An inside look at this year’s upcoming Summer Reading Program, It’s Showtime at Your Library!, and information about Adult, Teen, and Youth program steps and prizes. The Summer Reading Program runs June 1 – July 31.
An interview with lawyer Trisha Chokshi from local business, Chokshi Filippone Law, LLC, on new monthly program series Lawyers at the Library: Your Legal Help Desk. This program offers free legal advice during private 30-minute appointments on the last Wednesday of each month.
Highlights from National Library Week’s annual Trivia Night.
Adult Services Staff Recommendations showcase superhero fiction: Texas Hold’Em: A Wild Cards Novel by George R.R. Martin; Wild Cards, Volume One by George R.R. Martin; Inside Straight: A Wild Cards Novel by George R.R. Martin; Invincible, Compendium One by Robert Kirkman; Runaways: The Complete Collection, Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan; and Heroes, Season 1 (DVD).
Youth Services Staff Recommendations feature 2020 nominees for the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award: Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty; The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani; All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson; The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore; As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds; and The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez.
Super Saturday: Hogan Irish Dancers
Patron Interview: What Library resources do you utilize most, and why?
Highlights and comments from the annual Mini Golf @ MPPL event hosted by the Library Foundation.
An emotional interview with German historian, Anette Isaacs, on German history and memorials in her program Never Forget: Remembering the Holocaust in Berlin and Germany.
A colorful look into regular floral arrangement program Creative Spring Floral Design with Busse’s Flowers.
Adult Services Staff Recommendations are psychological thrillers featuring children: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage; The Bad Seed (DVD); We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver; The Dinner by Herman Koch; The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong; and Who Can Kill a Child? (DVD).
Youth Services Staff Recommendations delve into the lives of artists with nonfiction picture books: Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, an Artist in Harlem by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitt; Me, Frida by Amy Novesky; American Gothic: The Life of Grant Wood by Susan Wood; Through Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Rodríguez; Through the Window: Views of Marc Chagall’s Life and Art by Barb Rosenstock; and Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville.
Super Saturday: African Music and Dance with Idy Ciss.
Patron Interview: What is your favorite aspect of spring, and why?
Highlights, delights, and commentary from MPPL’s first ever FanFest event.
A discussion with physical therapist and founder of Stay Fit Physical Therapy & Core Wellness, Inc., Diana Sahakian, about fall prevention (regardless of age), balancing, core strengthening, and more. Her upcoming Library program, “Don’t Fall! Test Your Strength & Balance” is on April 25th.
An inside look at teen program Friday Funday: Decorative Magnets, run by teen services librarian, Abigail Weaver, in which teens learn how to make their own decorative magnets.
Adult Services Staff Recommendations revolve around themes of satirical horror: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero; John Dies @ the End by David Wong; A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Graham Smith; Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez; and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Youth Services Staff Recommendations are stories of mythological fiction: Loki’s Wolves by K.L Armstrong and M.A. Marr; Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo; Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi; Momotaro: Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters by Margaret Dilloway; Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis; and The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta.
Principals Read @ MPPL, featuring local elementary school principals.
Patron Interview: Who is your favorite book, movie, or comic strip character, and why?
Behind the scenes of the Friends of the Library winter booksale, with commentary from patrons, and Friends board member, Tonia Romanelli.
An interview with human resources specialist Bob Schlacks about job hunting, resume building, and his upcoming Library program, “Ask the Expert” for Job Hunters on March 26th.
A glimpse into Library technology training program for families Intro to 3-D Printing, run by youth technology librarian, Laura Bos, and information about the Library’s 3-D printing service.
The theme for Adult Services Staff Recommendations this month is characters whose lives deviate from social norms: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata; The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro; Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman; Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon; and The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland.
Youth Services Staff Recommendations emphasize the power and impact of kindness: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead; Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson; The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig; I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët; Have You Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud; and Paul Writes (A Letter) by Chris Raschka.
Super Saturday: The Art of Inflation Balloon Show with balloon entertainer Dale Obrochta.
Patron Interview: If you could work in any field of employment, what would your favorite job be and why?
Information about the 2019 Winter Reading Program, “Find Your Story,” for all age groups; the program runs from February 1st through February 28th.
An interview with Peter Garino and Michelle Shupe, the Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Project of Chicago about their organization and their upcoming theatrical reading events at MPPL.
An inside look at the All-Ages Game Night.
Adult Services Staff Recommendations this month delve into the past: Warlight by Michael Ondaatje; Suspended Sentences by Patrick Modiano; Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald; In the Light of What We Know by Zia Haider Rahman; The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng; and The Polish Boxer by Eduardo Halfon.
Youth Services Staff Recommendations are all novels in verse: Rebound by Kwame Alexander; Missing Mike by Shari Green; Forest World by Margarita Engle; Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr; Falling into the Dragon’s Mouth by Holly Thompson; and Knock Out by K.A. Holt.
Chicago Team Logos: A Painting Workshop youth program with local art teacher, Christine Thornton.
Patron Interview: What is your favorite Chicago sports team and why?