An Interview with "Browse the Branches" Winner Penelope Pigeon
Browse the Branches invites Brooklynites to visit all 62 locations in person to see for yourself the unexpected treasures you can find at each Brooklyn Public Library location. We've been amazed by how many winners have already completed the challenge, but this week a very special winner flew into Central Library to collect her prize: Penelope Pigeon. As the first of her species to finish, she was kind enough to let us share her winner questionnaire to help encourage the city's feathered friends to take part in the Browse the Branches challenge. Your name: Penelope PigeonTelephone number…
April 2024 Teen Book Releases
Canto Contigo: a novel by Jonny Garza Villa: In a twenty-four-hour span, Rafael Alvarez led North Amistad High School's Mariachi Alma de la Frontera to their eleventh consecutive first-place win in the Mariachi Extravaganza de Nacional; and met, made out with, and almost hooked up with one of the cutest guys he's ever met. Now eight months later, Rafie's ready for one final win. What he didn't plan for is his family moving to San Antonio before his senior year, forcing him to leave behind his group while dealing with the loss of the most important person in his life-his beloved abuelo.…
Ten YA Books to Read to Celebrate Spring
Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch: High school junior Blaine Bowers has it all—the perfect boyfriend, a pretty sweet gig as a muralist for local Windy City businesses, a loving family, and awesome, talented friends. And he is absolutely, 100% positive that aforementioned perfect boyfriend—senior student council president and Mr. Popular of Wicker West High School, Joey—is going to invite Blaine to spend spring break with his family in beautiful, sunny Cabo San Lucas. Except Joey breaks up with him instead. In public. On their one-year anniversary. Because, according to Joey, Blaine is too…
February is Black History Month: A Booklist
1. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact…
My To-Be-Read (TBR) List for 2024
We're just a few weeks away before 2023 is over. I've been thinking about what books I'd like to finally read. Here's my TBR (so far!) for 2024. 1. Ash by Malinda Lo: In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy and the king's huntress. This is a novel I read about 10 years ago, and I'm so excited to re-read it in 2024! 2. Didn’t See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Playing anonymously as a guy to avoid…
Ten Books to Read During Native American and Native Alaskan Heritage Month
November is National Native American and Native Alaskan Heritage Month. First approved by former President George H. W. Bush in November 1990, it has been observed yearly as both "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month" since 1994. Below are ten books that celebrate Native American and Indigenous voices and history of North America. Fiction 1. Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline: To save her father’s job at the crematorium and the only home she’s ever known, Winifred and her con-…
Five Graphic Novels to Read Now
As someone who loves graphic novels, I'm happily sharing five 2023 releases to check out. 1. Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo Duvall: It’s 1930s Mississippi. Magic is permitted only in certain circumstances, and by certain people. Unsanctioned broom racing is banned. But for those who need the money, or the thrills...it's there to be found. Meet Billie Mae, captain of the Night Storms racing team, and Loretta, her best friend and second-in-command. They’re determined to make enough money to move out west to a state that allows Black folks to legally use magic and take…
October 2023 YA Book Releases
And Don't Look Back by Rebecca Barrow: After her mother's death, teen Harlow pieces together the truth of her family's past and what her mom was hiding from. Beholder by Ryan La Sala: The only survivor of a NYC penthouse party massacre where dead bodies were arranged into disturbingly elegant sculpture, Athan becomes the prime suspect and, desperate to prove his innocence, must confront an ancient evil compelling its victims toward violence, chaos and self-destruction. The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert: Told from multiple points of view, Ardith and Hollis Blackwood's…
A Non-Fiction Booklist
Do you also like to read about science, history, people, etc? Be sure to check out these twelve titles listed below: All Boys Aren't Blue: a memoir-manifesto by George M Johnson: A first book by the prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist shares personal essays that chronicle his childhood, adolescence and college years as a Black queer youth, exploring subjects ranging from gender identity and toxic masculinity to structural marginalization and Black joy. Black Birds in the Sky: the story and legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert: A searing new work of…
Barbieheimer: Which is your choice?
Next week on July 21st, 2023, two highly-anticipated films with award-winning directors are debuting on the big screen: Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Barbie is based on Mattel's popular doll discovering the 'real world' while Oppenheimer tells the story of the creator of the atomic bomb. While the films have completely different genres, they are both stacked with A-list casts and crews and are both expected to be hits at the box office. For Barbie, Margot Robbie stars as the titular character with Ryan Gosling as Ken; Oppenheimer…
Five Books on Grief and Loss
Less than two weeks ago, my Grandma Betty passed away at 101 years old. She lived a long and active life. She and I were also quite close. I moved into her building in 2021 to help take care of her. I'm grieving her death but I'm also relieved to know she is now at peace. Below are five books that address grief and loss well. 1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo: Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see…
June 2023 Teen Book Releases
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione: Basil Eyres and Arabella Oregano are both students of cooking with magic at Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy, and although the two are instantly smitten with each other, Arabella has a secret with the potential to throw Basil's future aspirations into jeopardy. Darkhearts by James L Sutter: When his former bandmate dies, David is thrown back into contact with singer Chance, forcing him to rediscover all the things that once made them so close—and that tore them apart—as he attempts to claim the celebrity he’s been denied. Family Style…
(New) AAPI LGBTQIA+ Reads to Check Out!
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month is almost over, and Pride Month is fast approaching. Below are ten (newer!) books with characters of both identities. Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min: Seventeen-year-old Santi Arboleda finally feels settled in his new life in Los Angeles with a growing found family and a relationship with musical prodigy Suwa--until Suwa is offered the chance to step into the spotlight that he has always denied himselfand they must finally face their dreams, their pasts, and their futures, whether together or apart. Chasing Pacquiao by Rod…
Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month!
In May, the U.S. celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. According to asianpacificheritage.gov/, the month is one for “paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.” In honor of this special occasion, pick up a book (or 10) written by an AANHPI writer and enjoy! Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram: Clinically-depressed Darius Kellner, a high school sophomore, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but it…
Five Books to Read During Autism Acceptance Month
Did you know April is also Autism Acceptance Month? Over 7 million people in the United States are on the Autism spectrum; Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. What is autism? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. The Autism experience is different for everyone. It is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is often referred to as a “spectrum condition” that affects people…
YA Books with Disability Representation
Did you know that March is Disability Awareness Month? Like many other people, I live with multiple invisibile disabilities. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), up to 1 in 4 or 26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability. Below are ten books (fiction and non-fiction) that center disability representation. FICTION: 1. Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester: Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all…
March Teen Book Releases
March is almost here! Here are twelve books to put on hold that will be released next month. 1. Dear Medusa / Olivia A. Cole: Sixteen-year-old Alicia Rivers has a reputation that precedes her. But there's more to her story than the whispers that follow her throughout the hallways at school--whispers that splinter into a million different insults that really mean: a girl who has had sex. But what her classmates don't know is that Alicia was sexually abused by a popular teacher, and that trauma has rewritten every cell in her body into someone she doesn't recognize. To the world…
Love is in the Air, and on the Page!
Happy Valentine's Day! Want a fun romance to read? Look no further than this booklist. 1. 6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe: Penny and Tate have always clashed. Unfortunately, their mothers are lifelong best friends, so the girls’ bickering has carried them through playdates, tragedy, and more than one rom-com marathon with the Moms. When Penny’s mother decides to become a living donor to Tate’s mom, ending her wait for a liver transplant, things go from clashing to cataclysmic. Because in order to help their families recover physically,…
It's #NonfictionNovember!
Did you know it's Nonfiction November? It's a month-long challenge to read more nonfiction books. As someone who loves reading nonfiction, I was super excited to learn about this. If you're interested in trying a book or two before the month is over, here are five recommendations! 1. Better Than We Found It: conversations to help save the world by Frederick Joseph: Every generation inherits the problems created by the ones before them, but no generation will inherit as many problems--as many crises--as the current generation of young people. From the devastations of climate…
Check 'Em Out: Historical Fiction & Fantasy Picks
Fantasy Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer: When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious--even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It's a risk they're both willing to take. This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede: Alessa has a gift from the gods that’s supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, but instead it’s killing every suitor she touches, and with her island in danger and a powerful priest convincing her soldiers that her death is the island’s…