Building Bridges with Public Library Partners

             Bronx Hope students at NYPL's Macomb's Bridge branch,  Photo credit: Jamila Abdulrashid.

As we wind down the school year we hope to build bridges to New York City’s 3  wonderful public libraries for everyone at Passages this spring and summer.  Students at Bronx Hope visited New York Public Library’s Macomb’s Bridge Branch in early May to learn about the services offered there by NYPL  librarian Anisha Huffman, 

Students at Belmont received a visit from librarian Magdalena Johnson of Queens Public Library who delivered library cards, bookmarks, and stickers while teaching students about the service available to them.  And Brooklyn Public Library librarian Johana Lewis sent Brooklyn Public Library cards to all students who registered.  

Students seemed eager to visit recording studios, check out youth spaces in physical library branches, and to use their cards to access Culture Passes,  digital books,  and ebooks through Sora while on home passes or once they return home.  

Thank you to our three public library partners!  And an enormous shout out and thank you to the Queens Library librarians including Ms. Johnson and Ms. Hartman who have made bi-monthly visits to our students at Crossroads where no school library services currently exist.--Jamila Abdulrashid and Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe by Garth Ennis & Jonathan Maberry, Illustrated by Doug Braithwaite & Goran Parlov

 

In this Punisher tale the Avengers and the X-Men save the island of Manhattan from yet another apocalyptic catastrophe. Unfortunately among the collateral damage are Frank Castle’s wife and child.  With nothing left to lose,  and backed by a cabal with unlimited resources, Frank decides to live up to his superhero name and begins to dismantle every superpowered character in the Marvel Universe. 

Each kill brings the Punisher closer to his goal, but pushes Frank Castle further away from his humanity. Will his hunger for vengeance be satisfied, or will it consume him entirely? 

Action-packed from the very start, this collection brings together two storylines in which the Punisher is pitted against the entire Marvel Universe. Readers who enjoy dark, gritty stories, and all fans of the Punisher will find this a compelling read.--Claudio Leon

Ennis, Garth. Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe. New York: Marvel Entertainment LLC, 2024. Print.

Fantastic Four: Solve Everything by Jonathan Hickman, Illustrated by Dale Eaglesham

What is the cost of solving all the problems of the universe to create a world with no hunger, no enmity, and no war?  Mr. Fantastic, one of the most brilliant minds in existence, soon discovers that task carries a price he may not be willing to pay. 

Filled with well-paced action, intertwined timelines, and multi-dimensional travel, Fantastic Four: Solve Everything explores how Marvel’s first family confronts the challenges faced by superpowered individuals tasked with solving galactic-scale problems. 

Readers seeking more than just nonstop action and who would like a deeper insight into the Fantastic Four’s family dynamics should be sure to pick this one up!--Claudio Leon

Hickman, Jonathan. Fantastic Four: Solve Everything. New York: Marvel Entertainment LLC, 2025. Print.

Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls

Anyone interested in history is sure to be riveted by the story of Robert Smalls,  a little-known enslaved African-American sailor who became a true Civil War hero.

Over the course of 4 chapters and 128 pages screenwriter Rob Edwards and a bevy Marvel and DC Comics artists bring this inspiring piece of American history to the attention of today’s audiences.  

Their collective storytelling is framed through a generational lens featuring Robert Smalls himself as the narrator of his heroic story.  The narrative will appeal to history lovers of all ages, fans of the Sixth Gun series, and comic fans reading at middle school levels and above. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls

Edwards, Rob.  Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls.  Stranger Comics, 2025.

Programming Spotlight: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Percussion

From left to right: Ms. Leibusor, Special Education teacher, Ms. Carter, Math teacher, and Mike Ramsey, Percussionist and Music educator (photo credit: Ms. Fenster-Sparber)

Mike Ramsey leads us in the library.  (photo credit: Ms. Fenster-Sparber)

Recently our Belmont site hosted an eight- session percussion workshop led by returning percussionist and extraordinary music educator Mike Ramsey.  

Mr. Ramsey brought with him conga drums, an African drum, a guiro, maracas, cowbells, bongos, claves, and shekere for students to play, and gently guided us into a rhythmic jam.  He highlighted the Afro-Cuban group Adonis y Osain del Monte and illuminated the connection between west African drums.  

Student and staff feedback was overwhelmingly full of requests for more. Said student who participated in the workshopa at its conclusion:  “I LOVE This Come Back Soon #Begging you.” --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Welcome Back! and Student Poetry Published!

 

Welcome back!  We've been back for a month and it went by so fast!  Before we dive in to sharing recommendations and programming news, here's a link to some student poetry that BAM published digitally in their Word. Sound. Power. 2025 anthology.  

Belmont's Blum students voices come in on page 48.  These poems were a product of a residency with poet and playwright Gideon Bautista hosted by English Teacher Mr. Villaronga and supported by a dynamic duo of collaborative colleagues: Reading Specialist Ms. Bernard and Speech Language Pathologist Ms. Ikawa.  We're so grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with BAM and so proud of our students.--Ms. Fenster-Sparber

Programming Spotlight: Joelle Wellington and Making Music at NYPL

 Photos and collages by Jamila Abdulrashid

The Blonde Dies First  . . . since when?  Well, since author Joelle Wellington wrote her young adult horror thriller.  Students from Passages Academy--Bronx Hope site attended an author talk and received a free autographed copy of this novel on a school trip to the Stavros Niachros Foundation Library (SNFL) in Midtown Manhattan.  

There the author discussed her process and inspiration for writing the book.  And while at SNFL  they also experienced the Teen Music Lab and created an audio recording of their raps which the sound engineer edited to create a single.   All of these activities were FREE!   You have to love the New York Public Library!--Jamila Abdulrashid

Fighting to Belong! Volume 1: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History from the 1700s Through the 1800s by Amy Chu and Alexander Chang illustrated by Louie Chin

“Why aren’t there more books that introduce AANHPI history to students?”

Sammy, Tiana, Joe and Padmini have a school project due on AAPI history and get lucky when Tiana’s neighbor, Kenji, agrees to give them a special tour of their local American History museum.  It turns out Kenji is not only deeply knowledgeable about Asian American and Pacific Islander history, he also has a few tricks up his sleeve which enable time travel.  

First stop is St. Malo, Louisiana where the crew learns about the Manilamen and their settlement in the American South over two hundred years ago.  Next is the Chinese American history of California, followed by the colonization of Hawai’i and an explanation of the term “Pacific Islander.”  

All told, the full-color comic is slim and fast-paced at 28 pages and followed by a 10 page curriculum guide and an afterword by Norman Chen who begins with the question “Why aren’t there more books that introduce AANHPI history to students?” 

The book may feel a bit didactic to casual readers but teachers will certainly cheer and eagerly anticipate the promised future volumes.  Overall this book is indispensable to educators of 5th  through 7th  graders.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Chang, Alexander, and Amy Chu.  Fighting to Belong Vol. 1.  San Francisco:  Third State Books, 2024.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

Rosalyn "Ross" is tired of living with just her mother and her aunt. But that comes with the territory when you live in a multi-generational household of female,  high-end thieves.

But Ross is ready to change that,  and at  the family’s  next heist she's planning to disappear. That is until she receives an invitation to the Thieves' Gambit, a competition where only the world's best thieves are invited. The prize? One wish. The price? Maybe Ross's life. 

Readers looking for elaborate plots and high-risk heists with a little Hunger Games thrown in will find this an enjoyable read.--Claudio Leon

Lewis, Kayvion. Thieves’ Gambit. New York: Random House, 2023. Print.

Amulet by Kazu Kibuish

After losing their father, Emily and Navin are thrust into a world of magic and fantasy where they must save their mother from strange creatures.

In their quest to save her, the siblings learn that their arrival in this new world may not have been a mere coincidence.  To survive they  must quickly discern who are their allies and who are their  enemies.  

While clearly targeted at middle schoolers, Amulet appeals to all graphic novel lovers. With enough twists and action sequences, any fan of the genre should be sure to pick this one up.--Claudio Leon

Kibuishi, Kazu. Amulet: The Stonekeeper. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2008. Print.