Library Director
bkenney@whiteplainslibrary.org

Becoming a reader can be tough, and not everyone follows the same trajectory in learning to read. One factor that can help–and this is where libraries come in–is to find engaging books that will match a child's interest. Below is a list of high-interest books from the Trove, but if you know a teen who needs encouraging in reading, take a look at the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers–many of these titles will be in the Edge.

How to Survive Anything: Shark Attack, Lightning, Embarrassing Parents, Pop Quizzes, and Other Perilous Situations (Gr 4-9) by Rachel Buchholz, illustrated by Chris Philpot, YA 646.7 B
Tweens can take a break from middle school drama and social politics to enjoy an easy read on surviving the jungle, a desert island, a pop quiz and more. Engaging illustrations combined with an edgy middle-school tone promises to swiftly draw-in the most reluctant tween reader.


Drawing in reluctant readers in is easy once you know their passion. After a few targeted questions you will find subjects in this National Geographic Kid's "Everything" series (J 629.892 S) sure to spark interest. Find subjects as varied as robotics, sports, money and more  with eye-catching graphics.




Have an eight year old who loves superheroes but is a reluctant reader? Try Meet the Marvel Super Heroes by Scott Peterson. The short chapters are accessible to late bloomers in 3rd and 4th grade and feature cool bits of inside information on everyone's favorite Marvel heroes.





Any recent copy of the Guinness Book of World Records is sure to get reluctant readers flipping through the pages in fascination and reading without their even knowing that they're reading! Daring Dogs (J 636.7 M) features records such as the longest tongue - this title is taken by a St. Bernard in South Dakota with a tongue that's 7.31 inches long!

It might feel too cold to dream of that sweet summer sunshine, but it's just the right time to start planning your child's summer camp activities! Saturday, February 3 is the White Plains Recreation and Parks Summer Camp Fair. While you meet and talk to camp directors and staff, your kids can enjoy a magician show at 11:00 a.m., popcorn and crafts. For additional information, call (914) 422-1424.

Iconic American author Ursula K. Le Guin died this week in Oregon at the age of 88.   Described by the New York Times as "an immensely popular author who brought literary depth and a tough-minded feminist sensibility to science fiction and fantasy," Le Guin leaves behind a large and diverse body of work as well as many fans, among them fellow writers.   Neil Gaiman tweeted "Her words are always with us.  Some of them are written on my soul.  I miss her as a glorious funny prickly person, & I miss her as the deepest and smartest of the writers, too."

In honor of Le Guin's passing, and in celebration of National Science Fiction Day (January 2nd), we're checking out her work–see our in-library Le Guin display, on the first floor, near Fiction–and are are adding some new Science Fiction and Fantasy titles to our To Be Read piles.  


Artemis by Andy Weir
In Artemis, the only city on the moon, a 20-something smuggler who dreams of joining the Extravehicular Activity Guild and leading tours on the moon's surface finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy involving a crime syndicate.  



City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
The first book in a trilogy set in 1700s Cairo, Egypt,  “this lyrical historical fantasy debut brings to vivid life the ancient mythological traditions of an Islamic world...Chakraborty’s grasp of Middle Eastern history, folklore, and culture inspires a swiftly moving plot, richly drawn characters, and a beautifully constructed world that will entrance Fantasy afficionados.” –Library Journal



Gnomon by Nick Harkaway
Harkaway, the son of John Le Carre, has written a detective story set in the near future that is a "beguiling, multilayered, sprawling novel that blends elements of Philip K. Dick-tinged sci-fi, mystery, politics, and literary fiction in a most satisfying brew."  –Kirkus Reviews


Iron Gold: Book 4 of the Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown
The story begins ten years after the last book in Brown's popular Red Rising Trilogy ends and marks the beginning of a new series set on Mars.  When asked why he wrote it, Brown remarked:  "To be honest, I was curious. Not just about what happens to an empire once it has been broken, but what rises from the ashes. What happens to rebels once they take on the mantle of rule. Authority is a pressure cooker of responsibility that twists and hardens." –Entertainment Weekly

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
"In this work, billed as a Handmaid's Tale for the new millennium, women in an Oregon fishing town struggle with issues of freedom and identity in a grave new world where abortion and in vitro fertilization are banned. Single-mother Ro wants a baby, talented student Mattie is pregnant without recourse, mother-of-two Susan faces a failing marriage, and Gin brings the plot together when she's arrested for practicing homeopathy." –Library Journal
 

The adjustment for American veterans returning from war extends to their families. “My late father, David Rust, was a member of the ‘Flying Tigers’ that flew dangerous missions over China and Myanmar [Burma] during World War II,” says Irvington-based telecommunications consultant Julia Rust. “I was born after he was discharged from the Air Force, but everything about him until his death in 2014 was influenced by the war—the way he moved, the way he drove, who he was.”

In 2014, Rust and David Surface, director of Veterans Writing Workshop (VWW), organized the first writing workshop for family members in partnership with Family Services of Westchester. “I was a participant in the first workshop we held, and I learned a lot by writing about my dad,” she says.

Families of Veterans Writing Workshop will lead a 10-week program at the Library starting on Tuesday, January 30, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Funding comes from Poets & Writers and the New York State Council on the Arts.

“I have found the workshops to be very moving and therapeutic,” says Rust. “We help family members tell their stories using writing exercises that get to the root of memory and open up creativity. Most compelling to me are those who never knew their fathers.”

At the program’s conclusion on April 17, the participants’ writing will be published in an attractive print anthology, and they will have the opportunity to share their writing at a public reading.

For further information and to register for the workshop, contact Julia Rust: (914) 629-4016; juliarust@verizon.net.

Steve Cohn