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.
Dyslexia. (2017, July 22). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyslexia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353552#:~:text=Dyslexia%20is%20a%20learning%20disorder,the%20brain%20that%20process%20language.
Danaadmin. (2020, December 15). Searching for effective interventions in dyslexia. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://dana.org/article/searching-for-effective-interventions-in-dyslexia/
Dyslexia's emotional impact. (2020, August 20). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.lexercise.com/blog/dyslexia-effects
Check out these books to get some inspiration for ways to boost your self-love and acceptance.
As you might know February is Black History Month, and I wanted to celebrate it by reading and discussing one of my favorite books! It's called The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book is amazing, and it is honestly one of my favorites so I hope you enjoy it too!
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
-Synopsis from the publisher
Here are some questions we will be discussing:
1.In the first chapter, Khalil and Starr listen to Tupac in the car. Khalil explains what Tupac said “Thug Life” meant. Discuss what this acronym means and how it shows up throughout the book. How else does the author use hip-hop as a motif?
2.Throughout the novel, Starr refers to police officer Brian Cruise as One-Fifteen, which is his badge number. Why do you think she does this? Does her attitude toward police officers change over the course of the book? How does her uncle play into this change?
The book can be found on the library website as a book, an audiobook, or on Overdrive or Libby.
The book club will be held Saturday, February 13th at 2:00 pm. This event will be online:
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/98103476634?pwd=TkRIbjlETURnR3dXNElDM3lKUG8wUT09
Please email [email protected] with any questions!
For more amazing books by Black authors see this list.
Set in the Dumplin' universe, Waylon Russell Brewer is fat, openly gay, and stuck in the small West Texas town of Clover City. But he has a plan: escape to Austin with his twin sister and live his dream life after graduation. When those plans derail, Waylon decides to send an audition tape to his favorite TV drag show, Fiercest of Them All. But when Waylon's tape is leaked, he's nominated for prom king as a joke alongside Clem’s girlfriend, Hannah Perez. Instead of giving his bullies power, Waylon decides to lean into the nomination, preparing to leave high school with a bang.
Release Date: 5/25/2021
2. Concrete Rose, by Angie Thomas
In Concrete Rose, set 17 years before the events of The Hate U Give, Maverick Carter deals for the King Lords in order to help his overworked mother while his father is in prison, but everything changes when Mav finds out he's going to be a father. When he gets an opportunity to go straight, he's determined to amount to something. But escaping gang roots isn't easy as loyalty and revenge threaten to break Mav.
Release Date: 1/12/2021
3. Any Way the Wind Blows, By Rainbow Rowell
In the finale of Rowell's Simon Snow series, the magical trio (and Agatha) will finally put an end to their adventures... if they can! The series spun off the author's YA novel Fangirl and has truly become its own beast. Pro-Tip: Rowell is creepy good at hiding emotional jabs in the most unexpected moments, so make sure you have tissues on hand.
Release Date: 7/6/2021
4. The Box in the Woods, by Maureen Johnson
This book is the latest in the popular author's Truly Devious series. Stevie, the protagonist and teen detective, is tasked with solving her first case outside of school—a cold case, as a favor to help out a friend's true crime podcast. Set at a summer camp, this is one summer Stevie and her friends may want to forget.
Release Date: 4/27/2021
5. The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, by Mackenzi Lee
This is the anticipated third book in Lee's Montague Siblings series. The sibling at the center of this installment is the anxious Adrian, who sets off on a seafaring adventure to find his missing siblings and end the curse on his family once and for all.
Release Date: 4/27/2021
6. The Gilded Ones, by Namina Forna
This is the first book in a new series from Forna. In it, a girl named Deka is rejected by her village and gets recruited to join a supernatural all-girl army instead. Who would turn that down? Suddenly, Deka goes from a misfit to the biggest adventure of her life.
Release Date: 2/9/2021
7. Kate in Waiting, by Becky Albertalli
The latest from the author of the Love Simon-verse is all about how sometimes having "mutual crushes" with our friends makes them feel unattainable and therefore safe... but it would be really, really not fun if that crush started to turn into something more real for your friend, and not you.
Release Date: 4/20/2021
8. The Ones We're Meant to Find, by Joan He
Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago with no memories except for the fact that she has a sister — and she needs to find her. Meanwhile, Kasey resides in the Metropolis, Earth's last unpolluted place designed to help planetary protection. But is science really helping humanity if it's failed those who mattered most?
Release Date: 5/4/2021
9. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, by Crystal Maldonado
This fat-positive contemporary sounds like a relatable, quirky, and charming coming-of-age story, and we're so excited to get our hands on it. All Charlie wants is to have a good relationship with her body, but it's hard when her mother thinks she should fit a beauty standard she does not subscribe to: being slim, white, and quiet. Luckily, her BFF Amelia always has her back. But when a cute classmate starts to notice Charlie, she's over the moon until she learns that he asked Amelia out first.
Release Date: 2/2/2021
10. May the Best Man Win, by Z.R. Ellor
When Jeremy Harkiss comes out as a transgender boy his senior year, he refuses to let the bigots tear him down. Instead, he adds to his attention by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend Lukas for the title of Homecoming King. Lukas is dealing with his own loss but refuses to let Jeremy take his title. But both boys take their rivalry too far and must face the consequences — and their past hurt.
Release Date: 5/18/2021
What books are you looking forward to this year?
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