Archives for staff picks

NAACP Image Award Nominees

NAACP Image Award Nominees

The 55th Annual NAACP Image Award Nominees were recently announced. The winners will be awarded on Saturday, March 16th. Below are a list of nominees that we have available in our collection. Click here for our Libby curated list. Literature Love and Justice by Maya Moore Irons and Jonathan Irons All available formats Lucky Me by Rich Paul and Jesse Washington All available formats Nothing is Missing by Nicole Walters All available formats Our Secret Society by Tanisha Ford All available formats Straight Shooter by Stephen A. Smith All available formats And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode
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February 2, 2024 3:34 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: NAACP Image Awards, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New Books in the Edge: January 2024

New Books in the Edge: January 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. Wish of the Wicked by Danielle Paige Grades 7 and up Library Catalog “Centering the sole survivor of a magical coven and using “Cinderella” as a foundation, Paige (the Ravens series) weaves a dark and mysterious telling that delves into the origins of the inspiration
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January 24, 2024 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.

Creepy Chronicles: Deephaven

Creepy Chronicles: Deephaven

For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Deephaven by Ethan Aldridge All available formats here Ready to have a fresh start in life, Nev accepts a prestigious full ride scholarship to Deephaven Academy. Of course, anything that comes free tends to come at a cost, and for Nev, the trouble has only just begun when they hear sobbing and scratches coming through the forbidden East Wing. Will Nev be able to untangle the mysteries within this boarding school while under the threat of expulsion? Scare Factor: 3
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January 19, 2024 10:23 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for kids, Creepy Chronicles, middle grade, middle grade fiction, Spooktober, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Good Trouble: Clothing and Activism

Good Trouble: Clothing and Activism

From the uniforms of the Black Panther Party, to slogan t-shirts, to the audacity of women wearing pants, clothing and fashion are frequently connected to activism. Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter by Aida Salazar, art by Molly Mendoza Library Catalog Perhaps you’ve heard of the legendary Chinese folk hero Mulan, who dressed as a man and goes to battle, however Jovita Valdovinos was a real person who disguised herself so she could take part in the battle for religious freedom in Mexico, and came to be known as “Mexico’s Joan of Arc.”  Filled with beautiful
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January 17, 2024 4:31 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Middle Grade Pick of the Month: Terry’s Crew

Middle Grade Pick of the Month: Terry’s Crew

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! Terry’s Crew by Terry Crews and Cory Thomas All available formats here Terry Crews is a kid with vision – he knows exactly what he’s going to be, and he has plans for getting there! First step is attending the elite Rock City Academy, which will help him learn the skills and make the connections he needs. But middle school can be hard, especially with determined bullies
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January 17, 2024 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.

YA Graphic Novel Picks for February

YA Graphic Novel Picks for February

Graphic novels are so much fun to read. Here some new available titles: LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (Illustrator) (Graphic romance. 13-18) Library Catalog “Vietnamese American Valentina Tran loved Valentine’s Day until freshman year, when her handcrafted cards were mocked by classmates, and her father told her she was too old to still be making annual valentines on behalf of her long-dead mother. Then, during a surprise visit, her estranged paternal grandmother revealed a devastating family secret. Suddenly, Valentina’s invisible childhood companion, a sweet cupid she’d always called Saint V, transformed into an
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January 14, 2024 10:54 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: books for teens, graphic novels, manga, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Graphic Novel Pick of the Month, and YA Graphic Novels.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 16

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 16

BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 16 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 16 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. Better than new: a recycle tale / Mejor que nuevo: un cuento de reciclaje,
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January 13, 2024 4:12 pm | 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.

Favorites From Best Books of 2023

Favorites From Best Books of 2023

Each year, we enjoy looking through the lists of best books of the year, looking to see which opinions we agree with (or not), and checking to see which gems we might have missed ordering earlier in the year. We rejoice when we discover many of the books already in our collection, although we always do end up finding a title or two to order. Read on to see which books on the “Best of 2023” lists were our favorites this year. Raquel’s Favorite 2023 Best Picture Book: Remember by Joy Harjo & Michaela Goade Library Catalog “As the modern
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January 11, 2024 4:34 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: best books of 2023, children's books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA Fiction.

New Books in the Edge: December 2023

New Books in the Edge: December 2023

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. Salt the Water by Candice Iloh Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “A Bronx teen is compelled to explore a free, expressive life by any means necessary. In this novel in verse, Cerulean Gene, a nonbinary Black high school senior, is frustrated with school, especially
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December 20, 2023 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.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 15

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 15

BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 15 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 15 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. Cinco monitos : Colección de oro / Five Little Monkeys : Storybook Treasury, by
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December 15, 2023 2:46 pm | 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.

December Middle Grade Pick of the Month

December 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 Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweis All available formats here Evelyn is determined to do whatever it takes to lead her middle school robotics team to victory – no matter who she runs roughshod over. Allie is new at school and already gotten into fights – too many fights, according to the principal. Successfully working with the robotics team will be her last chance to prove
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December 11, 2023 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.

2023 Staff Favorites

2023 Staff Favorites

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year, featuring literary fiction, audiobooks, fantasy, music, 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 as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Fiction Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah All available formats From the opening page you are hooked, violently, by this book. In this dark, dystopian future, prisoners held within the privatized penal system fight to
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December 5, 2023 3:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: best books of 2023, book recommendations, books, music, staff picks, staff recommendations, and television.

Holiday Books in Spanish

Holiday Books in Spanish

HOLIDAY BOOKS IN SPANISH LIBROS EN ESPAÑOL PARA LOS DÍAS FESTIVOS The winter holiday season is approaching! Celebrate the season with our new Spanish and Spanish/English holiday titles covering Christmas/Navidad and Three King’s Day/Día de Reyes! Las fiestas de invierno ya casi están aquí. Celebre esta temporada con nuestros libros nuevos en español y bilingües (inglés y español) sobre la Navidad/Christmas y el Día de Reyes/Three Kings Day. Una noche más para la Navidad (One Good Night ‘Til Christmas), by Frank Berrios. Library Catalog ¡El gran día está casi aquí! Solo queda “una noche más” para la Navidad. Mientras los
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November 28, 2023 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bilingual, Bilingual books, books for children, holiday books, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, spanish books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Great Podcasts for Kids 8

Great Podcasts for Kids 8

Traveling with kids for the holidays? It’s a great opportunity to listen to a podcast! All of these podcasts should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. Some, however, may be available only through the link provided. If you have some additional great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! Great Podcast’s Greatest Hits It’s been a while since I have posted one of these, so I’m going to first list off some of the podcasts that have been featured in the Great Podcast
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November 22, 2023 11:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for Kids, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New Books in the Edge: November 2023

New Books in the Edge: November 2023

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. The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne by Shannon Takaoka Grades 8 and up Library Catalog “An old journal gives a teen the ability to control the narrative of her life—but at what cost? Gracie is a lover of words and stories. Her imagined life
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November 22, 2023 10:07 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.

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! Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow All available formats Hazel likes her life just the way it is – her family, her hobbies, her chores at the family farm, and her best friend Becca. But when her mom is pregnant (for the third time, after two miscarriages) and redistricting means starting at a new school without her best friend, Hazel’s worry over the upheaval in
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November 13, 2023 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.

Good Trouble: The Young Activist’s Dictionary of Social Justice

Good Trouble: The Young Activist’s Dictionary of Social Justice

Taking part in activism and fighting for social justice and change takes courage, commitment and is often sparked by strong emotions, such as anger, fear, or love. It also takes a lot of information. Being informed allows you to back up your opinions and beliefs with facts: knowledge is power. The Young Activist’s Dictionary of Social Justice by Ryse Tottingham, illustrated by Andy Passchier Library Catalog This is the fourth installment in the Good Trouble series, and while I have mentioned activism and being an activist several times, I’ve taken for granted that those terms are understood. These definitions are taken from
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November 10, 2023 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activism, Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New Books in the Edge: October 2023

New Books in the Edge: October 2023

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. Everyone’s Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “Estranged British Nigerian cousins Iyanu and Kitan are two of the few Black students attending Wodebury Hall, an English countryside boarding school. While day student Iyanu, a budding photographer, prefers to fade into
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October 27, 2023 3:47 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: new books, new in the Edge, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Good Trouble: Being the Change

Good Trouble: Being the Change

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (although not actually said by him), this quote is nonetheless a fantastic statement of purpose and a call to activism.  This installment of Good Trouble features a few books which include words of inspiration from civil rights leaders and young activists, a “how to” guide for kids to be change makers, and more. We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders by Chronicle Books Library Catalog A gorgeously illustrated collection of inspirational quotes from famous, as well as not so well known, individuals
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October 19, 2023 3:17 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Good Trouble, John Lewis, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

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! Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Insha Fitzpatrick All available formats This fangtastic nonfiction guide to vampires digs into the lore, history and pop culture appearances of vampires, arming all its readers with information and food for thought (even literally, with a garlic bread recipe!). Knowledge is power, after all, and this first entry in a series of guides into the
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October 15, 2023 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.