News from Youth Services Category: Award Winners

The Last Cuentista

Habia una vez...(Translation: Once upon a time...)
“Once upon a time…”

In a couple of hours, life on earth will end. It is the year 2061 and a comet is heading towards earth. Only a few hundred scientists, politicians, and their children are escaping. Petra Peña and her family are some of the lucky ones who will be put into a sort of sleep paralysis, and wake up 380 years later on a new planet to start over. Everyone believes it is a chance to make the world a better place. When they arrive, it is nothing like what Petra expected. She will have to use her skills as a storyteller, passed down by her abuelita (grandma) who she calls Lita, to reverse the damage that has been caused. This thrilling dystopian story looks at the power of stories, and the beauty that comes from our differences. It is exciting, scary, sad, hopeful, and a book I absolutely loved reading! This may be a science fiction story, but readers of all types should give it a try. This book also won a Newberry Medal and the Pura Belpre Award, meaning librarians think it’s pretty special. 

Place a hold on The Last Cuentista.

The Last Cuentista book cover

Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish-American heritage books

May is Jewish American Heritage Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society.

https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/

Learn more about famous Jewish Americans, their accomplishments, and Jewish life by checking out some great books we’ve curated for you!

Another good list to check out is the Sydney Taylor Award for Jewish Childrens’ Books Winners, 1990-Present. “The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries since 1968, the award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature.”

Black History Month 2021

Today is the first day of Black History Month! According to Britannica Library for Children:

The month of February is African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, in the United States. It was first celebrated in 1926 as Negro History Week. It was created to highlight the contributions Blacks have made to American history and culture. Within a few decades, the event had become an important part of African American life and had spread throughout the country. The United States government declared it a monthlong celebration in 1976.

You can learn more about Black history by researching in our online databases, or come into the library and check our display on Black History Month, which features just a handful of the materials we have about the achievements and history of Black Americans.

Black History Month books
the Black History Month display in youth services

You might also enjoy checking out our Black Joy reading recommendations, featuring many #OwnVoices* authors.

*The term #OwnVoices was coined by the writer Corinne Duyvis, and refers to an author from a marginalized or under-represented group writing about their own experiences/from their own perspective, rather than someone from an outside perspective writing as a character from an underrepresented group. (thanks to Seattle Public Library for this concise definition.)

Staff Picks Best Books of 2020

The Youth Services staff at MPPL are happy to announce our picks for best books for kids published in 2020! Whether you need some great choices to meet your reading goal for the year, or want to buy some great books as gifts for the kids in your life, our selections have you covered! Check them out on our website.

Staff Picks Best Books of 2020

And for more great books you might have missed, here are some other end of year lists you will want to check out!

School Library Journal

Kirkus: Middle Grade

Kirkus: Picture books

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s and YA

Time Magazine: 10 Best Children’s and YA books of 2020