Posts from Kingsbridge Library

Here are 14 YA books that take readers back to the 1960s, and the era's major upheavals in pop culture, race relations, and attitudes towards war and government.

The teens in our Teen Advisory Group were already in about-to-go-on-vacation mode. Seemed like a great time for them to try a card game that involves plotting, revenge, and kittens.

From the Bronx through Manhattan to Staten Island, staff members at The New York Public Library regularly witness random acts of kindness. Here, we've collected just a few of these heartwarming interactions.

Several months ago I was reading a copy of This Monstrous Thing by Lee Mackenzi, an unusual steampunk kind of story that was set in the Frankenstein universe. Then I heard about another book called Teen Frankenstein, and I thought ... wait a minute ...

Several months ago, I learned that there was a plaque in Central Park indicating that the old Kingsbridge Road had once run through that area. Up until that moment, the only current Kingsbridge markers I knew about were in the Bronx. So I decided to investigate, and that led to a long and bizarre adventure that didn’t end exactly the way I planned.

When a woman handed me a note that she found folded up inside one of our books and said, “I think you’ll want to read this,” I had no idea what to expect. I definitely didn’t expect to read a note that managed to be so simultaneously tragic and uplifting.

Many people who’ve known me for years don’t know that I had several big turning points and life-changing moments when I was young that started me on the path to becoming a librarian. But if you’ve ever seen one of my Career Day presentations, you know all about those turning points, because I always start by sharing those stories.

I recently finished reading Heartless by Marissa Meyer, and when I finished the book I didn’t want the story to be over. This novel about how a girl grew up to become the diabolical Red Queen made me want to take a deep dive back into the world of Wonderland.

Serving on a book committee can be hard work. One of the most challenging aspects for me of choosing books for the Best Books For Teens list wasn’t all the reading, but all the crying. Seriously, though, there were a LOT of heart-wrenching books for teens this year.

Several weeks ago, I fully intended to have the topic of our Teen Advisory Group meeting be Banned Books Week. But our conversation took a detour, and soon we were talking about bullying and cyberbullying in fiction and in real life. It wasn’t the way I expected the conversation to go, but I’m glad it did.

Some of my favorite YA novels are books that challenge me, that pull my brain in different directions, and make me think, “What the hell just happened?”. Sometimes, it’s because the narrators are choosing not to tell us the whole story, or because for some reason they can’t tell us the whole story. Sometimes, it’s because the author writes the story in such a way that it takes readers a while to figure out what’s going on. Here are thirteen YA novels that will take your brain in unexpected directions!

I sprayed myself with sunblock, dressed comfortably for walking, and packed water, an iPod for listening to podcasts, and an extra battery for my iPhone. Then I headed to Inwood Hill Park to see if I could catch ‘em all. Or, at least, I’d see if I could catch more than usual …

There are several advantages to cleaning out your desk periodically (or, in my case, every few years). First, there’s the immediate benefit of … Hey! Clean desk! But then there’s also the benefit of finding lots of cool old stuff you didn’t realize you still had.

Mercury Rodriguez, a custodian at NYPL’s Kingsbridge Library, loves his job.

Summer Reading isn't just for kids! This year the Kingsbridge Library in the Bronx will be challenging you to a Summer Reading Challenge.

Missing memories in fantasy and science fiction: in these books the characters’ minds are wiped with drugs, surgery, rays, or mysterious techniques that we can’t even imagine.

When I was a kid, Judy Blume was one of the most important people I had never met. I enjoyed many books she’d written, but it was Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret that I read more times than any other book. By the time I got a little older and started reading Deenie, she’d become my unofficial guide for what I should expect in the milestones of my life.

Hollywood has officially gone YA, and blockbusters that started as young-adult fiction abound. So, we asked our team of expert librarians for their wishlists: What’s a YA book you’d like to see turned into a movie, and whom would you cast in the leading role?

The New York City Department of Education recently released a series of recommended reading lists for Pre-K through 12th grade that include books of all different genres, subjects, and formats. Our Teen Advisory Group checked out the 7th-12th grade reading lists, and wanted to highlight the titles they enjoyed the most!