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by Meagan, Sweet Branch  Join Sweet Branch Teen Squad member Kamryn for our penultimate Teen Book Club. This month we will be discussing the National Book Award nominated graphic novel Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. The event will be held on Saturday, March 13th at 2:00pm. The event will be held via Zoom, and here is the link.  In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along. Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father. Hey, Kiddo is a profoundly important memoir about growing up in a family grappling with addiction, and finding the art that helps you survive. - Graphix (publisher synopsis) Here are a few of the discussion questions:
Join us next month for the last book in our Book Club series! On Saturday, April 10th at 2pm we will be discussing Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich.
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by Morgan, Sweet Branch Teen Squad  Sweet Teen Squad member Morgan has made a list of her favorite books she read in 2020. The list is split into books published in 2020 and books published in earlier years that she read this year. We hope you find something you love! - Meagan, Sweet Teen Librarian Favorite books published in 2020: |
 | The List of Things That Will Not Change - Rebecca Stead. This book was just a fun book to read. I loved the plot and how the story came together at the end. |
 | TBH series - Lisa Greenwald. The 6th TBH book came out in 2020 but I read the entire series in 2020. I absolutely love this series because it is different. It is written in texts, notes and letters, so it doesn’t take as long to read. The storyline was amazing, and I think people that don’t like reading would enjoy this because it feels like reading notes and texts from friends. |
 | Friendship List series - Lisa Greenwald. The 4th and last Friendship list book came out in 2020, but I read the entire series in 2020. This series is amazing. It goes through many years of two best friends, and through the ups and downs a friendship has. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down. |
 | Stick With Me - Jennifer Blecher. I love books about friendship, and this is a great one. It tells the story from two different perspectives, and I love how the story flows. |
Favorite books from other years that I read in 2020:
 | Mother Daughter Book Club - Heather Vogel Frederick. The Mother Daughter Book Club is my all-time favorite series. It is so relatable, with five main characters that take turns telling the story. I love that every character has challenges they have to overcome, and how their friends are so supportive of them. |
 | Ranger’s Apprentice - John Flannagan. The Ranger’s Apprentice is a great, action packed series. I love how quick the story moves and how much goes on in the book. |
 | Braced by Alyson Gerber is in my top 5 favorite books. I love how it talks about scoliosis, which is very common in teen girls, but isn’t talked about much. This book I highly recommend for anyone who has or would like to know about scoliosis. |
 | Focused - Alyson Gerber. The main character in Focused finds out she has ADHD. I love how it shows what she goes through before and after her diagnosis. I like this book because it shows that even if you have ADHD, you are still amazing. |
 | Scouts - Shannon Greenland. This book is a great mystery and is a page-turner. It is so interesting and there are so many plot twists. This was so fun to read. |
 | Pink and Green series - Lisa Greenwald. This series is so awesome. I love the main character, her personality is so amazing, and I love that most of the books take place in her family’s pharmacy. |
 | Seagate Summers Series - Lisa Greenwald. These two books are so fun to read. They have a great storyline, and the characters are amazing. |
 | One of Us Is Lying - Karen M. Mcmanus. This mystery book is one of the best page-tuners I have ever read. I love this book because you can’t put it down, and there are so many plot twists. |
Click on any of these titles to request the book from the Library's catalog.
by Maddie, Main Library
Beginning March 18th, we’re hosting Teen Zine Team, a weekly, virtual hangout where you can meet other teens and spark your own creativity and self-expression! Local zine artists, along with our Teen Services Librarians, will introduce you to this underground art form and guide you on your zine-making journey. Teens with any level of artistic experience are welcome in this inclusive, casual group. Sign up here to receive your own zine-making kit, with scissors, glue, collage paper, stickers, gel pens, and instructions. Whether you’re a prolific zinester or you’ve never heard of the word “zine” before, you’ll have fun joining our casual zine-making sessions!
“What’s a zine?!” you might ask… A zine (pronounced “zeen”) is a DIY self-published magazine. It can be any size, length, and shape. Most importantly, it can be about anything! Zines can cover topics from personal stories to baking recipes. Zines can be informational, collaborative, personal, or anonymous. Obsessed with BTS? Make a zine about it! Missing your beloved family pet? Share those feelings in a zine! Have a notebook full of emo poetry? Add it to a zine and leave copies around town for strangers to find!
There are no rules to making zines. Just go with your gut and express yourself! For inspiration, here are some examples of zines made my local teens:
Teen Zine Team meets every Thursday, from 4–5pm, over Zoom (beginning March 18). Use this link to join the Teen Zine Team session.
Claire, Main Library Teen Squad
Hi, my name is Claire and I am a Teen Squad volunteer this year at the Main Library.
I have created a virtual gallery where anyone in grades 6th-12th can submit photography, writing, paintings, or art of any kind. There are a handful of topics to help inspire your submission, or you can submit something that doesn’t relate to the topics at all.
A piece I’d like to highlight from January is a drawing by Avi.
Here is what Avi said about their piece:
“I thought a lot about determination and perseverance while I was making this, and how I hope 2021 will be better than 2020.”
You can find future and past blog posts with updates about this project on The City Library’s blog page for teens.
If you are interested in submitting, please fill out this Google Form.
And finally, if you want to see all the submissions that we get, you can find the gallery here.
“I thought a lot about determination and perseverance while I was making this, and how I hope 2021 will be better than 2020.”
You can find future and past blog posts with updates about this project on The City Library’s blog page for teens.
If you are interested in submitting, please fill out this Google Form.
And finally, if you want to see all the submissions that we get, you can find the gallery here.