Saturday, December 21 from 12-6 a.m. access to library services will be intermittently unavailable due to scheduled maintenance. All library locations will be closed December 24 & 25 as well as December 31 & January 1.
Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 by Megan
Young Adult books aren’t just for teens! In fact, many of our staff regularly read YA so we asked them what their favorites were this year. We asked them to describe their favorite books in three words and to rate them on a scale from 1 to 5 stars. Check out some of their picks below or you can check the full list here! Continue reading “2024 Staff Picks”
Posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 by Megan
We’ve had several staff blogs about J. R. R. Tolkien (read them here, here and here) but now it’s time to hear from our patrons! Check out what our readers had to say about this beloved book series. Whether you are reading them for the first time or for the umpteenth time now is the perfect time to roast some potatoes, light the fires of Gondor and curl up with these classics! Continue reading “Teen Reader Reviews: J. R. R. Tolkien Books”
Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 by Megan
Ugh. It’s fine. Not every book you read will change your life. Not every book on BookTok is earth-shattering. Sometimes the movie IS better. These are all books our readers thought were ok. We’re sharing them in November because it’s probably dreary or whatever. Read these books or don’t. They’re probably better or worse books out there. *shrugs and pulls hoodie over face*
Continue reading “Meh Teen Reader Reviews: Books with ★★★ or less”
Posted on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 by Megan
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Anne Shirley, “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery
Just like Anne (with an e) we love October at the library! Our teens love this spoopy, leafy, ghostly time of year too! Check out our readers’ reviews below. We’ve got everything from classics to some downright grisly reads!
Posted on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 by Laura W
In 2009, EA released “Dragon Age: Origins.” For the first time, players were introduced to the world of Thedas and tasked with protecting it against the monstrous Darkspawn scourge that periodically arose. Two years later, “Dragon Age II” was released. This time, players became Hawke, a human who becomes a legend over the course of a decade of strife. Following the same breakneck pace, only 3 years after “II,” “Dragon Age: Inquisition” graced our screens. We followed the Inquisitor as they tried to close the Breach, a tear in reality that allowed demons to come forth. Then, there was silence. For the past 10 years, fans have been waiting for a new “Dragon Age” title. And it is finally happening. On October 31st, EA will release “Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” a direct sequel to “Inquisition.” Whether you’re waiting that final week for the game to finally be released or you’ve been playing a while and are trying to prolong the experience, these books are for you. From canon-accurate novels to my favorite dark fantasy, any of these next titles will help you stay connected to “Dragon Age.” Continue reading “If You’re Playing (or waiting for) Dragon Age: The Veilguard”
Posted on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 by Grae
Is there something strange in your neighborhood? 🤔
Or something weird and it don’t look good? 😳
That might be because it’s *checks watch phone* spooky season, y’all!!! Many sinister salutations for this most ghastly of times, when all of the delightful frights come out to haunt the moonlit, fog-filled corners of the night with tricks and treats in equal share. If you, like me, wish October took up 301 days of the year instead of the usual 31, welcome to yet another installment of Spooky, Not Scary™, a watch-list for any and everyone who absolutely adores Halloween and its eerie, phantasmagoric cheer, but also may be a bit of a Halloweenie at heart. 🖤🐣🖤
For those just joining in, I give you the following titles that are avowedly Spooky, Not Scary™. Each title is rated on a scale of 0-5 smashed pumpkins. The more smashed pumpkins (which I’ve metaphorically dropped out of terror), the closer the tv show/movie/video is to being truly frightening.
Note: no gourds were harmed in the making of this list, though some may have been consumed. I just found out about St. Louis-based craft soda maker Fitz‘s newest flavor, Pumpkin Pop. Move over, PSL, you are soooooooo 2003. 🎃
You can access the full list here (and volume one here and volume two a.k.a. boo! here); what follows are some of my not-so-fearsome favs with minimal spoilers. But first, Google/Siri/AI being of choice, play “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr.! #Iain’t’fraidofnoghost #👻 Continue reading “Spooky, Not Scary™ Watch-List: Volume Threeeeeek 🦇”
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 by Megan
Are you here for the tea? Do you pop popcorn to eat as you watch things unfold? Do you often hear the phrase “Stop being so dramatic?”
If you answered yes to any of these questions then we can be friends because we are also here for the DRAMA! Our local teens have some book recommendations just for you. Check out the list below. And don’t forget you can submit your own reader reviews here. Continue reading “Teen Reader Reviews for the Drama”
Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 by Megan
We had so many excellent book reviews lately that we just had to share! This time we are highlighting the classics and one classic retelling. Even though a few of these books have been around for a while our teens still loved or at least tolerated them. What classics have you picked up recently? Tell us about them in the comments or submit your own reader review. Remember if you include your email address and we use your review in a blog post we’ll send you a coupon for a free book!
5/5 Stars ★★★★★ Continue reading “Teen Reader Reviews: Classics”
Posted on Thursday, August 22, 2024 by Laura W
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is the most influential movie series I have ever seen. Given this fact, you cannot imagine how excited I was when “The Hobbit” movies were announced. My 12-year-old self was ecstatic. I wrote the date for the first one in my parent’s calendar and reminded them of it at least once a week. I remember practically vibrating with joy as I sat in the theater waiting for it to start. And boy was I disappointed. After the first movie, I was upset, but not terribly. “I’m sure it will only get better!” I remember thinking. “Nowhere to go but up!” After the second, I was distraught. “What did they do to one of my favorite books?” I said to myself, “The third one will be amazing. It has to be, after that.” Little did I know. By the third, I was mad. I felt oddly betrayed by just how bad the franchise ended up being. To this day, ten years, later, I absolutely despise “The Hobbit” movies. How could something that I was so ready to love become one of my most hated pieces of media? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Why I Hate The Hobbit Movies”
Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 by Nigel Church
You are not too old to read a picture book. I know this because you are reading this blog post right now and therefore, presumably, still alive and not too old to read. And if you are a ghost, then it’s pretty wild that you can still access the internet and you’re using your afterlife to read the teen library blog, but if you can do that then you probably can and still should read a picture book. Because, just like their cousins graphic novels, picture books are capable of addressing any and every topic, and the format forces creators to communicate their ideas in the minimum amount of words and pictures. In great picture books, you can tell that every word and image is carefully considered and that there is nothing extraneous. Constraints produce great art, this is a fact, and I can prove it in six books. Continue reading “You Should Read a Picture Book”