The month of November is the time of the year we bring into focus the giving of thanks through our historical and cultural celebration of Thanksgiving. Giving thanks frequently can turn into a mindset of gratitude. More and more we hear of the “science of gratitude” with social scientists pointing to an ever-growing body of evidence showing that actively practicing gratitude has measurable health benefits. Being grateful affects our hormones, neural pathways, and can influence our behaviors and more.

Every night I open up my Netflix app and swipe aimlessly for about half an hour, trying to pick something good to watch, until finally giving up. Yes, I give up, but I must admit that scrolling around for half an hour is also quite relaxing. I get to find titles I never would have come up upon had I just picked my straight go to movie or show. The other day, the newly released, LeBron produced movie called Rez Ball came up. I was so excited because I hadn’t heard of the book title being made into a movie. I knew about the book, and I was beyond excited when it came to print. With that being said, I recommend reading the book and them watching the movie.

As much fun as afterschool gaming with your friends can be, sometimes you might just want a book to relax with. So below are a few titles inspired by video games or popular apps. Enjoy!

Summer reading program is back at the Whitefish Bay Public Library from June 12 through August 26.

In case you were not paying attention, November is National Novel Writing Month, when writers all over the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. I have done this successfully a few times. It is an excellent way to jump start the writing process, as the whole point is to just write as much as you can, without editing or second-guessing yourself. That way, at the end of the month, you have the first draft of your novel, even though it is usually messy and awful.

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). NaNoWriMo is a creative writing project that encourages people to write 50,000 words during the month of November. What began as a small project in 1999, with just a few people participating, has grown into a word-wide annual event in which over 350,000 novels have been completed. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to write and Plan your NaNoWriMo Novel with author Rochelle Melander on Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30PM. In this kick-off workshop, you’ll work on exercises to help you choose your genre, create characters, and imagine what might happen! Register on our website.

Books and Bagels – September 16th Calling all teens! (Grades 6th-12th) Do you love bagels, books, and chatting with friends? Join us outside at School House Park on Thursday, September 16th at 4PM! Our program “Books and Bagels” is dedicated to teens all over to celebrate the new school year with tasty treats from Bruegger’s and a free book to take home.

The Youth Services Librarians have been hard at work updating our collection of Young Adult (YA) graphic novels and manga! Our most recent project has been to divide the collection into two sections: graphic novels and manga. Manga is a style of Japanese comic books that are popular in our Western culture. Unlike American graphic novels, manga are read from right to left, and the illustrations are a particular manga cartooning style. We wanted to give our readers a better browsing experience by separating the two styles of novels, and we have added a small pink dot on our graphic novels to make it easy to see the difference! Here are some recommendations for both graphic novels and manga from our collection:

The librarians of the Whitefish Bay Public Library pick their favorite reads of 2018.

Summer is the time for reading on the beach (or anywhere else!). Check out one of these summer-themed graphic novels for kids and teens. These titles will take you from summer camp to visiting relatives to long weekends at the cabin; all summer staples. Make those long summer car rides a little more bearable by picking up a fun graphic novel from the library.

I don’t know why this continues to be an argument among book folk. There seem to be two sides to this argument. Those of us who adore audiobooks and listen to them whenever we can, most definitely consider them to be reading, and the other side who does not.

Teens and fans of young adult works will be happy to hear that SYNC is back.

While manga has become a mainstay of popular culture, many have yet to explore this exciting art form. Read on for a brief overview of manga and some suggested titles.

In a previous blog post, I explored shōnen manga; a broad category of manga that tends to focus on adventure, action, and plot. While shōnen specifically translates to “boy” or “youth,” it is enjoyed by people regardless of age or gender. The same is true for another large category of manga: shōjo (literally “young woman”). Shōjo manga is generally more interested in exploring characters and relationships, and romance is one of the most popular shōjo genres. Below are a few suggested titles (in a variety of genres) for those interested in exploring shōjo manga.

January is book awards time for the publishing world. One children’s and young adult book author who is consistently in the awards conversation is Steve Sheinkin, who also happens to be one of my favorite authors. Early on his career, he wrote text books, and he tried to incorporate interesting facts and stories not normally covered in textbooks. But the interesting stories were too numerous to try to fit into the textbooks, and he instead set off on his own to write exciting, well-researched nonfiction books for children and young adults. He also uses his background in screenplay writing to create perfectly paced books that you don’t want to put down. You can’t go wrong with any of his books, but here are my favorites.

Each year teens around Milwaukee County vote for their favorite book from a list of 15 nominees, the winner wins the Milwaukee County Teen Book Award. The MCTBA was created to promote teen reading and literature by highlighting books published for teens of both quality and appeal.

One of the recent major arrivals on the digital download resource Hoopla is Marvel Comics. Notable additions include the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers, and Star Wars comics. I have highlighted some of the comics and graphic novels available through Hoopla, both from Marvel and other publishers.

Manga encompasses a myriad of genres, from science fiction and fantasy to mysteries, sports, and realistic fiction (often labeled slice of life), to name a few. It’s also often grouped into broad demographic categories: shōnen (“young boys’ manga”), shōjo (“young girls’ manga”), seinen, and josei (manga for young adult men and women, respectively). These categories are mainly used by publishers and aren’t exactly genres unto themselves—you’re just as likely to see fantasy shōjo manga as slice of life shōnen manga, and they appeal to readers of all ages, regardless of gender.

It’s the end of May and summer is finally in the air—the perfect time to get up and move and go outside. Or how about staying inside and reading some manga? Sports manga is hugely popular in Japan and we’re seeing a steady trickle of great sports titles over here as well. With baseball season underway and exciting sporting events like the Tour de France later this summer, get inspired by these great titles. You’ll find the first three series in the Young Adult Graphic Novel Collection and the last two in the Childrens’ Graphic Novel Collection

Great books serve as “windows and mirrors,” meaning they reflect readers’ own experiences back at them while also opening insights into other people’s experiences. Such books can contribute to intercultural understanding, which is a requisite for social justice in a multicultural society. Furthermore, every culture deserves authentic representation in literature. But in any case, books which work as “windows and mirrors” are enjoyable to read! Drawn from our Young Adult section, here are some books that we hope will be “windows and mirrors” for you. Maybe you’ll see yourself reflected in the characters, and maybe you’ll discover something new about the world.