Chicago native and award winning author Jessie Ann Foley gives a sneak peak of her upcoming book, You Know I'm No Good, as well as the importance of settings and writing inspiration during her virtual visit with us as part of our weekly Speak On It series, connecting authors to teens. She also speaks to…
Anything You Dream Is Fiction: Celebrating Ray Bradbury
“Anything you dream is fiction, and anything you accomplish is science, the whole history of mankind is nothing but science fiction.”—Ray Bradbury My acquaintance with Ray Bradbury began at 12, when I and my sister wore Martian costumes for a float in the annual Gasprilla Parade in Tampa, Fla. The float theme, "The Future Belongs…
Soap Opera: Chicago’s Meatpackers Created Bath Products
Chicago meatpacker Armour & Company created a range of soap and personal bathing products as evidenced by a sales catalog from around 1910.
Mothers, Daughters and Cults in Fiction
Chelsea Bieker's Godshot is the story of Lacey May, a girl in a drought-stricken town under the sway of an unhinged religious leader named Vern. After her mother is cast out and leaves town, Lacey May is selected to be part of the "Bible Study Girls," who Vern has particularly nefarious plans for. Lacey May…
Author Laura Ruby: Teen Fiction and Finding Inspiration
Two time National Book Award finalist and Printz award winning author Laura Ruby speaks about the inspiration behind Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All and Bone Gap during her virtual visit with us as part of our weekly Speak On It series connecting authors to teens. Laura is also the author of the York series…
Leo: The Bookstrologist Recommends
Leos are optimists with a big dash of charisma. They can command a room with ease, and they are natural leaders. A well-known Leo who embodies all these lion qualities is Barack Obama. We recommend you read more about how this boy from Hawaii went on to Harvard Law to community organizing in Chicago and…
In Living Color: African American Historical Graphic Novels
When I was a student, I didn’t like history. All of those dates and times didn’t seem applicable to my life. I preferred reading actual stories about what happened to people. As I grew older and learned that history is much more than timelines, I really enjoyed exploring the different ways that stories can be…
If You Liked Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan has a knack for turning out books that are impossible to put down and that keep you laughing. He's done it again with Sex and Vanity, which travels from Capri to New York in a modern take on A Room With A View. (Not surprisingly, it's already had the…
If You Liked On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
In On the Come up by Angie Thomas—who joins us for Speak on It on August 19—Bri is an aspiring rapper following in the footsteps of her late father. When she pens a viral hit, she’s pushed into the limelight and into the narrative of being the angry Black female rapper. As her newfound fame…
5 Articles: ‘Courageous, Totally Committed’ John Lewis
As we mourn the loss of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died July 17, explore his tremendous life and legacy with these articles. From his work as one of the first Freedom Riders to his speech at the 1963 March on Washington to his service in Congress, Lewis urged Americans to make "good trouble, necessary…
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