Note: Summer Hours will be in effect from June 24 - September 1.
Welcome to Scarsdale's Summer Reading Program! Not just for kids, summer reading is a wonderful opportunity for self-discovery and delight. Join us in reading a book (or ten) and sharing some of your favorite moments along the way. Keep cool, uncover something new, and get the chance to win some prizes along the way!
For teens going into Scarsdale Middle School (SMS) in Grades 6 through 8 in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year:
To support students needing to complete Scarsdale Middle School’s required summer reading for:
For teens of all ages, rising into Grades 6 through 12: It’s almost that time of year all students are waiting for: summer!
With that comes the annual Summer Reading Challenge–this year’s theme is “Color Our World.”
Juneteenth, also known as the second Independence Day or Emancipation Day, is our eleventh and newest federal holiday. President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, officially establishing June 19 as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Why June 19th? Because on that day in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops marched into Texas and announced that by executive decree more than 250,000 enslaved people were free. General Order No.
President Lyndon B. Johnson said: “This land flourished because it was fed from so many sources - because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.” Johnson’s belief that this country’s strength is derived from its diversity is echoed in the annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a tribute to the enormous cultural and historical contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders to the diverse tapestry of the United States.
There’s a lot to celebrate in May - spring flowers, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and, for the past 19 years, Jewish American Heritage Month. Following a concerted effort by Jewish leaders to establish a national celebration acknowledging Jewish American contributions to the United States, the monthlong annual holiday was finally inaugurated in 2006 through the bi-partisan efforts of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and the late Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and recognized by a Congressional Resolut
Over sixty years ago, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring sounded an alarm about the devastating impact of pesticides on the natural world. Her book was the wake up call we all needed, the spark that ignited the modern environmental movement. Silent Spring not only led to the 1972 banning of DDT but resulted in new government policies to safeguard our air and water and, ultimately, our health. Eight years after the publication of Silent Spring, Earth Day was celebrated for the first time on April 22, 1970, by more than 20 milli
What do poetry and spring have in common? Poetry, like spring, is a source of inspiration and renewal, evoking themes of rebirth, optimism and the cyclical nature of life. So, it is no coincidence that National Poetry Month, now in its 29th year, occurs in April. The commemoration was first launched by the American Academy of Poets in 1996.
With the new year comes new award winners! The ALA Youth Media Awards were held in January, where the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and many other book awards were announced.
On March 12, 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as Women’s History Month. Why was March chosen for the celebration?
February is Black History Month, an annual tribute to generations of African Americans whose invaluable contributions to this country were achieved in the face of tremendous adversity. Originally a week-long observance created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, the celebration was expanded to a month in 1976 by President Gerald R.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and visionary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died on April 4, 1968, but it took 32 years for a government holiday in his honor to be recognized by all fifty states. Dr. King’s birthday was signed into law as a federal holiday in 1983 and took effect three years later on January 20, 1986. However, it was not until 2000 that all fifty states officially observed the holiday.
At the end of the year we are all besieged by lists singling out the best in every genre - best movies, best books, best TV series, etc. While suggestions from esteemed critics are certainly valid sources for recommendations, in our community of avid readers you can also find inspiration in the titles your neighbors have selected over the past year. Listed below are some of the titles that have flown off our shelves most frequently in 2024. Click on the book jacket to be taken to the link in our catalog. Happy reading!
As the winter chill settles in and the days grow shorter, the school break offers the perfect opportunity to slow down, snuggle up with a book and enjoy some hot cocoa!
This Month in the Children's Room:
December may be the coldest, darkest month of the year but it is also the month most associated with illumination - holiday lights, glowing fireplaces, candlelight, the Winter Solstice with its promise of longer days - and, the enlightenment inherent in books! Given the blustery weather, this final “chapter” of the year provides a built-in excuse to stay indoors, catch up on your reading, and reboot your psyche. Check out some of the new titles to hit the Scarsdale Library shelves in recent months. Click on the book jackets for catalog links. Enjoy the jour
