Archives for Featured

September K-6 Programs

For our elementary schoolers, please join us for our programs at The Trove! We have an array of activities for different age groups throughout the month.  LEGO Club! Grades 1-6 Galaxy Hall September 9th @ 3:00-4:30PM September 23rd @ 3:00-4:30PM Drop in and build with the Library's LEGOs. Each session we'll provide a building theme or challenge, but also feel free to just build whatever you want! Builds will be put on display in the Trove.  Creative Spark Grades 3-6 The Castle September 4th @ 3:00-4:30PM Drop in for our art in a bag challenge- you will receive a mystery
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Slow Reading Book Discussion

The Slow Reading Discussion Group will start off the 2024-25 year with a close study of ten stories by the great Canadian master of the form and Nobel Laureate, Alice Munro, who died this past May. Leading the group is Ellen Lambert, who has a Ph.D. from Yale and taught high school English at The Dalton School for over 25 years. For the session on September 9th, please read: “Runaway” — the title story in Munro's collection Runaway (2004); may also be read online in The New Yorker (8/3/2003), where it was originally published. “Soon” — in Runaway and The New Yorker (6/6/2004). This series funded
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Categories: Book Discussion and Featured.

September Is…

Each month a variety of observances and celebrations take place, from well-known holidays to much lesser known fun (and downright funny or strange!) observances. Library Card Sign-Up Month Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss Library Catalog When the farmyard animals need a diversion, they wander into town and discover the library. None of them can make themselves understood by the librarian–until the hen enters and clucks, Book! Book! BOOK! Soft, naive watercolor paintings illustrate the satisfying story with its witty conclusion. The Library Book by Tom Chapin Library Catalog This cheerful picture book opens on a rainy Saturday morning. While
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

New Books in the Edge: August 2024

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. Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers Grades 8 and up Library Catalog “Two hundred years after the wraith wars, Parson Rainier Worthington, an infamous member of the Order of Guardians, awakens from his scarecrow form to help an 18-year-old girl save the
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

August 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! The Treasure of Maria Mamoun by Michelle Chalfoun All available formats here After a bullying incident gets physical, Maria’s mother finds a new job and whisks them away from the city to Martha’s Vineyard. Here, Maria begins to come out of her shell and feel safe again – only to realize that their time there has an imminent deadline. When she finds a treasure map, she thinks
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

August Creepy Chronicles

For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Not Quite a Ghost  by Anne Ursu All available formats here A middle-grade retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper,  12-year-old Violet is struggling with all the changes in her life, from moving into a creaky old home, middle school woes, and a mysterious lingering illness. As her sickness forces her to rest in her creepy vine and flower wallpapered room, she starts to see something, or someone, taking shape. This book is everything I would have wanted to read growing up.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 23

BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 23 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 23 The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we are featuring our beautiful new books in a monthly 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 presentamos nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros ilustrados. Mealtime / ¡A comer!, por Elizabeth Verdick Library Catalog Mealtime -”yummy in the tummy
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Good Trouble: Music – Protest and Activism, Part 3

This installment of Good Trouble continues a look at the strong connections between music and activism, as well as individual artists who have made an impact.  In this post, find books related to two powerful songs:  “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”  For earlier Good Trouble: Music – Protest and Activism posts, click here: Part 1 and Part 2. “We Shall Overcome” We Shall Overcome: the Story of a Song by Debbie Levy, art by Vanessa Brantley-Newton A bright and colorful introduction to the Civil Rights movement, the history of the song, and its place in history
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

After Hours for White Plains Teens in Grades 9-12

As part of a citywide initiative to provide more evening activities for high schoolers, the Library is excited to offer regular evening programming for teens. Monthly, the Library will host After Hours at the Library. This is a special event, when the Library is not open to the general public, on the first Friday of the month from 6:00 – 9:00 pm for high school students who live in the city of White Plains. For the September 6 event, we'll have video games, arts and crafts, Legos, a session of Dungeons and Dragons, and more. 2024-25 Dates: September 6 October
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Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, and Teens.

New Books in the Trove: July 2024

We have new books coming in all the time with them on display right as you enter the Trove. Here’s some of our recent favorite new titles! For Wee Ones Alphabot: Mix and Match Robot Parts From A to Z by Vicky Fang Birth to 3 years old Library Catalog “Fine. I’m a sucker for the mix and match books. So sue. This is actually a STEM board book/mix and match title, which puts it in the company of … no other books out there. So it’s definitely on the older side, but these robotic terms aren’t pushy at all.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

New Books in the Edge: July 2024

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. Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood Grades 9 and up Library Catalog  “A superhuman teen reluctantly teams up with a vampire to avenge her family and kill the monsters who enslaved her. Set during the U.S. Civil War, in an alternate universe where the real-life horrors
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Edge Summer Reading 2024

Summer Reading at White Plains Library begins Monday, July 1st and runs through Friday, August 30th. For Grades 7-12 summer reading, visit the Edge to sign up. Join us for our summer reading kick-off party on Monday, July 1 from 4-6 PM. We will have pizza, drinks, games, a scavenger hunt, and giveaways. For Grades 7-12 Let us know what you’re reading this summer, whether you read one book or fifty. Here’s how we’re tracking points along the way: 1 Book = 1 piece of candy and 1 raffle ticket 5 Books = coupon for 1 free ice cream scoop
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Trove Summer Reading 2024

Summer Reading at White Plains Library begins Monday, July 1st and runs through Friday, August 17th. As part of the kick-off for Summer Reading 2024, on July 1-3, while supplies last, when a child signs up for summer reading, they will receive a free, age-appropriate, mystery bag of 3-4 books! For PreK: Kids and Parents will receive a bingo board. Each bingo board returned earns you a coloring page and an entry to the summer reading prize raffle. For Grades K-6: Kids will receive a booklet that has the reading log, treasure map activities, and a sidequest booklet for extra
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

August Is…

Each month a variety of observances and celebrations take place, from well-known holidays to much lesser-known fun (and downright funny or strange!) observances. Happiness Happens Month Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head by Stella Dreis Library Catalog A cauliflower hat, a fish bonnet, a few large animals, a flying boar called Melvin, and a whole lot of watermelons come together in this wacky tale told in rhyme. To the villagers who watch her going about her day, it is clear that Miss Jolly is irritatingly happy. Her never-ending cheerfulness leaves three of her neighbors highly confused and jealous, driving
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

July 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! Shiny Misfits by Maysoon Zayid and Shadia Amin All available formats here Bay Ann knows that she’s destined for stardom, but when fellow student Alyee Maq gets his fifteen minutes of fame off of her victory (and assumed helplessness due to her cerebral palsy), she’s determined to kickstart her stardom and outshine him, whatever the cost! But is her potential fame really worth what she’s willing to
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

July Creepy Chronicles

For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn All available formats here Graphic Novel adaptation illustrated by Scott Peterson Physical format available here eComic available on Hoopla Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 22

BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 22 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 22 The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we are featuring our beautiful new books in a monthly 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 presentamos nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros ilustrados. Little Red Riding Hood / La caperucita roja, de Joana Costa Knufinke Library Catalog
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Greater Mental Health of New York

Mental health is a vital component of overall well-being, influencing how individuals think, feel, and act in their daily lives. Despite its importance, many communities face significant barriers in accessing the mental health care they need. Financial constraints, social stigma, and a lack of local resources often prevent individuals from seeking help, exacerbating the challenges they face. In response to these issues, the White Plains Public Library and Greater Mental Health of New York have instituted a weekly service that enhances community well-being through accessible mental health resources. Every Tuesday, from 12:30-4:00 p.m., two peer specialists are available in the
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Categories: Featured and Homepage.

Summer 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. Some programs require advance registration, while others may require a ticket. If registration is required, details will be provided for how to register on our online calendar. If a program requires a ticket, tickets will be handed out on a first come, first served basis starting 30 minutes before the program. Yoga for Kids! Ages 5-9 Mondays, 2:00 p.m. – July 1, 8, 15, 22; August 5, 12 Ticket required.  Please pick up
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

What’s Next in the Edge: July and August

Read on to find out about the activities we've planned for grades 7-12 this summer. As usual, we have a lot going on. Stop by anytime during Edge hours to say hello and find out more about the Edge. Edge Hours Monday – Thursday: 1:00-8:00 p.m. Friday: 1:00-6:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 1:00-5:00 p.m. Drop-in Activities No registration is required for these ongoing programs for grades 7-12. Video Game Time Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during Edge hours. Tech Tuesday Youth in grades 4-12 will learn about new technology topics on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. Thoughtful Thursday Take time for a
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.