Archives for Authors & Books

Dive into Diversity: YA Historical Fiction

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature books written by authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity, as much as possible. This month, with the Fourth of July approaching, I'm highlighting some great YA books in the historical fiction genre. Not all of them are set in the United States, but many of the titles below examine events in U. S. history from a perspective that's different from the dominant
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Dive Into Diversity: Summer Reads

Summer is here! To celebrate the season, I have gathered together some great, diverse books about summertime. Parents might also like checking out Rebekah Gienapp’s blog, Summer Reading: 15 Diverse Picture Books Kids Will Love. Listed below are books for both younger and older children available as eBooks and audiobooks on OverDrive, Hoopla, and also in the Westchester Libraries. Enjoy! For Younger Readers: Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child, Gordon Jourdain & Jonathan Thunder (Grades K-2) Library Catalog “Ojibwe protagonist Windy Girl and her new dog, Itchy Boy, enjoy many good times, but none are so good as when they
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

The Trove’s Summer StoryWalk

Who Am I? by Armando & Frederick Monday, July 12th – Friday, August 20th Take a stroll in the Garden Plaza and along your way enjoy the book, Who Am I? written by Armando and Frederick. Who Am I? is a cute and healthy story about fruits and vegetables that is perfect for the summer! There will be kits available in the Library’s lobby that will include a follow-up STEAM activities sheet and a craft (some seeds too!)* for you and your family to do and enjoy at home or outdoors. *craft and seeds available while supplies last. Below you
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Summer Events for Teens

Check out the Library’s lineup of programs in July and August for Grades 7-12! Note: Youth-focused virtual programs require a registered Zoom account. Creating an account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. Summer Reading at White Plains Public Library: 6/28 – 8/20 Summer Reading at the Library kicks off Monday, June 28 and runs through Friday, August 20. Reading activity will be logged online with READSquared. More information on Summer Reading at White Plains Public Library can be found here. Grab&Go: Kits Grab&Go: Kits are fun and educational activities to do at home. Kits are available in a variety of
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Summer Events for Gr. K-6

Check out the Library’s lineup of programs in July and August for Grades K-6! Note: Youth-focused virtual programs require a registered Zoom account. Creating an account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. Summer Reading at White Plains Public Library: 6/28 – 8/20 Summer Reading at the Library kicks off Monday, June 28 and runs through Friday, August 20. Reading activity will be logged online with READSquared. More information on Summer Reading at White Plains Public Library can be found here. Grab & Go: Kits Grab & Go: Kits are fun and educational activities to do at home. Kits are available
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, 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. As mentioned in the first Peculiar Picks about Song Books, music is a constant in our household. All kinds of music. Here are some more books based on songs that are absolutely full of positive vibes, as well as some links to the music that inspired the books. Note: I recommend caregivers listen to the music for themselves before
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Picks

Each June we celebrate LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and all of the other sexualities, sexes, and genders that aren't included in these few letters) Pride Month to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. The purpose of this month is to both celebrate and recognize the impact and legacy of LGBTQIA+ individuals. To help celebrate, we've collected a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles and themed films available through our catalog and on our streaming services. If you'd like to take part in local Pride Month events, we recommend checking out the LOFT LGBTQ+
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

June 2021 LibraryReads

Here are the books published this month that librarians across the country love. Find out more here. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston Library Catalog: Print OverDrive & Libby: eBook / audiobook “A phenomenal read with well-developed diverse characters and a unique, compelling plot. For August, romance is way at the bottom of her to-do list. Then she meets mysterious Jane, who's always on the same subway car no matter where or when August gets on. Before she knows it, they are a thing, with a circle of friends to share their life. There’s only one catch: Jane isn't really
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

National Dinosaur Day

Dinosaurs roamed our planet sixty-five million years ago and children are fascinated by these ancient creatures. Whether it’s because of their size, movie lore, or epic extinction, dinosaurs have always been popular among children. To celebrate International Dinosaur Day on June 1, we put together some Grab & Go kits for a fun dino egg experiment. The project is geared toward children in kindergarten through third grade, but older kids might find it fun as well. The Experiment: The kit includes a plastic dinosaur, a balloon, and instructions for how to create and hatch your own dinosaur! Around the house,
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Celebrate Pride 2021 with Children’s & YA Books!

LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and all of the other sexualities, sexes, and genders that aren't included in these few letters) Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, which took place in New York City. The Stonewall riots marked the beginning of a movement to abolish discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQIA+ persons in the United States, which continues to our present day. Pride celebrates the achievements of LGBTQIA+ Americans, and it highlights the work that continues in order to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for those in the LGBTQIA+
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

The Fight for Voting Rights

The fight for the right to vote has been an ongoing struggle in the United States since this country's founding, and continues to this day. Right now, we are living in the midst of an important historical moment in our country’s fight for democracy, and I hope this blog can offer parents and students resources for understanding the past and our present history. I found The Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Things Explained: The History of U.S. Voting Rights” video to be a helpful, condensed kid-friendly video that explains this country’s voting rights struggles (especially the struggles of our country’s Black citizens).
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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. Robots may be machines, but these stories about robots teach us a lot about being human. Here are some robot books filled with humor, joy, kindness, empathy, and heart. Ultrabot’s First Playdate by Josh Schneider Library Catalog A young girl and the giant robot next door is the basic premise of this awesomely illustrated book. Ultrabot is worried and
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, and Library News.

Grown Up Comic Series on hoopla

I’ve enjoyed comics for a long time, but I admittedly do not like the process of waiting for new issues, new collections, and the length of time to find out what happens!?!?! These fantastic series, most definitely intended for grown-ups, are all available currently on hoopla and completely finished – just waiting for you to binge read them! Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips A lushly illustrated pulp noir thriller mashed up with Lovecraftian horror? It’s as amazing as it sounds, from one of the greatest writers in comics today. I have long wanted the cover of Volume 1:
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, 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. Reading these fun pictures books about Vikings lead to my daughter becoming interested in learning more about Vikings and Norse Mythology. The Three Vikings by Adam Auerbach Library Catalog A red Viking, a blue Viking, and a wee green Viking set off on adventures seeking entry to the fabled Valhalla. Red is super strong, Blue is very brave, but
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Mexican-American Heritage!

Cinco de Mayo marks the unlikely defeat of a large, well-trained French invading force by an undermanned Mexican army in the Battle of Puébla on May 5,1862. The victory against the French forces prevented Emperor Napoleon III from helping the Confederacy win the American Civil War. Dave Roos, on the History Channel’s webpage, “How Cinco de Mayo Helped Prevent a Confederate Victory in the Civil War,” writes,“Napoleon figured if he could get his hands on Mexico, it could become the first colony in a new French stronghold in North America. Abraham Lincoln was busy fighting the Civil War, so the
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Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.

May the Fourth Be with You!

Happy Star Wars Day! For additional reads and activities to celebrate, check out our previous May the Fourth Be With You blog posts! Below find some newer Star Wars books, along with some fun activities. Stars Wars Books for Younger Readers Star Wars Galactic Storybook by Calliope Glass, illustrated by Katie Cook eBook / Library Catalog A fun retelling of Skywalker Saga for younger readers with exceedingly cute illustrations. A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibber, illustrated by Mike Deas eBook / Library Catalog Experience training with Luke Skywalker on Dagobah and receive Jedi wisdom from Master Yoda in
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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 putting together last week’s Peculiar Picks for Earth Day, I noticed I had several tree-centric books. It only made sense, then, with Arbor Day on April 30, to compile an Arbor Day list. On the last Friday each April, National Arbor Day celebrates planting trees and what that tree will provide into the future: “clean air and water,
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Categories: Authors & Books, Kids, and Library News.

May 2021 LibraryReads

Here are the top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love. Find out more here. People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry Library Catalog: Print OverDrive & Libby: Audiobook “An aching slow-burn romance focused on chaotic sprite Poppy and buttoned up Alex and their twelve years of summer vacations. Set in present day Palm Springs and interspersed with flashbacks from the previous vacations, this story is full of yearning, friendship, and discussions of what it means to find a home. For fans of This Time Next Year, One Day in December, and Waiting for Tom
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Celebrate Moms & Grandmas Around the World!

This year, Mother’s Day is celebrated on Sunday, May 9th. Moms and grandmas are special the world-over! Scholastic has put together a nice article on Mother’s Day traditions around the world which I thought would be worthwhile sharing here: “Mother's Day Traditions Around the World”. I also recommend taking a look at Charnaie’s diverse and inclusive booklist on her Here Wee Read blog, “I'll Always Love My Mama – 25 Picture Books to Celebrate Mom on Mother's Day or Any Day”. Celebrating the moms and grandmas in your life this year may be challenging, but hopefully this booklist of picture
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.