December 2025
John’s Album/ Movie Picks:
Talkin to the Trees by Neil Young (2025)
The forty-ninth studio album by Young and the first in collaboration with the Chrome Hearts, his current backing/touring band. A short and to-the-point record, the album includes some songs with politically charged inspirations, something Young has never shied away from, even now at eighty years old.
Superman (2025)
A superhero film directed by James Gunn and the first major project in the newly rebranded DC Universe after Gunn took over. Originally titled Superman: Legacy, the movie stars David Corenswet as the titular Superman/Clark Kent, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Filled with plenty of color and spectacle, the film is an updated take on the Man of Steel for modern times. Additionally, a sequel, Man of Tomorrow, is already in the works for release in 2027.
Nobody 2 (2025)
The sequel to the surprise 2021 hit action movie. Bob Odenkirk returns as family man/assassin, Hutch Mansell, alongside costars Connie Nielsen and Christopher Lloyd. In the film, Hutch takes his family on vacation only to run afoul of a local criminal enterprise run by the ruthless Lendina (Sharon Stone). With largescale amounts of action just like its predecessor, the film has as much violence as it does heart.
Lauren’s Pick:
The Summer War by Naomi Novik (2025)
This enchanting novella follows Celia, a young witch who inadvertently curses her brother to live a life without love, no matter how many heroic deeds he might complete. As the years pass and Celia grows up, she tries to find a way to break the curse. Instead, she discovers the truth about the centuries-long war with the faerie-like creatures of an adjourning realm, one that might hold the key to saving her brother.
Danielle’s Pick:
The small and the mighty: twelve unsung Americans who changed the course of history, from the founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon (2024)
When we think about the events and the people that changed the course of history, we typically recall the famous figures from our school days. However, in The Small and the Mighty, you’ll learn about ordinary Americans that had a lasting impact on their communities, and the nation, even though they never appeared in the textbooks. “You’ll meet a woman astride a white horse riding down Pennsylvania Ave, a young boy detained at a Japanese incarceration camp, a formerly enslaved woman on a mission to reunite with her daughter, a poet on a train, and a teacher who learns to work with her enemies.”
Their stories are inspiring and remind us that even the smallest acts can make a huge difference.
Ms. Jenna’s Youth Nonfiction Picks:
Vanished: Seven Women Magicians Who Simply Disappeared by Anna Hays (2025)
Everyone has heard of Harry Houdini but what about Anna Eva Fay, Adelaide Herrmann, or Talma? These are just a few of the trailblazing female magicians from the Golden Age of Magic highlighted in this fascinating nonfiction chapter book. Readers will marvel at the stories of their amazing feats, which are interspersed with colorful illustrations and photographs, ensuring that these figures finally receive the recognition they deserve.
(Recommended for ages 8 to 12 years old.)
Dead Ends! Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels by Lindsey Fitzharris (2025)
For readers that may be drawn to the more gruesome aspects of history, this nonfiction chapter book details the (sometimes bloody) trials and tribulations of science that brought us modern medicine. Readers will be enthralled by the grisly details of the various scientific endeavors, but ultimately they will be inspired by the message of perseverance and failure being a key part of learning.
(Recommended for ages 9 to 14 years old.)