Posts by Kathlyn, Teen Librarian

Teen Book Review: The Martian Chronicles

Teen Book Review: The Martian Chronicles

Title: The Martian Chronicles Author: Ray Bradbury Publisher: Harper Collins Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby The first book to interest me in the science fiction genre, and a compelling read, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is set in a fictional world where humans colonize Mars. The book is a collection of several short interconnected short stories, with time jumps between each. Starting with perspective of the first mission of humans to reach Mars, and ending with the last few people left on Mars, this story is full of masterful twists, leaving you question what is real,
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September 20, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, Ray Bradbury, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Grab & Go: Bubble Wands

Grab & Go: Bubble Wands

Teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, September 19th in the Library lobby. Let's take advantage of the continued nice weather to make some bubbles–and bubble wands. This month we'll make some basic of bubble wands. Your kit includes string, straws, wire, and pipe cleaners. You'll need some bubble solution, and your
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September 19, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, Grab & Go, Grab & Go kits, and teens.

Teen Book Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Teen Book Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Title: A Very Large Expanse of Sea Author: Tahereh Mafi Publisher: Harper Collins Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby The romance novel A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi is about a high school sophomore named Shirin who‘s had a tough life growing up dealing with bullying. Shirin’s tired and annoyed of people stereotyping her; based on her religion, what she wears, and who she is. Since Shirin is used to receiving so much disrespect and physical violence, she builds up a strong personality. A strong personality where if someone makes a joke about her, she’ll
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September 13, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, reading, Tahereh Mafi, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Teen Book Review: Prisoner B-3087

Teen Book Review: Prisoner B-3087

Title: Prisoner B-3087 Author: Alan Gratz Publisher: Scholastic Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby Alan Gratz's Prisoner B-3087 takes place in Poland during World War II when the Nazis invade. It's about a Jewish boy named Yanek who must struggle and survive while still grasping onto humanity and hope. Yanek faces many situations that are life-threatening, but it only makes him stronger and aware towards one goal; to survive. The novel is based on the true story of Jack Gruener, who survived the Holocaust. I highly recommend this book to someone who is interested in learning about history
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September 6, 2021 10:00 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Authors & Books, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Alan Gratz, book review, books, for teens by teens, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Teen Book Review: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Teen Book Review: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Title: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Author: Jordan Sonnenblick Publisher: Scholastic Library Catalog / OverDrive & Libby Jordan Sonnenblick’s realistic fiction novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is about a thirteen year old boy named Steven and his five year old little brother Jeffrey. Jeffrey’s diagnosed with leukemia and Steven wants to keep that silent because he also needs to focus on school, tries to catch up with his extra activities, and has a crush on someone. While Jeffrey is not well, Steven can’t pay attention to his studies because he’s worried of his brother and doesn’t want anything worse
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August 30, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, Jordan Sonnenblick, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

National Novel Writing Month for Young Novelists

National Novel Writing Month for Young Novelists

Have you heard about National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo? It’s a challenge that takes place each year in the month of November, where people work toward writing a book. This fall, we’re hosting a pre-planning writing series for young writers in grades 4 and up who may be interested in writing during NaNoWriMo. Each Thursday at 4:00 p.m., we’ll meet to discuss various elements that make up a novel, and work through the exercises in NaNoWriMo’s Young Novelist Workbook. By the end of the series, participants will have ideas for characters, setting, and plot ready to go, so they
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August 25, 2021 10:28 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: creative writing, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and youth writing workshop.

Teen Book Review: Kindred

Teen Book Review: Kindred

Title: Kindred Author: Octavia Butler Publisher: Beacon Press Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby In the book Kindred, Dana, an African American woman, is transported back in time to Maryland before the Civil War to save Rufus, a young white boy. In a series of journeys that defy time, Dana faces many life-threatening scenarios. This book is an excellent read for fans of history and suspense as Dana consistently puts her life on the line to help others. This book also contains mild violence to demonstrate the inhumane treatment of slaves during this period. Overall, this book is
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August 23, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, Octavia Butler, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Dive into Diversity: YA Mysteries

Dive into Diversity: YA Mysteries

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity as much as possible. This month I've collected a list of YA mysteries. This month, I'm happy for another opportunity to talk about Slay by Brittney Morris. We discussed this exciting mystery at our last Project LIT book club for teens in the spring, and it was unanimously declared a favorite. The main character, Kiera Johnson,
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August 19, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, mysteries, staff picks, staff recommendations, teens, YA Fiction, ya mysteries, young adult books, and young adult fiction.

Teen Book Review: Want

Teen Book Review: Want

Title: Want Author: Cindy Pon Publisher: Simon and Schuster Library Catalog The novel Want takes place in a futuristic dystopian society where the rich are shielded from pollution while the poor suffer. The protagonist, Jason Zhou, is determined to change this by teaming up with his friends to infiltrate and destroy the corporation responsible for the pollution. Intertwining action, love, loss, and suspense, this book is an excellent read. Additionally, many comparisons can be drawn from this book to the current state of the world. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to teens who want to be engrossed in a fast-paced
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August 16, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, Cindy Pon, for teens by teens, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Grab & Go Kit: Bookbinding

Grab & Go Kit: Bookbinding

Teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the instructional video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, August 16th in the Library lobby. For this month’s project, we’re doing something a little different. I wanted to highlight a video from creativebug, a new library resource that offers thousands of arts and crafts video tutorials. They have everything from simple drawing lessons
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August 16, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, creativebug, Grab & Go kits, and teens.

Teen Book Review: With the Fire on High

Teen Book Review: With the Fire on High

Title: With the Fire on High Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Publisher: Quill Tree Books Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby With the Fire on High is an empowering story of teen mom Emoni Santiago. She faces struggles unlike those of her peers but she finds comfort in cooking, which is her passion and gift. Emoni's dreams to graduate and one day become a chef seem impossible when having to juggle the daily struggles of being a teen mother. With help from her grandmother, her best friend Angelica, Malachi, a recent transfer student, her baby Emma, and cooking, Emoni finds
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August 9, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, Elizabeth Acevedo, for teens by teens, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Teen Book Review: American Panda

Teen Book Review: American Panda

Title: American Panda Author: Gloria Chao Publisher: Simon and Schuster Library Catalog / OverDrive & Libby Gloria Chao’s romance novel American Panda is about a seventeen year old girl named Mei Lu who is leading up to her parents expectations in life. Mei Lu goes to college even though she should be in high school but, she skipped fourth grade. Mei’s parents already had their plan set for her and it was to become a doctor, marry someone who’s Taiwanese and produce babies. The problem was that Mei dislikes germs, falls asleep in her classes, and likes a guy who
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August 2, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Dive into Diversity: YA Retellings

Dive into Diversity: YA Retellings

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity as much as possible. I was somehow able to wait until July before writing about one of my favorite types of fiction: retellings of fairy tales and classic stories. This month I read A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinley, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. In this version, Alice stumbles into an awareness of Wonderland when
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July 22, 2021 10:56 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, fairy tales, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA Fiction.

Grab & Go Craft Kits: Wire Photo Holder

Grab & Go Craft Kits: Wire Photo Holder

Teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the instructional video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, July 19th in the Library lobby. For this month’s project, we’re making a decorative photo holder using a rock and some wire. The kit includes a smooth, flat rock, two feet of wire, some paint, a foam brush, and a couple of popsicle sticks.
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July 19, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: crafts for teens and Grab & Go kits.

Dive into Diversity: YA Historical Fiction

Dive into Diversity: YA Historical Fiction

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature books written by authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity, as much as possible. This month, with the Fourth of July approaching, I'm highlighting some great YA books in the historical fiction genre. Not all of them are set in the United States, but many of the titles below examine events in U. S. history from a perspective that's different from the dominant
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June 24, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, historical fiction, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA literature.

Grab & Go Craft Kits: Cigar Boxes

Grab & Go Craft Kits: Cigar Boxes

Teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the instructional video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, June 21st in the Library lobby. For this month’s project, we’re using decoupage to decorate cigar boxes. Your kit contains a cigar box, Mod Podge, a foam brush, and some magazine pages. You’ll need to provide scissors, and you might want to use paper
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June 21, 2021 9:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: crafts, crafts for teens, and Grab & Go kits.

Book Bunch Comics

Book Bunch Comics

Calling all readers! Join Youth Services librarians Ashley and Kat in reading and discussing some truly awesome graphic novels. This summer, we're kicking off a mini-series of graphic novel book discussions for grades 4 through 8. Below, you'll find information about the July and August editions of the series. Note: you must have a Zoom account to attend these programs; sign up for a free account here. In July, we'll meet on Wednesday, July 7th at 4:30 p.m. We will be reading Guts by Raina Telgemeier! Guts is the third installment in a series graphic novels based on Raina Telgemeier's
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May 27, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: book bunch, book discussion, children's books, children's literature, and graphic novels.

Grab & Go Craft Kits: CD Artwork

Grab & Go Craft Kits: CD Artwork

Which Craft? Wednesday has been phased into Grab & Go Craft Kits! Instead of finding materials around the house, teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the instructional video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, May 17th in the Library lobby. For this month’s project, we’re making reflective art from old CDs. The kit includes painted CDs and some mini
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May 17, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, crafts for teens, Grab and Go Kits, and sustainability.

Hands-on Crafts for All Ages

Hands-on Crafts for All Ages

This spring, we’re offering hands-on craft programs for all ages! Learn a beautiful and fun origami technique from Talo Kawasaki, who has decades of experience as an origami artist and teacher. For Instagram examples of his work, see @talo.kawasaki. Later in the month, YA Librarian Kat will be teaching hand-sewing basics with a small decorative sewing project. Adults, stay tuned–we're working on adding a crochet class for the June installment of our monthly Quick n Easy craft series, regularly scheduled on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Join us to enjoy some mindful crafting this spring. Origami
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April 29, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: arts and crafts, crafts, Origami, Quick n Easy, and sewing.

Dive into Diversity: YA Graphic Novels

Dive into Diversity: YA Graphic Novels

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature #ownvoices authors, or authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity, as much as possible. In honor of Free Comic Book Day on May 1, this month’s column is all graphic novels. If you love graphic novels, stay tuned for more information about our upcoming summer graphic novel book club for grades 4-8. This month, I read a new Project LIT pick, Flamer by
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April 27, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, Free Comic Book Day, graphic novels, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.