Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Holiday

In this holiday meet-cute by authors David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, pessimistic, Christmas curmudgeon Dash (short for Dashiel) and holiday hype-queen Lily meet through a "book of dares" she strategically places in the Salinger section of the Strand bookstore in New York. With the help of various extended family members, Dash and Lily exchange their book of dares, each time adding a new entry, and getting to know each other only through their words, and their respective holiday thoughts, anxieties and dreams. 

With a couple of surprise turns, as narrated in Levithan and Cohn's typical camp and melodrama style, this book is sure to bring a smile, even to the Dashiels of the world. Witty, smart, and fun, this Rudolph romp was recently turned into a Netflix miniseries, and also possesses two sequels, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily and Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily, which all provide hours of NYC holiday cheer, enchantment, and humor for the hearthside reader- even if, like most New Yorkers (except for Lily's eccentric great-aunt) we Milwaukeeans must instead settle for a space heater and hot chocolate as we revel in the trials, tears, and triumphs of first love in an urban wonderland. But a boy can dream- and Dash and Lily's adventures give much to dream about.

- Adam

Check out Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Sarah Cohn and David Levithan @ the library!

Happy Holidays from the West Allis Public Library!

From all of us at the West Allis Public Library, we wish you a very happy holiday season. Remember the Library will be closed Friday, December 25th. We'll be open from 9 am-6 pm Saturday, December 26th.

If you got a smartphone, tablet, or e-reader for Christmas, did you know that you can download library books onto your device? If you have questions, be sure to stop by. We'll be happy to help.

Letters to Santa Claus by Pat Koch, Head Elf

Letters to Santa are synonymous with the holidays. How else is Santa Claus supposed to know what's on those holiday lists? When children (and even adults) address their letters to Santa Claus, quite often they wind up going to Santa Claus, Indiana, a little town in southern Indiana. After being asked to play Santa Claus while being stationed in New York during World War I, Raymond Joseph Yellig promised that if he made it through the war, he would forever be Santa Claus. Since his death, his daughter Pat has worked with a team of elves, to continue to answer the letters that begin to arrive in the small town come November.

This book, Letters to Santa, features many letters written by children and adults asking for things as simple as warm underwear to a tricycle to a new husband. Many of the letters ask Santa to please remember those who are less fortunate. Many of the children writing come from households which might not necessarily be as affluent, so their letter to Santa is their only hope of getting a Shirley Temple doll or a computer.

Images of the actual letters sent to Santa have been included in this book. Organized by decade with letters dating back to the 1930s, this book is quite entertaining to look at. From the letter from Richard Sims telling Santa how he'll leave a bottle of beer and a liverwurst sandwich out for him on Christmas Eve to the letter from Sabrina just wanting her parents to stop arguing, this book will make you feel the hope that we all still look for as the holiday season approaches.