Wheaton Public Library
225 N. Cross St.
Wheaton, IL 60187
United States
The Scarlet Letter focused heavily on judgment, guilt, and hypocrisy. The story shows how harsh society can be, especially toward women. Some parts were slow, but the themes were strong and meaningful. It made me think about how public shame and private guilt affect people. Overall, it was a deep and reflective read.
-Zunairah S
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was powerful and eye-opening. It gave a personal and honest look into the brutality of slavery and the lack of basic human rights. What stood out most was how important education was in Douglass’s fight for freedom. The book made the injustice impossible to ignore. Even though it’s historical, its message still matters today.
-Zunairah S
I really enjoyed Jennette McCurdy’s 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, so I was excited to read her fiction debut, Half His Age (2026).
Phantasma (2024), by Kaylie Smith, is a gothic fantasy romance in which a necromancer must compete in a deadly competition at a haunted manor to find her sister. She falls in love with a phantom. There’s also a ghost cat. Need I say more?
Written by Michelle J., Teen Services
Fahrenheit 451 was unsettling but interesting to read. It made me think about censorship and how dangerous it can be when people stop questioning authority. At first the story was confusing, but the message became clearer as it went on. The book feels especially relevant when you compare it to modern society. It’s thought-provoking and meaningful.
-Zunairah S
Mercury Carter has a delivery to make to Rachel Stanfield. When Carter arrives at Rachel's house, he finds that Rachel and her husband Glenn are being held hostage by a guy named Finn and his henchmen. Carter just wants to make his delivery and leave, but Finn kidnaps Rachel and leaves with her before Carter can complete the task. Carter then finds himself, accompanied by Glenn, on Finn's trail trying to rescue Rachel because Finn is convinced that Rachel has information that he needs--and Finn is prepared to kill for it.
The Aosawa Murders (first published in Japan in 2004 and translated to English in 2020), by Riku Onda, centers on a mass poisoning at a birthday party in 1970s Japan, which killed 17 people including every member of the Aosawa family except for their daughter Hisako, who is blind.
Ladies in Waiting (2025), perfectly timed for Jane Austen’s recent 250th birthday, is a charming collection of short stories featuring minor characters from Austen’s novels, such as Miss Bates, Georgiana Darcy, and Eliza Brandon.
In The Passengers on the Hankyu Line (2025), we meet some people who travel on a train line in the Kansai region of Japan and hear their lightly interconnected stories. A man named Masashi develops an attraction for Yuki, who has similar reading tastes to his own. Meanwhile, Shoko is on the train in a wedding dress, having just been to the wedding of her former fiancee.
When Hazel gets the lead role in a slasher film, she's excited for the opportunity to prove herself as an actress and star in a horror movie, her favorite genre. The only issue is that the movie takes place in Pine Springs, the home of her father-- a convicted murderer known as the Pine Springs Slasher. But when strange "accidents" start happening on set, followed by an actual murder, Haze starts to wonder if her father was actually the killer all along.
Get It Together: An Interior Designer’s Guide To Creating Your Best Life (2018), by Orlando Soria, is a nonfiction book about interior design. HOWEVER, it is also a super sarcastic, hilarious, self help masterpiece. Every page hits somewhere deep inside.