Three Chicago students, Melissa, Wilf, and Bondi, are unlikely participants in a competition for a ten thousand-dollar scholarship, unaware that there is much more at stake. Ages: 8-12, location.
- General Recommendations
- Staff-Created List
Close to Home: Local Authors and Settings
Books for a variety of ages by Evanston and Chicagoland authors or set in the greater Chicagoland area.
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Evanston Public Library


30 items
- Tells the story of Amelia Earhart's life - as a child, a woman, and a pilot - and describes the search for her missing plane. Ages: 10+, author.
- Isn't starting sixth grade in a new school where you don't know anyone hard enough without everyone around you pairing off into romantic relationships? Ages: 8-12, author.
- On a trip to the local art museum seventh-grader Claudia Miravista sees a boy in a painting, who moves from painting to painting, and soon she embarks on an adventure behind the canvas. Ages: 10-13, location.
- When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. Ages: 9-11, location and author.
- After an inspiring class trip to the Art Institute of Chicago--where the doodles cause a bit too much trouble--Drew decides it's time to take her artistic talents to the next level. Ages: 8-12, location.
- In Brooklyn, nine-year-old Jax joins Ma, a curmudgeonly witch who lives in his building, on a quest to deliver three baby dragons to a magical world. Ages: 8-10, author.
- Melly only joined the school band because her best friend, Olivia, begged her to. But to her surprise, quiet Melly loves playing the drums. It's the only time she doesn't feel like a mouse. Ages: 8-12, author.
- Emmi is living in Chicago when the Great Fire breaks out on October 8, 1871. separated from her father, she finds herself braving the smoke and flames to escape the danger of the burning city. Ages: 8-12, location.
- Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Ages: 8-12, location and author.
- Discovering a book of Langston Hughes' poetry in the library helps Langston cope with the loss of his mother, relocating from Alabama to Chicago as part of the Great Migration, and being bullied. Ages: 8-12, location.
- What if a bunch of kids took over a neglected, forgotten little garden plot? Could they make anything bloom—even friendship? Ages: 7-10, location and author.
- Children will understand people come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, and that is what makes everyone beautiful. Ages: 1-5, author.
- Two years after their father disappeared, Winston and Louise wrestle with their grief while investigating mysterious teachers, innovative science, and a captive bear. Ages: 8-12, location and author.
- A twelve-year-old girl discovers her father is the keeper of the gateway between our world and The Dark, and when he goes missing she'll need to unlock her own powers. Ages: 8-12, location and author.
- Mr. Watson loves his three chickens, and every morning he and Mr. Nelson count them; but when they start to multiply, his house and tiny yard are soon overrun, and the noise and mess are driving Mr. Nelson crazy. Ages: 3-6, author.
- The sensible Secretary Bird wants nothing more than to get on with their job of properly narrating a classic nursery rhyme book. But something is afoot in the orderly land of nursery rhymes. Ages: 3-5, author.
- Struggling with school and her feelings since her father left, Sahara gets a fresh start with a new and unique teacher who supports her writing talents and the individuality of each of her classmates. Ages: 9-11, location and author.
- "Haunted after helping her father on his ghost-themed Chicago bus tour, twelve-year-old Claire must discover what the spectral boy from the bus wants before it is too late. Ages: 9-12, location and author.
- When a 007-year-old embarks on a bedtime mission called Operation Lollipop, he's prepared for every eventuality-except one. Ages: 4-7, author.
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