Archives for Authors & Books

2022 Staff Favorites

2022 Staff Favorites

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year, featuring mystery, audiobooks, fantasy, and more. It's a wonderfully wide-ranging list, full of lots of surprises, and should help with your holiday shopping or just some entertainment for yourself. Enjoy! Below you'll find a list with links to the catalog or resource where they're available as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Fiction Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Library Catalog This is the sixth novel in the Martin Beck series, Beck being the go-to detective in Sweden's National Homicide Squad
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December 14, 2022 10:00 am | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Local History.
Tags: staff favorites, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 4

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 4

The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a blog – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these picture books. La Biblioteca tiene una colección hermosa de libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en dos idiomas, le estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros ilustrados. El niño de maíz / The Boy of Maize, by Mario Bencastro. Library Catalog Inspirado en el mito maya de la creación, este
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December 14, 2022 9:20 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bilingual, Bilingual books, books for children, picture books, spanish books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New in the Edge

New in the Edge

One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “Queer Jewish love stubbornly blooms despite the cold of a Washington, D.C., winter. Fresh off a cataclysmic first semester of college, Shani is determined to pass her winter break internship
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November 22, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: new books, new in the Edge, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

December Book Bunch

December Book Bunch

Thursday, December 22nd at 4:30 p.m. Click here to register for our Book Bunch Join Caroline for a book discussion and trivia game for 4th through 8th graders! We will be reading Stargazing by Jen Wang. This is a perfect read to celebrate the holiday season. Stargazing is a graphic novel by Jen Wang. The book is about a friendship between two Chinese American girls Christine and Moon. Soon the two girls become best friends and share their favorite books and videos, and confide in each other. When Moon tells Christine a secret (that she has visions from celestial beings),
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November 15, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: book bunch, book discussion, Book discussion for kids, book discussion for middle grade students, and The Trove.

Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month this November by reading one of these selected titles written by Indigenous authors and about Indigenous people and history. Find our Libby list here. As Long as Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker Library Collection: Print Libby: eBook The story of Native peoples resistance to environmental injustice and land incursions, and a call for environmentalists to learn from the Indigenous community's rich history of activism Through the unique lens of Indigenized environmental justice, Indigenous researcher and activist Dina Gilio-Whitaker explores the fraught history of treaty violations, struggles for food and water security, and protection of sacred
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November 13, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books.
Tags: Indigenous authors, Native American Heritage Month, Native American writers, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Celebrate December Holidays (younger kids)

Celebrate December Holidays (younger kids)

The White Plains Public Library is offering a variety of programs celebrating the December holidays this year – we hope you can come and join us! Author Visit & Storytime: Hanukkah Nights Ages 2-6, Families Friday, 11:00 a.m. – December 2 Join author, artist and children’s book creator Amalia Hoffman in celebrating a colorful and creative Hanukkah with her new book Hanukkah Nights! More details can be found here. Hanukkah Grab & Go Kit Available in the Library Lobby starting Monday, December 12 at 10:00 a.m. while supplies last. Hanukkah-themed Grab & Go kits for children in Kindergarten through 3rd
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November 12, 2022 10:12 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Activities for children in Westchester, activities for children in White Plains, children's events, Christmas, December 2022, Feliz Navidad, Hanukkah, holidays, kids, Kwanzaa, performances, programs, Shabe Yalda, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

#WPFreedomToRead Challenge

#WPFreedomToRead Challenge

“I'll be absolutely candid and honest, it's embarrassing that we are banning books in this country, in this culture, in this day and age.” – LeVar Burton As part of our year-long celebration of banned and challenged books, adults and teens are invited to join our #WPFreedomToRead Challenge. It's fun! It's easy! There are prizes! Yes, YOU could win a Kindle Paperwhite or other bookish prize! All you need to do is read banned or challenged books and log what you've read in READsquared. Each banned or challenged book you read and log earns you an entry in our prize
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November 11, 2022 1:51 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: #WPFreedomtoRead, banned books, reading challenge, and ReadSquared.

December Programs for Younger Kids

December Programs for Younger Kids

Great programs for younger children take place all month long, every month, at the Library.  See our online calendar or stop in the Trove for location information. Holiday PreK Grab & Go Kits Available throughout December – More information here. Storytime! Ages 2-6, Families Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. – December 6, December 20, December 27 Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – December 1, December 15, December 29 Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – December 3 Stories, songs and fun with a Trove Librarian. Following Storytime on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the children and caregivers are invited to Toy Time in the Story Trove – a time
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November 10, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Activities for children in Westchester, activities for children in White Plains, children's events, dance, December 2022, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Author Visit Storytimes in December

Author Visit Storytimes in December

Author Visit & Storytime: Hanukkah Nights Ages 2-6, Families Friday, 11:00 a.m. – December 2 Join author, artist and children’s book creator Amalia Hoffman in celebrating a colorful and creative Hanukkah with her new book Hanukkah Nights! Amalia will demonstrate how she created amazing textures for each night of Hanukkah. Children will create their own bright lights and have fun! The presentation will include lighting an electronic menorah, coloring pages and sing-along. Learn more about Amalia Hoffman here. Author Visit & Storytime: Cucarachita Martina Ages 2-6, Families Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – December 10 Listen to New York city author Yadhira
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November 9, 2022 6:27 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: author visit, children's events in White Plains, Hanukkah, storytime, and trove.

Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month

In November we honor the peoples who lived here before European colonization. Their presence continues to be felt and seen everywhere. From teaching the pilgrims how to survive those first bitter Northeastern winters, to the underappreciated part they played on the Underground Railroad, to the Code Talkers who helped us win World War II. There is much about them we still do not know. As we continue to learn their stories, to share their wisdom, and learn from each other, we can take a moment to enjoy the titles below. You can also visit the Smithsonian National Museum of the
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November 9, 2022 3:07 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, November, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, and The Trove.

November Programs for Younger Kids

November Programs for Younger Kids

Great programs for younger children take place all month long, every month, at the Library.  See our online calendar or stop in the Trove for location information. Autumn StoryWalk: Full of Fall On display on the Library Plaza through Wednesday, 11/30 Featuring Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre – a visually stunning picture book that captures the essence of Fall.  More information here. Storytime! Ages 2-6, Families Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. – November 1, November 15, November 29 Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – November 3, November 17 Stories, songs and fun with a Trove Librarian. Following Storytime, the children and caregivers
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November 2, 2022 9:55 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Activities for children in Westchester, activities for children in White Plains, children's events, dance, kids, live music, music, November 2022, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

November Middle Grade Pick of the Month

November Middle Grade Pick of the Month

Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Windswept by Margi Preus Library Catalog: Print Windswept is a story within a story, regaling the reader with a story fit for a fairy tale about the journey of a young girl in search of her lost siblings. In a future of our world, when stories are banned, anyone under the age of fifteen is forbidden from going outside for fear of the wind sweeping them away.
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November 1, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: middle grade, middle grade fiction, Middle Grade Pick of the Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Parenting Collection

Parenting Collection

Did you know the Library has a Parenting Collection in the Trove filled with books for adults and children to help with various topics related to raising a child? Stop in and check it out! The Parenting Collection is a collection of titles to help caregivers raise children from pregnancy through teen years, as well as books written for children to help them understand themselves & the world, organized into topics including: Big Ideas! (social justice & activism, gender identity, racism & prejudice, etc.) Brain & Body COVID Family Illness Family Types Feelings Grief Maturing New Baby New Places Potty
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November 1, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for parents, books on parenting, caregivers, parenting, parenting books, parenting collection, parenting collections, and The Trove.

Freedom to Read Storytime

Freedom to Read Storytime

Wednesday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m. Age group: Children 3+ with their families Location: Auditorium Come celebrate Native American Heritage Month with us with the award-winning title Fry Bread; a Native American Family Story, by Kevin Noble Maillard and The People Shall Continue, by the multi-award winner author Simon J. Ortiz. Have fun with a family game and make a craft to take with you. Freedom to Read Storytime is part of the Library’s #WPFreedomToRead initiative. While the books read may not all be challenged, they represent the topics, themes, and people being censored – themes and creators representing diverse
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October 26, 2022 3:36 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: #WPFreedomtoRead, Freedom to Read Storytime, Native American Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, and storytime.

New in The Edge: October 2022

New in The Edge: October 2022

Nothing beats waking up to a crisp autumn breeze and the aroma of cider filling your room. There isn’t a more perfect time to curl up with a great book. Fall is officially here, and with it, a bounty of new books for you to browse! When you visit the Edge where you’ll find something for every kind of reader.–Alain Laforest Big Lies: From Socrates to Social Media by Mark Kurlansky Grades 7 and up Library Catalog “In this noteworthy guide to media literacy, Kurlansky (Bugs in Danger) details events occurring over the past 300 years to break down the
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October 1, 2022 4:39 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book recommendations, new books, new in the Edge, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

October Middle Grade Pick of the Month

October Middle Grade Pick of the Month

Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Valentina Salazar is NOT a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova Library Catalog: Print Libby: eBook As the title makes clear, the main character of this novel is not a monster hunter – she’s a monster protector! …Or at least she used to be. For all of Valentina’s life, the Salazar family has protected the “monsters” who show up in our world and sent them back where they
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October 1, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: middle grade, middle grade fiction, Middle Grade Pick of the Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Have a Spooktacular October 2022

Have a Spooktacular October 2022

I love October: the weather, the foliage, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and, of course, Halloween and all it entails. From the spooky to the macabre; the decorations and the costumes; the tricks and treats – it’s my favorite time of the year. Here’s some great programs, reading lists and resources to help you have a spooktacular October filled with skele-tons of fun. On October 15th, at 11:00 a.m., Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk brings Spooky (But Not Too) Scary Stories to children and their families! Afterward, children 10+, teens, and adults can join Kruk for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
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October 1, 2022 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Day of the Dead, day of the dead celebration in white plains, Dia de los Muertos, halloween, Halloween Books, Halloween events in Westchester, Halloween events in White Plains, Halloween Movies, Observances and Celebrations, October, Spooktober, and westchester day of the dead celebration.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. My last Peculiar Picks featured the title Yeti, Turn Out the Light! Here’s a big list featuring bigfoots (bigfeet?), sasquatch(es?), and yeti(s?). The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot by Scott Magoon Library Catalog / hoopla In this variation on the classic “Boy Who Cried Wolf” tale, young Ben regularly tells tall tales of seeing bigfoot, and when no one believes
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September 26, 2022 9:27 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bigfoot, children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, Sasquatch, staff picks, staff recommendations, and Yeti.

September Middle Grade Pick of the Month

September Middle Grade Pick of the Month

Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Definitely Dominguita: Knight of the Cape by Terry Catasús Jennings Library Catalog: Print Libby: Digital Audiobook Knight of the Cape is the first book in the Definitely Dominguita series about a young Cuban-American girl who goes on adventures in her neighborhood, inspired by the classic books she reads and rereads to feel close with her abuela, who has moved to Florida. In the first book, Knight of
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September 25, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: middle grade, middle grade fiction, Middle Grade Pick of the Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Banned Books Quiz

Banned Books Quiz

Defend the first amendment and celebrate the freedom to read freely, or as Jay-Z famously said, “We change people through conversation, not through censorship.” In honor of Banned Books Week – September 18 – 24 — please join us at 7:00pm on Wednesday, September 21st via Zoom as author Christopher Finan talks about his book How Free Speech Saved Democracy: The Untold History of How the First Amendment Became an Essential Tool for Securing Liberty and Social Justice. Finan will be interviewed by Oren Teicher, former CEO of the American Bookseller's Association. This event and our banned books title quiz,
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September 18, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: #WPFreedomtoRead, banned books, Banned Books Quiz, and Banned Books Week.