Happy Reading From Your Youth Services Team! The Youth Services Team loves going on adventures together through books, movies, video games, and much more. Find out where your favorite librarians have traveled this month! Ami, Becky, Lynne, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Esli, Miss Steph, Miss Zoë, Mrs. Murphy, Ms. Cheryl, Ms. Liz, Stephanie G, Stephanie S, and a special guest... Meg! In this newsletter: | Mouse and Mole A Perfect Halloween by Wong Herbert Yee Best for Grade K and up My family LOVES Frog and Toad. Wong Herbert Yee’s stories about Mouse and Mole have a similar gentle feel to those classic stories. In A Perfect Halloween, Mole and Mouse pick out pumpkins, enter a pumpkin carving contest, and Mouse helps Mole when he feels scared about Halloween. Wonderful color illustrations really showcase Mole and Mouse’s personalities. We’ve been enjoying listening to all the Mouse and Mole stories on Hoopla and this Halloween one has been a nice start to get us ready for the holiday. | There's a Witch in Your Book By Tom Fletcher Best for Grade K and up Interactive book are always a hit with kids. When a witch lands in a book and begins to cause mischief, children are encouraged to block her spell and use their fingers as a wand to create magic of their own!
With adorable illustrations, there is a lot to love about this book and can be enjoyed not only during Halloween, but all year long! | Begin with a Bee By Liz Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, and Phyllis Roo Best for Grade 1 and up This nonfiction picture book takes the reader through the life cycle of the queen bee of a rusty-patched bumble bee colony. With eye-catching illustrations that to keep the reader searching for interesting details on each page, and enough text and storytelling to keep moving along in an engaging manner, it is sure to help the youngest nature-lovers grow their interest in these important pollinators. The last few pages include extra facts about the rusty-patched bumble bee, and a list of ten things we can all do to help our bumble bee friends stay safe and keep pollinating. | Run, Little Chaski! an Inka Trail Adventure By Mariana Llanos Best for Grade 1 and up This is a lively story about Little Chaski’s first day on the job as a royal messenger. This tale of kindness that takes place in the historical Inka Empire. Inka (Inca) is one of Quechua words embedded in the text. If you don’t speak Quechua (like me), the back of the book includes a glossary, information about the Inka empire, and information on the animals Little Chaski meets on his trip. A great book to read over and over. | A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine Best for Grade 4 and up. Excitedly joining her stern grandfather on a journey across 15th-century Spain, clever young Paloma meets King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella while discovering how dangerous the world is for people of Jewish heritage. This emotional intense book that takes place during the Spanish Inquisition and allows the reader to experience what it’s like to emerge from the safe and naïve world surrounded by a loving family into a world that constantly scorns you because of your beliefs and customs. Loma is caught between these two worlds with her desire to be accepted by the aristocracy, which would cause her to leave all that she loves and who she is behind. Loma’s bravery and strength as well as the confidence in who she is grows through her journey as she discovers the actual horror the Jewish people faced during this time | Beetle & The Hollowbones by Aliza Layne Best for Grade 5 and up. This graphic novel came out last year and I think I've reread it at least five times since. In a vibrant art style that I like to describe as "Halloween meets the 80s," this story follows young goblin-witch, Beetle, who isn't the best at magic, and instead likes to spend her time with her friend Blob Ghost who haunts the local mall. When Beetle's former best friend, Kat, comes back into town to train as a witch with her Aunt Hollowbone, Beetle's insecurities are thrust into the limelight, as Kat is gorgeous, talented at magic, popular, and everything Beetle isn't. But when Kat's aunt reveals a terrible scheme, Beetle must dig deep to find all of her talents, courage, and cunning to save Blob Ghost while hopefully not destroying her friendship with Kat in the process. This is the perfect October read with plenty of magic, witches, ghosts, and goblins without ever being too scary. | Ground Zero by Alan Gratz Best for Grade 5 and up. Ground Zero is a 9/11 novel told in alternating chapters of a nine-year-old boy, Brandon, trapped in the tower then and present day Reshmina, a young girl in Afghanistan in the midst of war between the Taliban and the U.S. This year marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and yet many kids today don’t know what it was about. I was around the same age as Brandon during the attack and never fully understood the significance of what happened until I was older. I knew there was a terrorist attack, planes hit buildings, and that people died but beyond that, not much. Reading the past chapters from the perspective of someone who was the same age I was really made an impact. To live through it and to hear about it are two very different things, so I found this story incredibly enlightening. It took me through the who, what, where, when, and how in detail along with all the emotions. The back of the book has a section with more information as well. Due to the subject matter though, this book is best suited for older kids. | Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh Best for Grades 6 and up Harper doesn't trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family's new house is haunted. Harper isn't sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely. The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can't remember why. She knows that the memories she's blocking will help make sense of her brother's behavior and the strange and threatening sensations she feels in this house, but will she be able to put the pieces together in time? This book is fast-paced, dramatic, and super creepy! It’s perfect for October. It’s like reading a horror movie...it gives you that feeling of wanting to yell at the characters to run. And if you like it, there is a sequel! | Spirited Away A young girl, Chihiro, finds herself trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call on the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world. An unforgettable story, brimming with creativity, this will take viewers on a journey beyond imagination. | Video game coming this month! Mario Party Superstars Available for Nintendo Switch. Calling all Mario Party Fans! Mario Party is back with five classic boards. Bring the party anywhere, anytime with the same system. Matches with friends in board game mode are saved each turn, which means you can pick up where you left off! Also, All the modes can also be played online! (WHAT?!) | Polish Board Games! For children from 10 years of age, 2-4 players A classic and popular word game where players use letter tiles to form words in a crossword puzzle style. Great for vocabulary building. Przeznaczona jest dla dzieci od 10 roku życia, 2-4 graczy To klasyczna i popularna gra słowna, w której gracze używają płytek z literami do tworzenia słów w stylu planszowej gry krzyżówkowej. Pomaga poszerzyć słownictwo. | With the support from our partners Lurvey Garden Center and Friends of the Des Plaines Public Library, Youth Services will be handing out Halloween Hoopla Kits starting Saturday, October 23rd! | Say 'Hello' to Kinga the Rabbit! Hi! I’m Kinga! I am proud to be a bilingual rabbit who loves to read! This month we celebrate Polish American Heritage Month and Polish Bilingual Day! Come visit the library and our Polish language collection. You’ll find stories including early readers and graphic novels, nonfiction books, movies, board games, and more! Let the games begin! | Przywitaj się z króliczkiem Kingi! Część! Nazywam się Kinga! Jestem dumna, że jestem dwujęzycznym królikiem i uwielbiam czytać! W październiku świętujemy obchody dziedzictwa Polskiego w Ameryce, a także Dzień Dwujęzyczności! Zapraszamy do biblioteki i do naszej kolekcji języka polskiego! Znajdziecie tam historyjki, książki edukacyjne, piosenki i filmy, podręczniki do nauki języka polskiego, kolekcję dla rodziców i nauczycieli, a także gry planszowe! Bawcie się dobrze! | |
