Teens

  • New African American Fiction for Teens

    2019 is already shaping up to be an excellent year in African American fiction for youth.  Here are a few recent and upcoming titles that are on our radar: Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi Seventeen different authors explore what it means to be a Black American teenager… Continue reading

  • Social Justice and Activism for Young Adults

    From #MeToo to Black Lives Matter to March for Our Lives, the voices of activists are ringing loud and clear across this country right now.  Many of these voices are those of young people, and teens today are more empowered than ever before to create change and make their voices heard.  As a result, there… Continue reading

  • Food Comics and Manga

    I’ve been reading a lot of food-focused manga and comics recently. Maybe I’m just a hungry person? I do like food, but really, while these manga and comics share the culinary theme they span some wildly different story-telling territory; from D&D-esque dungeon crawlers, to queer slice-of-life stories, to cooking competitions. Some of these stories even… Continue reading

  • Ten Young Adult Books We Loved 2018

    There are so many truly outstanding books for young people published these days that it gets more and more difficult to chose our favorites at the end of the year.   These ten, selected by the Teen Services Librarians at Seattle Public Library, stood out for their strength of writing, quality of characters, and stories that… Continue reading

  • Celebrating Transgender Awareness Month

    Back by popular demand! The University Branch will be hosting the third annual Trans Shorts and Speed Friending event on November 12th from 6 – 7:30 p.m. to coincide with Transgender Awareness Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th. We’re partnering with Three Dollar Bill Cinema and TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival to… Continue reading

  • New Voices in Teen Fiction

    It’s always exciting to discover new books and authors and, as usual, some of the freshest voices can be found in young adult publishing.   Here are three recent debut novels you should know about: Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles Twins Tyler and Marvin have always been close, but lately Tyler has been increasingly… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Books for Children and Teens by Latinx Authors

    Hispanic Heritage month, running from September 15 to October 15, is an annual celebration of the rich cultures and traditions of people living in the United States who trace their ancestry to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.  There has been a very welcome increase in books written by and for the Latinx… Continue reading

  • October Literary Holidays

     October is known for its spooky holiday themes, but the literary holidays are less spooky and a whole lot of fun. If you are familiar with the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, then this day might be for you. On October 6th, it is Mad Hatter day due to the number he wears in… Continue reading

  • New Voices in Young Adult Literature

    It’s always exciting to discover new books and authors and, as usual, some of the freshest voices can be found in young adult publishing.   Here are three debut titles that have quickly become librarian favorites around here. Melissa Albert writes with an authority that belies her status as a first-time author in the deliciously creepy… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for July

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in July: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: One of the main themes I loved about this book was the character’s experience of being two different people in two different worlds and having… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for June

    Commuting to Seattle by bus 5 days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus this past June: How To Be Safe by Tom McAllister This book takes place in the aftermath of a school shooting and hits so close to home. Tom has his fingers on the vein… Continue reading

  • March Literary Holidays

    Aside from calendar noted holidays in March like Purim and Saint Patrick’s day, there are a few literary days of note that might peak your interest.   On March 2nd there is Read Across America day, which also happens to be Dr. Seuss’ birthday. It was created by the National Education Association as a day to… Continue reading

  • January Literary Celebrations

    January comes with a break from the holidays, but if you enjoy celebrating and love books, here are some ideas for literary celebrations for January. We’ll start off with Tolkien day on January 3. It’s his birthday and a day celebrated by the Tolkien Society. They recommend a very simple celebration: find somewhere to have a drink, and at 9 PM make a toast with… Continue reading

  • Our Top 10 Teen Books of 2017

    Every year, we look for the best books written for young adults. We all have our personal favorites, of course, but there are inevitably a handful of books that rise to the top. This year, our collective favorite titles cover an impressively wide range of timely and important topics, from immigration and criminal justice to… Continue reading

  • Immigration and the Refugee Experience Presented in Comics for Kids and Young Adults

    Comics can be an effective gateway toward empathy and understanding. Both fiction and non-fiction comics can help the reader visualize and develop context for a wide variety of human experience. Here are a few comics which may help younger readers learn about the lives and experiences of refugees and immigrants. Continue reading

  • The Other Side of the Rainbow: Homeless GLBTQ Youth

    Follow us throughout the fall for posts which highlight library resources and information that supports the Tiny: Streetwise Revisited exhibit at the Central Library and its community programming. This is my second year on the Rainbow Book List Committee whose charge is: “To select from the year’s publications, books that reflect gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans-gendered/queer-questioning (glbtq) experience for young… Continue reading

  • Streetwise Revisited: Homeless Youth

    Follow us throughout the fall for posts which highlight library resources and information that supports the Tiny: Streetwise Revisited exhibit at the Central Library and its community programming. Every year the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness conducts a One Night Count, a county-wide effort to count the number of individuals sleeping on the streets, in… Continue reading

  • Conflict: The Machine of Fiction

    On Sunday, Oct 2, 2-4 pm at the Delridge Library, local author Karen Finneyfrock will teach a workshop as a part of the Seattle Writes program. (If you can’t make this date, find her at Greenwood Library on Nov 12, 2-4 pm). This workshop is particularly geared toward writers working on a novel. In the class you… Continue reading