THE MIDDLE FILES
the e-newsletter for middle schoolers

Diary of a Middle School Kid
Elizabeth is an 8th grader at Hadley, where her favorite subject is literacy, because she loves reading, writing, and debating.

One of her favorite books is Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli, because she likes how it switches perspectives between two twins.

Elizabeth would like to travel to France, Ireland, and England, but  would like to learn Mandarin! Why does that make sense? Because her sister is adopted from China, and even though she doesn't speak Mandarin anymore, Elizabeth thinks it would still be cool to learn. 

Elizabeth thinks that there should be a day where we celebrate the person who created clipboards because they're useful. That clipboard comment makes it not surprising that h er favorite show is " A Series of Unfortunate Events" because she thinks it is "scary, funny, and quirky."

Elizabeth participates in ballet and contemporary dance, but if she couldn't dance, she would play badminton or lacrosse, or maybe learn how to play the triangle, because she thinks that would be  pretty cool, even though it's simple. 

Elizabeth's dog is named Kristofferson after Kristofferson from one of her favorite movies, "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Her favorite animal is the raven, but she also likes foxes, honey badgers and hummingbirds, and her favorite color is burnt orange because her favorite season is fall.

Elizabeth looks forward to taking Mandarin and culinary arts and meeting new people in high school.
Middle School Events
Looking for something to do? The library has some great programs designed just for you Here are some highlights.

Graphic Novel Crew - Final Meeting
Tuesday,  May 28 | 4:30-5:30 pm
Discuss graphic novels, play trivia , and eat snacks. Ask at the Youth Desk for the title of the graphic novel to be discussed in May. For grades 6-8.  Reserve your spot for Graphic Novel Crew .


Middle Squad
Wednesday, May 1 | 4-5:30 pm
Work with library staff to prepare for programs, pull books, and help as needed. For grades 6-8.  Fill out an application for the Middle Squad.

New Book Spotlight
Let's Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson

When Abdi's family is kidnapped, he's forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. In order to save the lives of those he loves, and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the militia's ranks and to send dispatches on their plans to the Americans. The jihadists trust Abdi immediately because his older brother, Dahir, is already one of them, protégé to General Idris, aka the Butcher. If Abdi's duplicity is discovered, he will be killed.

For weeks, Abdi trains with them, witnessing atrocity after atrocity, becoming a monster himself, wondering if he's even pretending anymore. He only escapes after he is forced into a suicide bomber's vest, which still leaves him stumps where two of his fingers used to be and his brother near death. Eventually, he finds himself on the streets of Sangui City, Kenya, stealing what he can find to get by, sleeping nights in empty alleyways, wondering what's become of the family that was stolen from him. But everything changes when Abdi's picked up for a petty theft, which sets into motion a chain reaction that forces him to reckon with a past he's been trying to forget. 

In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.(from Goodreads)

Peer Review
My name is Kamil, and I am an 8th grader at Hadley Junior High School. I'm reviewing the book Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick.  

Wonderstruck focuses on two characters, Ben whose story is portrayed with words, and Rose, whose story is shown in pictures. Their stories take place a whopping 50 years apart, yet they are super similar. 

Both characters have their own aspirations. Rose wishes to find an actress and Ben dreams of finding his father, whom he has never met and didn't even know about for most of his life. 

Their ambitions take them to places far from home, and to places where no child should be alone, like in an enormous city. Their journeys allow them to find good people they would have never met otherwise, and learn things that open up their eyes.

Wonderstruck is an amazing book that I enjoyed reading and would recommend. 

MEMORY
How do we remember some things clearly and need help remembering others?  There are different types of memory; short-term, long-term, implicit, and others.

With social media and technology on the forefront, we can capture memories with our phones and post them for our friends and the world to see.  Blogs are everywhere and written by everyone! It's easy to create a blog, vlog, or website, and write about whatever you want. The library has blogs - you should check them out!
Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian

The end-of-school-year tradition of writing in yearbooks is a great way to  capture the moment or a feeling you had in the school year and share it with a  friend. 

No matter where you go or what you do, take the time to treasure the  memory.  

Thanks for reading and we'll see you over the summer!
Glen Ellyn Public Library | 400 Duane Street | Middle School Web Page
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