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    Book Buzz Recommendations: October

    From pumpkin seeds to pumpkins turning green, this month's featured books are sure to bring some spooky fun for readers of all ages. Visit your local library for some fang-tastic reads!

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  • Sunshine State Author Series

    A Conversation with James Ponti

    Local author James Ponti continues the momentum for the Orange County Library System’s Sunshine State Author Series with an author event on November 18 at our North Orange Branch, followed by writing workshops at the library’s West Oaks Branch and South Trail Branch on November 30 and December 6 respectively. Library staff member Lorrie Taylor got a few minutes with…

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  • Twisted Picture Books

    Twisted Picture Books

    Picture books are a requisite for any child. Sweet, funny, charming, with pigeons, bears, big red dogs and more, there’s something for everyone. But what about those picture books that aren’t quite what you expected? The ones that make you go “WHAT DID I JUST READ?” Here’s a list of those books.  Dillweed’s Revenge: A…

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  • Facebook1b

    Banned Books Week and the First Amendment: What’s It to You?

    Across the country, libraries, including OCLS, celebrate Banned Books Week September 24-30, 2017. This annual event highlights the freedom to read and the value of free and open access to information.   Libraries emphasize Banned Books Week to draw attention to library patrons’ First Amendment rights and the challenges those rights face. The First Amendment of…

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  • Sunshine State Author Series

    A Conversation with Kelly Barnhill

    Newbery award-winning author Kelly Barnhill kicks off the Orange County Library System’s Sunshine State Author Series with an author event on October 18 at our Winter Garden Branch, followed by a writing workshop at the library’s Alafaya Branch on October 19. Library staff member Mira Tanna got a few minutes with her recently to ask…

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  • An Interview with Margarita Engle

    An Interview with Margarita Engle

    Margarita Engle is a multi-award winning, Cuban-American author of children, teen and adult literature. She is the reigning Young People’s Poet Laureate and is the first Latino to be chosen for the prestigious honor. For Hispanic Heritage Month, Margarita Engle, along with illustrator Mike Curato, will be visiting our Chickasaw Branch to talk about their…

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    Book Buzz Recommendations: August

    Back to school is nearly upon us! Teachers have begun preparing lesson plans and students are ready to shop with their parents for new school supplies. But just because the Summer Reading Program is over and school is about to begin, doesn’t mean that recreational reading has to end. Parents can relieve anxiety over a…

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  • Love YA

    Build A Better World: Inclusion in Young Adult Fiction

    While the Summer Reading Program is drawing to a close and we have a lot to look back on with fond memories, one of our most poignant events held this summer was Love YA.: A Celebration of Diverse Young Adult Literature. Young Adult authors Alex Sanchez, Shaun David Hutchinson and Jenny Torres Sanchez came together…

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  • Isaac Asimov

    Asimov—A Pillar of Science Fiction: Part 3 (Empire)

    The Empire series is the shortest and does little to advance the saga as a whole. Instead, each book for this sequence has its own independent story. They are vignettes, depicting a Galactic Empire in the process of becoming established, and the turmoil that is experienced by those living under its extensive rule. “Asimov's Galactic…

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  • Books for Pride Month

    11 LGBTQ Titles for Adult Readers

    In honor of LGBTQ pride, here is a show-stopping book list that describes the lives, struggles, and strengths of LGBTQ characters and people, fact or fiction. These 11 books celebrate the spirit of the movement and implore us, at any age, to build a better world. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, 1956 (Fiction) An American,…

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