SBPL Teen Services Staff Picks

  I kind of felt obliged to read this as it won several awards, and boy am I glad I did.  The story is told in verse and is from the viewpoint of a young man in high school being raised by his grandfather due to his mother's mental illness.  He struggles because he likes poetry and watching birds but also loves working in the car shop with his grandfather.  He hates all the racism around him and is being bullied but his love for birds and poetry keeps him sane.  This book was so beautiful.   Secret Astronomers is a story told entirely is post-it notes and pictures/words written over the text of an astronomy book from the 1800's.  The two main characters are both struggling in their senior year of high school for very different reasons.  One is trying to get out of her very small town and go to college for Physics (she is very smart) and the other has been recently transplanted from California into West Virginia due to the death of her mother....

  I know that the cover of this book is a bit.....odd, but for me, that's a bonus (I'm weird like that). I highly recommend this unusual book as it tells a cool story and the novel includes a lot of really amazing (and occasionally odd) illustrations.  The basic story is that a brother and sister from a "hellscape" of a world enter a "safe zone" that is supposed to be protected from all bad luck and bad gods; but really how does that even work?  Of course they find trouble and have to figure out how to save the world...but the author really twists all the tropes around a bit and makes this story which could have felt like one of a million other fantastical save the world novels into something original and refreshing. I don't want to spoil it for you but I highly suggest reading it, it was really fun!

 I combed through my list of books read and pulled out my favorites from this past year.  They may not all be new, but they were new to me when I read them.  Here are my picks....in no particular order I borrowed this expecting it to be just another hyped up ghost/horror story but found something unexpected and awesome.  Here we have the trope of a group of students going into a haunted area and having something terrible happen that no one talks about and then they return and face what happened .....and Kemp keeps readers guessing by constantly flipping between then and now.  What made this book awesome was the twist ending, which shows that sometimes a good ending will absolutely make (or break) a book. I enjoyed the character explorations as well as the steady rise in intensity for those in the current day but the ending?  *chef's kiss*  Can't explain without giving it away....but definitely give it a try. The Corruption of Hollis Brown was another w...

  This is the winner of the 2025 Printz (top honor a teen book can have).  I'll be posting this article in both the graphic novel and the teen reads blogs as it deserves all the hype.  The story definitely deserves the awards it got!  On the surface, it's a story of a girl getting to know her estranged father after never having met him in her 14 years of life.  However, there is more than that....Almudena has never known her heritage, being raised by her very blonde, white mother.  She doesn't speak Spanish either.  Her summer is being spent with her Guatemalan father who doesn't speak much English, surrounded by those who prefer to speak Spanish and helping her father fix up a brownstone to help those who are being displaced due to the gentrification of the neighborhood.  She is trying to learn who she is, how she fits in and also how her upbringing has influenced her opinions.  I don't want to explain more as the journey is half the fun, bu...

 Hi, here are some interesting books I read this summer (you'll find more on our Manga/Comics blog as well).   =)   Saleena This is an amazing book, featuring a 7th grade boy who has been through a lot, and just wants to be "normal" and blend in at his new school.  His family moved to a National Quiet Zone in Nebraska (with a funny name that escapes me now).  What is a Quiet Zone?  It's a place where internet, microwaves, radios and televisions are not allowed.....and Simon and his family like it that way.  Why?  Well, you'll find out as the story progresses....but I don't want to spoil it.  Suffice to say, he has good reasons.  As the school year progresses, Simon makes friends, his family deals with professional and personal issues and he learns that maybe, just maybe, it's okay to stand out......but only if you choose to.....and it's also okay to say no and hide from the world with your friends.   Erin Bow has writ...

 I have decided to share some old & new stories full of adventure in order to encourage you (teens) to read more and perhaps join your library's teen summer reading program (I know ours is pretty awesome, you should try it). Here we go: This is still a favorite of mine, due to its unique combination of short story format and a magical mystery to solve.  In each story, a person is trying to figure out who killed the terrible, awful, racist, (he hates everyone really, but especially minorities, and gays, and girls, and anyone disabled....you get it). No one liked him, but each character longs to solve the mystery and prove themselves to be "the chosen one" for their own reasons.  In between the stories are small notes/clues/extras for the reader to join the stories together but also to spill more light onto the truth.  This is an amazing book, and I really wish there were more like it.   This is a space story (and a love story) that is truly unique; as yo...

  I read A Drop of Venom because I was sucked in by the cover (it IS very entrancing!) but was even more excited to read it once I read the blurb about the content.  Patel's story combines Indian fables & folk tale elements along with her own exploration of the story of Medusa.  The combination of Naga (snake people) and Medusa (snake hair) ideas seems so....obvious that it seemed like someone should have written this; and I'm so glad Sajni Patel did. I must warn you, this is a dark and intense story, even if there is a love story attached to it.  Manisha and Pratyush have not had good lives, and even if their story is sweet; it quickly takes a terrible turn.  This story was so well done and is so full of adventure that I loved it, but I did cry at the tragic parts.  This is a new book, just out this year and you should definitely try it; but you probably should be in high school due to the content. This isn't a new book, but I re-read it for a book clu...

  This cool, creepy cover DEMANDED to be read, and I'm so glad I grabbed it.  Jackson writes a creepy thriller about a young man who is given asylum from false charges (which no one believes are false) and offered a fresh start at an exclusive boarding school.  The catch?  Well, things are weird...like Douglas keeps hearing the forest talking to him, and things like that....but the tipping point is when someone dies, he sees them die...and suddenly no one remembers that the dead person ever existed.  Douglas teams up with the groundskeeper's son, Everett in an effort to figure out and stop whatever is happening....but the odds are stacked against them. I love the way Jackson plays out the plot, seasoning it with little creepy bits of history, tiny acknowledgements of racism, classism, and homophobia to make things seem even more insurmountable, then showing how Douglas handles it and rises.  This is a really good horror/thriller story with terrible, warped ...

  Kwame Alexander is a powerful writer.  He knows the exact words to use, which is why, I think, he writes in verse so much....he doesn't need the extra words to make you see his vision.  In The Door of No Return, Alexander paints a picture of Kofi.  A boy from the village of Upper Kwanta who dreams of a girl; has visions of being the best at something so he can make his parents and village proud; at overpowering his cousin who bullies him.....variations of a life that have been seen time after time in many places.  He could have had those things, but instead something terrible happens and he ends up captured and on a boat, trapped with so many others...   What makes this story so compelling is that Alexander shows us Kofi, his sweetness, his bitterness, his love and sorrow and then shows us the moment everything changes.  This is a beautiful and sorrowful tale that leaves you hopeful for Kofi, even if you know that for others, it was the start of...

What Stalks Among Us is an absolutely fascinating thriller of a story.  Two high school seniors skip a field trip to an amusement park to go off on their own, find a corn maze and enter it because...why not?  The problem?  Now that they are in the maze, they can't get out....and how do they know that?  Because they keep finding dead bodies, and some of them are their own.....which means they have BEEN trying to get out.  What makes this extra awesome is the backstory of why the maze exists and the how of solving the puzzle as well as the delicate dance of actually making it work.  Hollowell does a fabulous job of dropping clues (and bodies) while maintaining a line of tension that really keeps the reader engaged.  I could not stop until I finished....so good! For those who love horror but not gore, this is an excellent option. Mascot is not only a story about students asking for the removal of a racist mascot, but is also a story about the students on ...

  She is a Haunting not only has an amazingly spooky cover but it's a psychological thriller that leaves the reader constantly wondering what is real.  Tran writes a story that grabs hold and doesn't let go.  I don't want to say too much, but essentially the house the main character is staying at with her father in Vietnam is either VERY haunted or she is being fed hallucinogens (maybe both?).   Thornhill is a spooky ghost story, which alternates between modern times and the past; both explaining why the house is haunted as well as showing what is happening because of the haunting to the family living there now. This creepy tale is told in both prose and picture adding to the atmosphere. Malice is another story told in both verse and picture.  In this book the reader is introduced to the world of Malice, where children can be trapped and hunted; while others read about it in an exclusive secret graphic novel.  What happens when a couple of kids decide ...

  Nayeri weaves a story that is fiction mixed with his memories of being an immigrant, trying to fit in and trying to savor the few things he remembers from his home in Iran.  He weaves tales as he tries to understand his reality and also to escape some of the more brutal truths of his life in Minnesota. This was a fascinating story as it constantly weaves back and forth with the storyteller always hiding truths, untruths and fantasies within the words.  It has moments of sadness, happiness and confusion....which really is true for anyone's life....but Nayeri makes it a story and a truth all at once.   I love a good horror story and She is a Haunting is a very good one.  I did NOT see the ending coming nor did I appreciate all the nuances as I was reading...it was all coming so fast that some of my reactions took days to truly hit.  The basic story is of an estranged family and the oldest girl agrees to visit her father in Vietnam in return for his pro...

 Want to find new authors or explore genres?  Try short story collections, especially if they are based on a theme!  Here are three story collections I finished this month that would be fun to explore. Magic Has No Borders features South Asian folklore and magical stories told by South Asian authors.  I found some really interesting stories in this collection.  I adore finding new mythologies as well as new ways of looking at tales told a million times....and this collection filled both needs.  Some authors are well known, some don't have as much name recognition but the stories were a wide array of awesomeness. Mystery is a genre I struggle with, as my lack of logic (I think I missed that line and stood in the one for Imagination twice...haha) means that I usually miss all the clues and feel dumb.  This collection was interesting though, as some were obvious "looking for an answer" mysteries, some were "this terrible thing happened, how do I fix it" a...

 I wanted to dive into some nonfiction, so here is what I've read recently that I think you may enjoy. I didn't expect this book to be so amazing, but it is.  The author jumps around (so not in any specific order) and incorporates images and notes to make history feel more.....impactful and recent.  The author updates some whitewashed historical facts, and also reminding readers that some facts have been lost or erased.  I love that the author is trying to make history more approachable and I think everyone should read this book, even if you aren't a history reading kind of person....because it can spark conversations and perhaps inspire you to learn more about some of the subjects and incidents mentioned. I love fashion, so this book seemed like it would be interesting, and it was!  While focused on a Canadian viewpoint, it still works to illustrate the various ways culture impacts fashion as well as how many ethnic groups are taking their styles into the futur...

 If you haven't downloaded Hoopla and Libby, you are missing out on some great ebooks & audiobooks. This is a quick list of a few of my favs (because the narration is amazing) Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix:  Narrated by Allan Corduner Corduner has an amazing voice and adds a ton of nuance (and creepiness) to a tightly written adventure fantasy.   Lirael by Garth Nix:  Narrated by Tim Curry Tim Curry has quite a long career as an actor, but not everyone realizes that he has also done some amazing audiobooks.  This series shows off Curry's ability to be serious, funny, sarcastic and scary......sometimes within the same paragraph.  Nix's story is intricately woven and Curry adds to the fabric of the story with his nuanced voices. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman  Narrated by Neil Gaiman Most are familiar with Gaiman's skill as an author (as evidenced by this Newbery award winning novel); however not everyone realizes that he is an equally tal...