perfect for it,
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Finally!
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
On Monday July 6, much to my delight and the delight of Glen Ellyn residents, the library reopened! For now, our Grab ‘n Go hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm. Why only four hours per day? We want to take all of the precautions necessary to ensure safe interactions as
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When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
By: Goodreads.com
Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never
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