Teens
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‘My One Happy Place’: The Library That Saved a Life
When Elsa Sjunneson was a teenager, she regularly visited the Central Library. She picked up holds, browsed the stacks, and talked about books with Reader Services librarians David Wright and Misha Stone. In some ways, these were fairly normal interactions between a librarian and patron. After all, helping patrons find books they love is part… Continue reading
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Teen Book Bingo 2025 – Round One
Teen Book Bingo has begun! Here is a selection of two titles each from our suggested reading lists to get you started. From the Gender Bender category, you might enjoy Beating Heart Baby or The Prince and the Dressmaker. Beating Heart Baby, by Lio Min, follows Santi as he meets and is entranced by Suwa,… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor
If you talk to me for more than a few minutes, my passion for Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series will undoubtedly come up. I’ve read the books at least six times each, have had genuine arguments about whether I’m allowed to name my children after the characters, made custom iron-on attire for movie premieres on… Continue reading
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Historical Fiction for Teens
We’ve updated our list of historical novels for teens. While World War II continues to feed authors’ imaginations, there are also a lot of fantastic stories from other times. Here are a few of our favorites. In Kwame Alexander’s sequel to The Door of No Return, called Black Star, young Charley dreams of becoming the… Continue reading
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Eight Stories From Two Years of Books Unbanned
Almost exactly two years ago, on April 27, 2023, The Seattle Public Library took action against censorship and for the freedom to read. We joined Brooklyn Public Library in launching a Books Unbanned program that offers a free card to our digital collection of e-books and e-audiobooks to young people ages 13 to 26 from… Continue reading
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Funny Stories for Teens
To keep everyone laughing, we’ve updated our Teen Humor list for 2025. Here are some highlights. In Elise Bryant’s novel Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling, Black nerd Reggie keeps running into biracial punk singer Delilah on various holidays throughout the year. Eventually, they start their own holidays just so they can keep meeting. In… Continue reading
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New Teen Romance – January 2025
We updated our Teen Romance list in time for February, and here are six of our favorite titles. In All Alone with You by Amelia Diane Coombs, loner Eloise agrees to volunteer to help out seniors so she can pad her college applications. Her trainer and partner, Austin, takes an instant liking to her, but… Continue reading
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New Teen Fiction for 2025
As we launch into the new year, we recommend eleven of the best and most popular new novels for teens. In Aisle Nine, by Ian X. Cho, Jasper spends his life recovering from a head injury that left him with deep amnesia and working for a retail store where, in aisle nine, there is a… Continue reading
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Native American Fiction for Teens
To honor Native American Heritage Month, here are some of the newest novels for teens by Indigenous authors of North America. In The River Run by Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo, Alfred Swallow and his friends Orson and Junior are forced to leave their reservation and attend a residential mission school to learn the ways of white people.… Continue reading
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Horror Stories for Teens
Halloween is around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than to read these terrifying tales? In The Black Girl Survives This One, edited by Desiree S. Evans, fifteen superb Black authors create ghastly and horrifying stories in which, as you may have guessed, the Black girls survive. In one, a space traveler must… Continue reading
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Banned Books for Teens – September 2024
In 2023, censors around the nation challenged over 4200 titles in school and public libraries. Here you can see some of the most challenged books and still read them freely, if you wish. Most of these titles were written for a teen audience, and you can, of course, find them at The Seattle Public Library… Continue reading
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Teen Fiction for Mental Health Awareness Month
This month, we offer a variety of stories about teens facing mental health challenges, ranging from depression and suicidal ideation to anxiety and self-esteem issues, and learning that their condition does not define who they are. In Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes, sixteen authors create a variety of stories about teens… Continue reading
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Teen Fiction for National Humor Month 2024
To celebrate National Humor Month (which always begins on April Fools Day), here are some hilarious new titles for teens. Enjoy! Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto Chloe’s eighteenth birthday and acceptance to an American university mean she can finally leave home and her emotionally distant father, but her bossy aunt thinks it… Continue reading
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Teen Fiction for Women’s History Month
It’s officially March, which means Women’s History Month is here! Check out some teen titles highlighting women in historical fiction. In The Davenports by Krystal Marquis, set in 1910 Chicago, the titular Davenports are one of a few wealthy Black families, and teen sisters Olivia and Helen want to chart their own paths. Olivia wants to… Continue reading