Archives for Authors & Books

New Young Adult Fiction

Despite the supply chain chaos that seems to have followed us into 2022, we’re still frequently ordering and receiving new books for our collection. I love 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. At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “The young adults who inhabit private company–run Hope Juvenile Treatment Center in rural Arkansas
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Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Girl Power Picture Books

Gathered together here to celebrate Women’s History Month are noteworthy picture books written by diverse authors of great girls celebrating themselves and others, sharing family traditions, and reveling in both small and large accomplishments. I recommend as a great resource for Women’s History Month the National Women's History Museum. The museum’s resources include interesting online exhibits, digital classroom resources, Brave Girl Virtual Storytimes, and more. Enjoy sharing these with your young feminists of all genders! K-3 Women's History Grab & Go Kits will be available Monday, March 7th while supplies last. Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand, Nabi H. Ali &
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Children’s Titles to Celebrate Black History Part 2

Veronica Chambers writes in her New York Times article, How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now, ”Why does Black History Month in particular, and the study of Black history overall, still matter so much? ‘There’s no question that history is and continues to be a battleground. The origin stories that we tell matter a great deal for where we set the bar and how we set the bar going forward,’ noted Professor Jones, of Johns Hopkins. ‘So when you talk about people like Carter G. Woodson, these are men who knew that if you
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Parenting Collection: Friendship

Given that February is commonly referred to as the month of love, it seems like a good time as parents to talk to our children about friendship, sharing, and empathy. In that vein, here are some great books from our Parenting collection that focus on these topics. A Little SPOT of Giving: A Story About Sharing and Generosity by Diane Alber Find me on the Library Catalog! Other books in this series can be found here. This book is part of a series called Inspire To Create A Better You! They are all great books to use with your children.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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. I’ve mentioned my enjoyment of the works of Dan Santat on several previous occasions. So here are four more works either illustrated by or written and illustrated by Dan Santat. These books were all huge hits with my six-year-old daughter, especially Little Fox and the Wild Imagination (which became a great read together as she read Little Fox’s parts
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Essential Cookbooks

Librarians love to create lists, and at the end of each year we publish lists ranging from the best picture books for children to the best audiobooks. But one of my favorites is Essential Cookbooks, a selection of cookbooks for public libraries. This wonderful list highlights titles for both avid home chefs and those just learning the rewards of making a meal. The list also supports those who appreciate the many joys of reading cookbooks, even if they rarely venture into the kitchen! These books are sure to become reliable favorites and nourish readers, today and for years to come.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Director's Corner, and Library News.

African American Children’s Authors

Enjoy these wonderful tales of triumph, challenges, hope and above all, love. Stacey’s extraordinary words, by Stacey Abrams Library Catalog / Libby How to read a book, by Kwame Alexander Library Catalog I am every good thing, by Derrick D. Barnes Library Catalog / eBook / Audiobook The king of Kindergarten, by Derrick Barnes Library Catalog / Libby Zuri Ray tries ballet, by Tami Charles Library Catalog When we say Black Lives Matter, by Maxine Beneba Clarke Library Catalog / Libby We shall overcome, by Bryan Collier Library Catalog / Libby Parker looks up: an extraordinary moment, by Parker Curry
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Black History Month STEAM Program

For Black History Month, we’re hosting a STEAM program that will include a LEGO Grab & Go kit. First, we’ll read about African American leaders in space exploration. Then we’ll learn about the constellations that helped with navigation on the underground railroad, and use LEGO pieces to create the Big Dipper. Join us on Tuesday, February 22nd at 4:00 p.m. Supplies are limited, so register through our online calendar here. Suggested Reads: Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty Library Catalog Ada had a lot of questions about the world around her. She asked her parents so many questions and they
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

2022 ALA Youth Media Awards Winners

On January 24, 2022 the American Library Association (ALA) announced its 2022 Youth Media Award winners. These awards are presented annually and recognize amazing contributions to the body of literature for children and teens. The entire awards presentation can be viewed here. Congratulations to all of the winners! Look for all of these great titles in the Library’s online catalog, as well as in eBook formats from Libby or Hoopla. John Newbery Medal For the most outstanding contribution to children's literature “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barba Higuera Four Newbery Honor Books “Red, White, and Whole” by Rajani LaRocca “A
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

The Year of the Tiger: Craft & Books

Tigers are the third of the Chinese zodiacs. According to legend, Tiger was confident that no one could compete with its speed and vigor for the celestial race that would decide the order of the zodiacs. However, when Tiger climbed out of the river, thinking it was first, it was informed that Rat placed first for its cunning and Ox placed second for its diligence. This left the king of the jungle having to settle for third place. Tigers are courageous and active people who love a good challenge and adventure in life. Like their eponymous zodiac animal, people born
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Announcing the Winter 2021 Project LIT Titles

Since becoming a Project LIT chapter, we’ve enjoyed reading and discussing Project LIT books with kids and teens. Last month, we were thrilled to see the announcements of new titles in the Winter 2021 Project LIT book list. We’re excited to share the list with you, and to highlight a couple titles that are of particular interest to our librarians. You can find the full Project LIT book lists for Middle Grade and Young Adult on the Reading Lists page of our website. Middle Grade: Ashley’s Picks Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim Libby Library Catalog This book has
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Holocaust Remembrance Author Event

The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. To find out more, click here. Find our OverDrive/Libby reading list here. Holocaust Remembrance Day Virtual Author Visit Thursday, January 27th 4:30–5:30 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link. Join us for a visit from author Michelle Bisson to discuss her book, Hedy's
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

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. While looking for dragon books for the October 14, 2021 Peculiar Picks, I discovered there are so many awesome dragon books, so, there will be more draconic Peculiar Picks, including this one, to come, some around certain recurring themes. This month, we look at dragons and their eating habits. What do you think dragons like to eat? The Yin
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Children’s Nonfiction Titles to Celebrate Black History Part 1

The banning of children’s books on Black history (And children’s books on the LGBTQIA+ experience) has greatly risen recently throughout the United States. Students and teachers are fighting back. One student and teacher victory (for now) led to the rescinding of a book ban instituted by the Central York Pennsylvania School District board. Alyssa Shotwell wrote in her article in the Mary Sue, “Last year, heated school debates resulted in the York, Pennsylvania schools banning (and, in some cases, holding ongoing ‘reviews’ of) a four-page list of materials. In the list sent to teachers across the Central York District, books
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Most Popular 2021 Checkouts

Below is a list of the 2021 top 5 most popular fiction, nonfiction, films, TV shows, children's books, and YA titles based on the number of times they've been checked out from our collection. We told you what our staff loved last year, well, here's what was most popular among your fellow Library patrons. I'm sure you'll notice a few trends – our patrons really love mysteries, intrigue, cookbooks, and Peppa Pig! Fiction The Affair by Danielle Steel (Library Collection / OverDrive & Libby) The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Library Collection / OverDrive & Libby) The Bounty: a
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, and Library News.

January 2022 LibraryReads

Here are the books published this month that librarians across the country love. The Maid by Nita Prose Library Collection: Print OverDrive & Libby: eBook / Audiobook “As a maid in a posh hotel, Molly is very proud of her work and the care she takes of the guests, even though she often has difficulty navigating social cues. When she finds a wealthy guest dead, she never imagines she has the keys to uncover a killer, and finds, after the death of her beloved Gran, there are many people willing to help her. For fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

Battle of the Books… Club!

Join librarians Kat and Lauren for a new book club in the new year. We'll meet each month for a book discussion and a game, in the beloved Battle of the Books (BOB) trivia format. Read some awesome books and then team up with your friends to show off your book knowledge in a fast-paced tournament. We have so much fun with our annual Battle of the Books tournament, and we're excited to be able to offer BOB events year-round. In January, we're reading It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas. We'll meet on Monday, January 3rd, at 5:00
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Project LIT Book Club for Kids & Tweens

Wednesday, January 12th 4:30–5:45 p.m. Click here to register. Join librarians Ashley and Caroline for a book discussion and trivia game for 4th to 8th graders. We will be reading When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. We will provide a free copy of the book for the first five individuals to register for the discussion. When the books are available, we will email to arrange pickup; please list an email address when registering. You can place a hold on the print book with your library card using our catalog here. If you prefer the eBook, you
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Día de Reyes

Se acerca la temporada navideña, y con ella, las reuniones con amigos y familiares. Entre bromas, recuerdos, nuestros platillos preferidos y varias generaciones alrededor de la mesa, recordamos lo mejor que la vida nos ofrece. Esperamos que disfruten de esta muestra de recursos en español y/o bilingües de la Biblioteca para ayudarles a festejar esta temporada tan especial. ¡Feliz Navidad, Feliz Año Nuevo, Feliz Día de Reyes! Celebra la Navidad y el Día de los Reyes Magos con Pablo y Carlitos, por Alma Flor Ada. La Biblioteca / eBook Las Navidades: popular Christmas songs from Latin America, por Lulu Delacre.
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

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. As 2021 wraps up, I thought I’d focus on some of my favorite peculiar picture books of the year that haven’t been featured in other Peculiar Picks posts. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld Library Catalog / eBook Selected as a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year, I
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.