May 2025
 
Welcome to the third edition of our middle school e-newsletter!
Below you will find details about upcoming programs, recommended reads, and more.
 
Highlighted Program:
Booking Together: The Cricket War
Saturday, May 10th, 10:30am
 
Join us on Saturday, May 10th at 10:30am for a meeting of Booking Together!
We will be discussing The Cricket War. Join us for snacks and giveaways!
 
The Cricket War
by Thò Pham

Escaping from Communist Vietnam by boat in 1980, 11-year-old Tho Pham tries to be brave as he sets out into the unknown without his family, in this gripping survival story drawn from real-life experiences.
Booklist Highlight: Mental Health Month
May is Mental Health Month!
Our mental health is as important as our physical health. It is important all year to take care of yourself, using skills like Mindfulness. Below you will find some lists of books in the Arcadia Public Library that cover the skill of mindfulness and books with characters learning about or handling their own mental health.
Click here to access books about mindfulness!
Click here to access our Mental Health booklist.
May Program Highlight: Making It - Edible Candy Art
 
Making It - Edible Candy Art
Wednesday, May 7, 3:30pm in the Imagination Theater
Let’s get crafty! Join us in creating some edible art using candy!!! There will also be a raffle for a gift card of your choice or fun activity.
New Novels!
River of Spirits
by Shana Targosz

Caught between the realm of the Living and the realm of the Dead, Senka ferries departed souls into the afterlife, and when Poppy enters the Underworld pleading for help in finding her brother's ghost, Senka helps her and discovers secrets.
The dragon's apprentice. Book 1
by James Riley

Twelve-year-old Ciara accidentally summons an ancient and ornery dragon named Scorch and strikes a deal to learn the magic she needs to save her mother and unravel the lies of the empire.
One wrong step
by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Atlas Wade's father signs the duo up for an expedition group to summit Mount Everest, as war returns to Europe and Nazis are attempting their own summit nearby, in a story about loss and letting go.
Green promises: girls who loved the earth
by Jeannine Atkins

Meet Mary Agnes Chase, Marguerite Thomas Williams and Sophie Mack Lutterlough, each of whom followed their love of the natural world, in a biographical novel written in verse about three women who paved a path for women in science.
Rebellion 1776
by Laurie Halse Anderson

In 1776, 13-year-old Elspeth is alone in a city ravaged by the smallpox epidemic and finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family as they await a turn at inoculation, as she also tries to find her father who went missing during the Siege of Boston.
Booklist Highlight: AANHPI Heritage Month
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
Click here to access our list of Middle School books with AANHPI Authors.
Click here to access a list of books to learn more about AANHPI Heritage.
 
 
Non-Fiction that will teach you something new!

Jella Lepman and her library of dreams: the woman who rescued a generation of children and founded the world's largest children's library
by Katherine Paterson

In 1945, Jella Lepman was tasked with creating a haven of joy for children of a Germany scarred by war, so the Jewish woman who had fled from Nazis turned to books, amassing the world's largest collection of children's materials.
The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion
by Ann Bausum

Part literary scavenger hunt, part book trivia treasure trove and part love letter to the Bard, this ideal introduction to William Shakespeare recounts the creation of the First Folio, a 400-year-old book that preserved all his plays after he died.
The six: the untold story of America's first women astronauts
by Loren Grush

Presents the true story of America's first female astronauts and how they fought to enter STEM fields, endured claustrophobic and sexist media attention, underwent rigorous survival training and prepared for years.
Seen and unseen: what Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's photographs reveal about the Japanese American incarceration
by Elizabeth Partridge

Weaving together powerful photographs, firsthand accounts and stunning original art, this important work of nonfiction examines the history, heartbreak and injustice of the Japanese American incarceration.
Artificial Intelligence in Education: Will AI Help Us or Hurt Us?
by Nick Hunter

AI is changing the way we learn, but will it help us get smarter, or will it simply outsmart us? Discover inside what Al is and how it could transform education. Then read the debates about AI technology and decide for yourself whether it will be our greatest friend or our ultimate foe.
Did You Know?
Library Staff recently completed a major update of our LibGuide on Recommended Reading for Children! Many new resources and links have been added to a more user-friendly layout. 
 
Check out our new tab on Language Learning and a new tab specifically for Caregivers & Educators!
 
Save the Date: Summer at Arcadia Public Library

 
Save the Date for Summer at Arcadia Public Library! Beginning June 2, 2025, sign up online and log your reading time. Enter to win grand prizes and attend fun programs all summer. More details will be included in our June newsletter.
To check on the availability of an item, click on the cover to go to our online catalog.
 
Thanks for reading!!
       Library Logo 20 West Duarte Road
Arcadia, California 91006
(626) 821-5569 www.arcadiaca.gov/library
Facebook   Twitter  
youtube   Instagram