Posts by Kathlyn, Teen Librarian

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 1

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 1

On Wednesday October 21st, Sachi Feris of the blog Raising Race Conscious Children will lead a workshop to help parents and caregivers learn how to talk about race with young children. Each week until the workshop, I’ll share an article or resource to help you begin thinking about some related topics. Recommended Reading, Part 2 Recommended Reading, Part 3 Recommended Reading, Part 4 Let’s begin with a look at some of the key concepts involved in talking to children about race. Our first article, “Talking to Children About Racial Bias,” is from HealthyChildren.org, a website run by the American Academy
Read More

September 23, 2020 10:00 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, caregiver, children, parenting, parents, raising race conscious children, The Trove, and White Plains Library Foundation.

Hispanic Heritage Month: YA Fiction

Hispanic Heritage Month: YA Fiction

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed between September 15th and October 15th. To celebrate, I had fun putting together a list of books by Hispanic authors. This month, I read American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott. Surprisingly, the road trip itself is a fairly minor part of the storyline, which contains so many layers that it’s difficult to write a spoiler-free summary, but here goes… Teodoro Avila puts no effort into academics, and his family life is tense due to the absence of his older brother Manny, stationed in Iraq. In preparation for Manny’s return, Teodoro and his sister, Xochitl, make
Read More

September 15, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: books, Dive into Diversity, Hispanic Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and teen books.

September Book Club for Teens

September Book Club for Teens

Calling all middle and high school students for a monthly virtual book club for teens. Each month, join librarians Kat and Lauren to discuss the featured book and compete against friends in a mini trivia game. Our next virtual meeting has been rescheduled and will take place on Friday, September 11th at 6:30 p.m. This month, we’re reading Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy, which has also been made into a Netflix movie. Willowdean, nicknamed Dumplin’ by her mother, feels comfortable in her plus-size skin. But she faces constant criticism from her mom, a former beauty queen who still runs the annual
Read More

August 18, 2020 11:57 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Teens, and Library News.
Tags: book club, book discussion, book group, events, teen book club, and teens.

Race Consciousness Workshop

Race Consciousness Workshop

If you’re a parent or caregiver of young children and you’re looking forward to Ibram X. Kendi’s upcoming event, get ready to mark your calendars for this workshop in October. Sachi Feris, of Raising Race Conscious Children, will help parents and caregivers become more comfortable discussing race with young children. The virtual workshop will take place on Wednesday, October 21st, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Register for the workshop here. Recommended Readings, Part 1 Recommended Readings, Part 2 Recommended Readings, Part 3 Recommended Readings, Part 4 A couple of years ago, I came across some racially stereotypical illustrations while reading
Read More

August 17, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, caregiver, children, parenting, parents, raising race conscious children, The Trove, and White Plains Library Foundation.

2020 Summer Reading Game

2020 Summer Reading Game

The Library's 2020 Summer Reading Game kicks off Monday, July 6 and runs through Friday, August 14! With limited access to the library building this summer, we’re taking our Summer Reading Game completely online. Instead of visiting the Trove or the Edge, you’ll track your reading on the READsquared platform. Visit the READsquared website or download the app to create a free account and get started.  See below for more information on getting started with READsquared.  Note: You can register in READsquared now and sign up for the Summer Reading Game, however not all features will be live until July
Read More

July 28, 2020 10:04 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: books, children, families, reading, reading program, summer programs, summer reading, summer reading game, and teens.

White Plains Summer Reading Lists

White Plains Summer Reading Lists

Around this time of year, we’re usually busy buying and unpacking boxes of books to support the summer reading lists from the White Plains Public Schools. This year, we’re not sure when we’ll be able to order or receive those boxes of books. Instead, we’re offering digital versions of this year’s summer reading recommendations. We ask that everyone be mindful of an important difference between physical books and digital books. Paperbacks and eBooks check out the same way: a book can only be checked out to one person at a time. But eBooks are often four–or even six–times more expensive
Read More

July 28, 2020 10:03 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children, children's literature, reading, school reading lists, summer reading, summer reading lists, and teens.

Summer Reading Highlights: YA Fiction

Summer Reading Highlights: YA Fiction

This summer, there is no single required title on the middle and high school reading lists. Instead, teachers and school librarians have collaborated to come up with several great book recommendations for each grade level. It’s clear that they prioritized titles written by a diverse group of authors and featuring a wide range of characters. With such a variety of titles, everyone will be able to find a book they’ll like. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite book from the recommendations for each grade level. In addition to being available through the school system’s Sora app, these titles are also available
Read More

July 28, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, Observances and Holidays, staff picks, staff recommendations, summer reading, summer reading highlights, teens, and YA Fiction.

Summer Reading Game Kick Off

Summer Reading Game Kick Off

The Library’s annual Summer Reading game starts today, Monday, July 6 and will run through Friday, August 14! Due to the impact of COVID-19 on services, the Summer Reading Game will be completely online this year via the READsquared platform, the READsquared website, or the READsquared app, available for iOS and Android. Get Started! Register and login to READsquared. Individual youth participants can register as themselves, or parents and caregivers can register all of their children at one time. This allows for the adult to also log reading and activities. Once registered, choose and join the appropriate Summer Reading Game
Read More

July 6, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children, families, summer reading, summer reading game, summer reading lists, teens, The Edge, and The Trove.

International Day of Friendship: YA Fiction

International Day of Friendship: YA Fiction

In honor of the International Day of Friendship on July 30, I read When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk, a new release that I’d been looking for an excuse to read. Somewhat ironically, the friendship at the heart of this book actually goes up in flames… but its true value becomes painfully clear through its absence. High school sophomores Cleo and Layla have been best friends for years. But when Layla realizes her dream of joining the school choir and gains a new group of friends, Cleo’s left behind. Flashbacks reveal the initially subtle rift in the girls’ friendship
Read More

June 30, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Friendship Day, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, teens, and YA Fiction.

COVID-19 Mindfulness Book for Children

COVID-19 Mindfulness Book for Children

As our region progresses through the phases of reopening, many parents are beginning to bring our children out into a very different world. A friend, Mandy Facchin, described the stresses of observing new COVID-19 regulations with her two-year-old at a recent pediatrician visit. Mandy, who holds a Master’s degree in education, created a printable book to help her daughter become more comfortable in a mask-wearing world. Each page of the book features a wellness-related affirmation statement and a space for children to add their own illustrations. The affirmations are lovely, a wonderful way for children to practice mindfulness during this
Read More

June 23, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, COVID-19, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books, children, covid-19, and families.

Juneteenth: YA Fiction

Juneteenth: YA Fiction

I didn’t expect to have much trouble gathering some historical fiction titles telling celebratory stories about emancipation. I found one promising book that turned out to be narrated by the daughter of a Texas plantation owner complicit in concealing the news of emancipation—not at all what I was looking for. I continued searching. I found books about slavery during the Revolutionary War, time travel mysteries, and one alternate history featuring Civil War zombies, but I had a hard time finding a perfect fit for Juneteenth. I ended up reading Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. It’s told over the span
Read More

June 17, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Juneteenth, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA Fiction.

July & August Teen Book Clubs

July & August Teen Book Clubs

Virtual book club sessions have been the highlight of spring for librarians Lauren and Kat. We are looking forward to four more sessions this summer, this time with the theme of summer reading. Each month, one book club meeting will feature one title from a Highlands Middle School recommended reading list, and the other will feature a title from the White Plains High School recommended reading list. All four books are available with unlimited copies on Hoopla, and multiple copies on OverDrive. While these books are on recommended reading lists for various grade levels, the book clubs are open to
Read More

June 11, 2020 12:02 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: book club, book discussion, diverse reads, teen book club, teen books, YA books, and YA Fiction.

Antiracism YA Fiction

Antiracism YA Fiction

Typically, when choosing books for my Dive into Diversity posts, I mostly try to avoid titles that focus on racism, police or gun violence, or other trauma. Instead, I prefer to highlight books that show a diverse range of teens dealing with everyday life. In this moment, though, it's time to feature books that demonstrate the impact of violence and oppression on teens. These stories are heavy, but they are important. Especially if you don’t identify with the protagonist, I challenge you to read and consider the character’s situation with an open mind. Let these stories be windows into another
Read More

June 10, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Antiracism, Antiracism Reading List, Dive into Diversity, diversity, eBooks, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Antiracism Resources for Teens & Adults

Antiracism Resources for Teens & Adults

This may seem irrelevant to the topic of antiracism, but I want to start by saying that I’m a knitter. In January 2019, the knitting community began a moment of reckoning with racism in the fiber arts industry. If you’re interested, you can read more about those conversations here, but suffice it to say that this event brought me to a new awareness of racism. After that, I thought a lot more consciously about my privilege, my place as a white librarian working with primarily teens of color, and my responsibility to teach my young children about antiracism. By no
Read More

June 4, 2020 11:26 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Antiracism, Antiracism Reading List, Racism, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA books.

Family Month: YA Fiction

Family Month: YA Fiction

In addition to being Pride Month, June is also Family Month. I wanted to take the opportunity to showcase YA fiction that celebrates families in their many wonderful forms. I’m happy to share one of my favorite YA books, The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend: the story of four teens who share the same sperm donor. Milo Robinson-Clark has serious food allergies; after yet another doctor visit, he makes the decision to track down his sperm donor in hopes of finding medical information. Along with his one known half-sibling, Hollis Darby-Barnes, he embarks on a quest to find genetic relatives.
Read More

June 3, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, diverse reads, Family Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff recommendations, and YA Fiction.

Pride Month: YA

Pride Month: YA

The last couple years have seen an avalanche of excellent YA fiction featuring a broad range of LGBTQIA+ characters. This made it difficult to pick one to review for Pride Month, which is a very good problem to have. I ultimately chose We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra, and absolutely loved it. The story is told entirely through the letters of two high school students randomly paired up for an English assignment. At first, dedicated Walt Whitman cosplayer Jonathan Hopkins and football star Adam Kurlansky seem totally incompatible. But as the weeks pass, their lives slowly intertwine. Jo and Kurl
Read More

May 28, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: LGBTQIA+, Observances and Celebrations, Pride Month, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Virtual Book Club for Teens

Virtual Book Club for Teens

Due to uncertainty about large public gatherings this fall, the Battle of the Books (BOB) competition has been postponed until October 2021. We (librarians and BOB coaches Lauren and Kat) are glad this decision has been made in the interest of safety… but we worry we’ll miss our BOB team too much! So, we’re excited to begin a monthly virtual book club for teens. Each month, we’ll read and discuss a book that’s available with unlimited copies on Hoopla. We’ll also keep our BOB skills sharp with Jeopardy games, trivia questions, and maybe even drills to improve our speed on
Read More

May 20, 2020 11:27 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: battle of the books, book club, book discussion, book group, events, and teen book club.

Bullet Journaling

Bullet Journaling

A few years ago when I returned to work after maternity leave, I found myself struggling to balance my new full-time jobs: mom and librarian. I’ve kept a bullet journal ever since, allowing me to keep my calendar, to-do list, a running list of questions for my pediatrician, and meeting notes all in the same place. My bullet journal has helped me prioritize work tasks, remember funny things my kids say, and train for a half marathon. While my bullet journal is plain and practical, for many it’s an opportunity to incorporate artistic expression and even mindfulness into daily life.
Read More

May 20, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Teens, and Teens.
Tags: Bujo, Bullet journal, bullet journaling, how-to, journaling, and planners.

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month: YA Fiction

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month: YA Fiction

Having missed out on Star Trek as a child, I first heard of George Takei about ten years ago when he began posting hilarious memes on Facebook. More recently, he’s been known for his political activism and for sharing his childhood experience in an internment camp during WWII. This is the topic of his 2019 graphic novel They Called Us Enemy. Takei relates the circumstances of his family’s forced removal from their Los Angeles home and the four years they spent behind bars. He tells the story as he experienced it as a child, layered with facts he learned from
Read More

May 11, 2020 4:35 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Jewish American Heritage Month: YA

Jewish American Heritage Month: YA

While making a list of potential titles for this month, I was drawn to In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton. It’s historical fiction, set in Atlanta in 1959 (rather than WWII, as many other YA historical fiction titles are). I just had to see what the author would do with this setting and time period. When Ruth’s father suddenly dies, her mother resettles the family in a guest house belonging to her own wealthy parents. Ruth’s grandmother is heavily invested in the local debutante scene and encourages Ruth not to mention her Jewish faith around her new
Read More

May 11, 2020 10:32 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: digital audiobooks, eBooks, hoopla, Jewish American Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, OverDrive, and YA Fiction.