This year's One Book One Chicago asks us to "Imagine the Future." But what if we traveled back to the past instead? Would we then re-imagine the future knowing what we already know? Or would we just observe and watch things play out even though we already know the outcome? Time travel has been a…
We Are Still Here: A New Generation of Native Americans Demands Your Attention
A new wave of Native American writers and artists are creating works that reflect the realities of what it means to be Native American today. Up-and-coming authors Tommy Orange and Tommy Pico have moved off reservations to urban settings where, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute, 70 percent of Native American and Native Alaskans…
4 Books to Read While Waiting for The Hate U Give Movie
On September 2, Angie Thomas’ novel The Hate U Give celebrated its 77th week on the New York Times bestseller list. The book follows 16-year-old Starr Carter, who splits her time between her poor, black neighborhood and majority white prep school. Both worlds are rocked when she sees a police officer shoot her friend Khalil…
The Truth Is Out There: Teen Fiction Featuring Aliens
Do you believe in aliens? I think of them as a big “maybe.” The universe is huge! They could totally exist, but I’m not gonna worry about it. March 15 is World Contact Day, an event that asks humans to do the opposite—telepathically project a peaceful message for extraterrestrials into space. Whether aliens exist in…
Meet Chicago Children’s Author Tom Watson
I love books that make kids think, “I can do that, too!” And no one works harder to turn their readers into writers than Chicago author Tom Watson. Watson tells stories about Stick Dog and Stick Cat, two clever animals who get in lots of trouble but always get themselves out. The drawings in the…
