Book Bite: "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Slush is frozen over. People say that winter lasts forever, but it's because they obsess over the thermometer. North in the mountains, the maple syrup is trickling. Brave geese punch through the thin ice left on the lake. Underground, pale seeds roll over in their sleep. Starting to get restless. Starting to dream green."

- Speak (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson

Polar vortex-worthy reads

Since we have no choice but to endure this extreme cold (and snow), let's embrace our winter weather. I put together a list of books that will have you commiserating with the characters dealing with frigid temperatures and never ending snow.

After the Snow by S.D. Crockett
RO TEEN CROCKETT
Fifteen-year-old Willo Blake, born after the 2059 snows that ushered in a new ice age, encounters outlaws, halfmen, and an abandoned girl as he journeys in search of his family, who mysteriously disappeared from the freezing mountain that was their home.

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
TEEN FITZPATRICK
Britt goes hiking in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming with her ex-boyfriend Calvin, but trouble arises when she is caught in a blizzard, taken hostage by fugitives, finds evidence of murders, and learns whom to trust and whom to love.

Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
TEEN LET
In three intertwining short stories, several high school couples experience the trials and tribulations along with the joys of romance during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town.

Survive by Alex Morel
TEEN MOREL
A troubled girl is stranded in an arctic winter terrain after a plane crash and must fight for survival with the only other boy left alive.

Trapped by Michael Northrop
TEEN NORTHROP
RO TEEN NORTHROP
Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high school during a week-long blizzard that shuts down the power and heat, freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if they will survive.

Blankets by Craig Thompson
TEEN GRAPHIC NOVEL THOMPSON
This is an illustrated novel loosely based on the author's life growing up in rural Wisconsin.

Book Bite: "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Cold and silence. Nothing quieter than snow. The sky screams to deliver it, a hundred banshees flying on the edge of the blizzard. But once the snow covers the ground, it hushes as still as my heart.” 

- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)

Sign up for Craft Lab

Get creative in the library's Craft Lab, Recycled Winter Crafts, on Tuesday, December 23 at 2 p.m.. Use glue, paint, glitter, cotton balls, and fake snow to transform "junk" into art!

What could you make out of burnt out light bulbs, bottle caps, fabric, and ribbon scraps?

A snowman? A reindeer? Something colorful? Something cool?

Please register online or by calling the Information Desk at 847-428-3661 (press 3).

Upcoming Craft Labs:

Monday, January 19: Duct Tape Crafts
Monday, February 16: Sharpie Mugs

Book Bite: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'” 

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1865)