Welcome to our second issue of What’s Up in the Loft, a newsletter for middle & high school students. Each month, we’ll highlight various library resources, new book recommendations, and upcoming events.
Book Buddies returns this spring – save the date to volunteer!
SPRING PROGRAM SNEAK PEEK! We are looking for middle and high school students to commit to signing up for this popular reading program. You’ll arrive at the library at 6:15 p.m., grab some of your childhood favorite books from the children’s area, get a super-brief overview of program expectations, and then for the next hour, you’ll be paired with a 1st or 2nd grader for 15-minute reading sessions. We encourage the kiddo to read to or with you rather than have you read to them – the idea behind the program is to help them practice and gain confidence in reading aloud.
We need to know how many T[w]een Buddies we will have before we open registration for the kiddos so that we can plan how many spaces to open up for 1st & 2nd-grade readers. If you are interested in participating (you can earn service hours if needed), please let us know via this form (dates & times listed). Please know that cancelations ahead of time are always OK; we understand things come up and that we’re asking you to sign up super early! Feel free to share the form & information about the program with any friends you think might be interested.
Recent T[w]een Advisory Board Recommendations
The T[w]een Advisory Board met this month and shared some recent book recommendations. You can find more book recommendations from the TAB on our booklists page.
- Pretty much the whole TAB recommends anything in the Percy Jackson or The Inheritance Games series
- Zainab recommends In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Story of Its Survivors (Young Readers Edition) by Doug Stanton and Michael J. Tougias
- Ayesha recommends A Tempest of Tea by Hafsa Faizal and Heir by Sabaa Tahir
- Kaelyn recommends The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson and the AP Human Geography textbook
New Books Sneak Preview
Here’s a special peek at some exciting titles we’re purchasing this week – keep an eye out on our new books page for when they arrive!
- The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting by Natalie C. Parker – an orphaned assassin in training joins BountyApp, where lethal hunters find work and babysitters for their kids, ending up on the run with a one-year-old strapped to her chest
- After Life by Gayle Forman – another tear-jerking life-and-death novel about the power of love and memory: Amber, who died seven years ago, inexplicably arrives home one day on the same bicycle she was riding when she died.
- You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker – a twisty thriller with a main character who has found her own corpse in the woods as a warning for her to stop using her exposé social media accounts to share the truth about her peers
- Kidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch – popular historical fiction author Skrypuch tackles the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, sharing the story of twins living in the city of Mariupol.
- The Misfits: A Copycat Conundrumby Lisa Yee – book two in the hit action series about a group of crime-fighting underdogs!
Upcoming Events
- The Loft will open at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 20.
- Wednesday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m. – T[w]een Movie Night – Big Hero 6 is in the lead! Sign up and vote for your Disney/Pixar favorite to watch.
- The Library will be closed all day on Friday, January 24, for staff training.
- Sunday, February 2 at 3 p.m. – T[w]een ASL Connections – no previous ASL experience required!
Winter Reading
Keep logging the days you read and participating in BINGO activities to earn virtual raffle tickets! You could win one of two cozy prize baskets (one reading-themed and one cocoa-themed). Find out more information here or click the image to go straight to Beanstack to get logging!
As always, you can share your feedback with us here – we’d love to hear from you!
We also invite you to recommend materials for us to include in next month’s newsletter!
Youth Voice Award
Sarah’s Inn, a domestic violence agency serving the City of Chicago and the Western Suburbs, invites all local high school students (ages 14-18) to write, sing, dance, compose music, or create a work of art to share their voice to end the cycle of relationship violence in their community. The purpose of the Youth Voice Award, now in its 5th year, is to provide a platform for high school students to express their ideas, experiences, and thoughts around ending relationship violence in their community. Two projects will be selected by a panel of judges to each be awarded a $2,000 prize. All submissions are due February 28, 2025. For more information or to view 2024 winners, visit the Sarah’s Inn website.
Prompts & Themes
Use your voice and join Sarah’s Inn to break the cycle of relationship violence. Select one of the questions listed below. Answer the question and finish the sentence “Together, We Can…”?
- How does the way that media supports/promotes the ideals of gender roles and toxic masculinity impact you?
- How does the way we address relationship violence need to change?
- How would you work to break the cycle of relationship violence in your community?
Projects must respond to one of the themes listed above. You are encouraged to use concrete examples, personal reflections, and specific proposals in your piece. Submissions will be accepted in any of the following forms: art, video, dance, writing, music, or spoken word.
All entries must include a 2-3 sentence statement explaining your piece and how it connects to the theme. Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2025. All participants must be between the ages of 14-18 and enrolled in a high school in Illinois.
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