We're thrilled to announce that the Westchester Battle of the Books tournament is returning to its original, in-person format this year! Read on to find out more about the tournament, our plans for the team, and most importantly, the books! This year's Battle of the Books tournament will take place on Saturday, October 21 at Ossining High School. We are putting together a teen team this year for teens who will be in grades 6-12 in fall 2023. We've set up a couple of interest meetings for any and all interested teens: Fridays June 9 and June 30 at 4
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Archives for YA Fiction
Five Strong Female Characters in YA Fiction
This month we're celebrating strong heroines in our young adult (YA) fiction collection. Read on for YA Librarian Lilian's recommendations for books that feature capable and inspiring female protagonists. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn Grade 8 and up Library Catalog: All available formats “Sixteen-year-old Black whiz kid Bree Matthews battles grief and demonic forces on her college campus. After her mother dies in an accident, Bree begins a residential program for enterprising teens at her mother’s alma mater and, soon after her arrival, witnesses a magical attack that triggers hidden memories about the evening her mother was killed. Haunted by the
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Author Visit: Ryan Estrada, Banned Book Biographer
Ryan Estrada, Banned Book Biographer Author Visit & Book Discussion Tuesday May 9 at 6:00 p.m. VIRTUAL – a free, registered Zoom account is required to join the program. Sign into the Zoom for the Event here. What can you do to help fight censorship and book bannings? Find out here. Reading banned books can help change your life, or even change the world. Author Ryan Estrada learned this in writing a number of graphic novels on the topic. In Occulted, he and Amy Rose wrote about how she grew up in a cult just down the road from
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New Books in the Edge: April
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. Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby Grades 7 and up Library Catalog / Libby “In a far future with quantum communication and teleportation, something goes terribly wrong. After 6 years apart, it’s time for 17-year-old Jessica to be reunited with her parents—but at the cost
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Celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month
National Arab American Heritage Month takes place in April; and it celebrates Arab American heritage & culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans. In April 2021, President Biden and the U.S.Department of State recognized April as National Arab American Heritage Month. The President wrote in his letter commemorating the event, “The Arab American community exemplifies so much of what our country stands for: hard work, resilience, compassion, and generosity… Diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and it is essential that we continue celebrating, promoting, and educating others about the myriad ways that the
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Book Clubs for Teens
Join us for a series of book club events for teens! We have a range of options for tweens and teens from grades four through twelve. We hope to see you there! From Page to Picture The Edge Grades 7-12 Each month we'll pick a YA book/movie pairing. Read the book before the event, then join us to watch the movie and debate the relative merits of each medium. Sunday April 30 at 1:15 p.m. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon Library Catalog / Libby Friday May 26 at 3:30 p.m. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Library
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book clubs, book clubs for teens, The Edge, and YA Fiction.
New Books in the Edge: March
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. Stateless by Elizabeth Wein Grades 6 and up Library Catalog / Libby “Intrigue and danger in the air and on the ground make for an exciting read that is steeped in interwar history. In late August 1937, Stella North, 17, is representing Britain by flying
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New Books in the Edge: February 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. Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz Grades 9 and up Library Catalog / hoopla / Libby “Josh Rueter and his influencer girlfriend, Amelia Ashley, travel to Rome for vacation, but when only Josh returns home and Amelia's busy social media goes dark, he is
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New Books in the Edge
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 Davenports by Krystal Marquis Grades 8 and up Library Catalog “Set in 1910, this novel offers readers a glimpse inside the lives of a wealthy Black family from Chicago, the titular Davenports. This novel centers around three teens in the family: Olivia, John, and
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New in the Edge
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. How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “Queer Jewish love stubbornly blooms despite the cold of a Washington, D.C., winter. Fresh off a cataclysmic first semester of college, Shani is determined to pass her winter break internship
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New in The Edge: October 2022
Nothing beats waking up to a crisp autumn breeze and the aroma of cider filling your room. There isn’t a more perfect time to curl up with a great book. Fall is officially here, and with it, a bounty of new books for you to browse! When you visit the Edge where you’ll find something for every kind of reader.–Alain Laforest Big Lies: From Socrates to Social Media by Mark Kurlansky Grades 7 and up Library Catalog “In this noteworthy guide to media literacy, Kurlansky (Bugs in Danger) details events occurring over the past 300 years to break down the
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New Books in the Edge: September 2022
Fall weather is reading weather! Whether you're searching for avant-garde science-fiction, true stories of perseverance, or spooky tales, here are a few of titles coming to the Edge shelves this month.–Alain Laforest Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, Evelyn Skye Grades 7 and up Library Catalog “The book is set during the Halloween season in Moon Ridge, a town with a mysterious legend tied to the holiday. This legend tells of a young lady who, once a century, haunts the area on Halloween night, granting romantic wishes. Familiar with the local lore, teens Onny, Ash, and True
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New in the Edge: August 2022
From great new books to favorite classic reads, the Edge is here to share the exciting world of young adult literature. It is with great pleasure that I get to shed light on some of the latest titles in the Edge. Come discover some of the latest and greatest YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month.–Alain Laforest Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan Grades 10 and up Library Catalog “Immy has been in love before, but her relationships always end—because she's a vampire. She's had many lovers, and she remembers them all. Sometimes these memories are a curse: every
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New in the Edge: June 2022
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. Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho Grades 8 and up Library Catalog “When they were 10, Elena Soo and Robbie Choi promised to go to prom together; seven years later, Robbie, now a member of world-famous K-pop group WDB, shows up on Elena’s doorstep.
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New in the Edge: May 2022
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. Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past. Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman’s original plans, but she nevertheless ended up
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New in the Edge: April 2022
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. Gallant by V. E. Schwab Grades 8 and up Library Catalog / Libby “The Merilance School for Girls isn't the worst of places to grow up, but for orphaned Olivia Prior, who has always felt like an outsider, it is an isolating one. For Olivia,
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New in the Edge: March 2022
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. Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon Grades 9 and up Library Catalog / Libby “Dhillon’s debut centers on high-schooler and Sikh Sunny G, who is determined to make the most of his life after his brother, who battled alcoholism, passes away.
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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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Dive into Diversity: Most Popular YA of 2021
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 authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity as much as possible. For the last post of 2021, I looked at the circulation data for the YA fiction collection to see which books checked out the most. I came up with this list of the top ten most popular YA fiction books published in 2021, written by authors with diverse perspectives. When You Look
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Dive into Diversity: YA Fantasy
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 authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity as much as possible. This month we have the last genre theme for the year: my favorite, YA fantasy. This month I read Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, which had been on my list for quite a while–so long, in fact, that its sequel was recently published. I had high hopes, and Raybearer exceeded them. The story
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