Teens

Tween Book Club: Monday, September 30, 4 PM

Red, White and Whole by Rajani Larocca

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Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart.

Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick.

Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life.

Join the tween book club as we discuss this compelling novel in verse. All are welcome.

Ever wonder what happens after you flush the toilet? Join us for a tour of the Cross Plains Wastewater Treatment Facility to learn what they do to process all the crap that comes through the facility. Afterwards, come back to the library to learn about the challenge that microplastics pose for water treatment facilities, with Wisconsin Water Librarian, Anne Moser. This program is for all ages--children and adults alike--anyone that wants to learn more about how the wastewater treatment process works and how our Public Facilties team keeps our water clean.

Carve or decorate a pumpkin at the library. We'll have pumpkins, carving kits, and paint for you to make your own creation.

Immerse yourself in different experiences by playing VR video games using the library's headset.

Song for a Whale, by Lynne Kelly

The story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him.

From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.
When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?

The Tween Book club read Song for a Whale, by Lynne Kelly for their February 2021 book discussion. The author graciously agreed to answer questions from the group. Take a look at the interview, which includes a link to a fascinating article, complete with recordings of whale sounds.

Check out this interview with the author of one of our favorite reads, The True Meaning of Smekday. We have often read the book for an end of the year selection (just because we like it so much). Adam Rex offered to answer questions for our group, take a look at what he had to say.