Story Tags

Sun is Also a Star

People of Color Protagonists in Romance-ish Novels

Growing up, romance novels were not on my radar. At all. I thought they were cheesy and I had the image of Fabio associated with the genre. Additionally, I never found Young Adult romance books with characters that were not white or middle class. However! I have gotten older and wiser and now *love* cheesy romance and romance-ish novels (fiction books with a sprinkle of romance) and have found books with fulfilling diverse characters of different races and socioeconomic statuses.

Kushiel's Dart

Fantasy PRIDE

Fantasy Novels Featuring LGBTQ+ Characters

Nerd culture is all the rage these days, and it’s never been cooler to be into science fiction, horror, and fantasy than it is right now. Fans are diving deep into mythologies and histories of invented worlds, finding themselves in the sword-fighting, spell-casting, dragon-riding, and laser-shooting heroes that dominate our media. But what if you’re a queer lover of space opera and epic fantasy and superhero smackdowns?

Kindred by Octabia Butler - PKL YA Book Club recommendation

Parklands-Turner Teen Readers' Corner

YA Book Club Recommendation - Kindred

Kindred by Octavia Butler Book Review by Kiara Nickens

Sis

My Sisters' Keeper

Teen Book Club

Sisters!  Come to the Anacostia Library to read and discuss a great book. Our book club will meet the first and third Wednesday of every month at 4:30 p.m. to discuss chapters and have free talk. Teen girls. ages 15-17, will have an outlet to talk and express themselves in a comfortable environment with their peers. Light refreshments will be provided. The goal of the book club is to encourage self-love, build confidence and healthy relationships.   

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Books to Read after Watching "To All the Boys I've Loved Before"

Netflix’s adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was such a hit, it’s possible you saw it without having read the book first. That’s the obvious first place to start to get your fix of teen romantic comedies, but if you want more, you’ve come to the right place. Check out these heart-eyes-inducing teen reads. In the immortal words of Peter Kavinsky, “Girl come on, you know I already got it.”

Saving Red

Books In Verse

YA Titles With Impact Using Fewer Words

Using different styles of writing can be a great tool for authors who want to mix up the young adult reading scene. In the titles below, each author uses the in verse writing style that delivers less words to arrive at deep emotion, character flaws and pivotal plot points. A reader could interpret this writing style as similar to poetry or symbolic to user interpretation. Do you agree?  

Sample image from teen author website. Click photo for this book in the catalog.

Parklands-Turner Book Club Readers' Corner

Call for Submissions of Teen Book Review Teasers

Attention Teens: Have you just finished reading a great book that you want to talk about?  Do you have a favorite book that you'd like to recommend to other teens?  Do you want to earn additional community service hours?  Accomplish all of these each time you attend a Teen Talk-Back (book club meeting) or write a book review that gets published on the Parklands-Turner Library page. 

long way down

The Choice is Yours

Young Adult Books with Characters Making Important Decisions

What would you do?  The growth of a young person is often tested by the decisions they make. When the outcome of a choice could have long lasting effects, the question of "What Would You Do" becomes an interesting one. The following young adult books feature lead characters in decision making scenarios where the outcome greatly impacts their lives moving forward. 

Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz cover

Challenge Accepted: Read Harder 2017

Challenge #20: Read an LGBTQ+ Romance Novel

2017 is here and a new year means new year resolutions and challenges. One reading challenge that I love to do is Book Riot’s Read Harder challenge. Instead of having people focus on a specific number of books, Read Harder challenges people to read different genres or authors that they may overlook. This year, there are 24 prompts for readers. This read feed will address the twentieth challenge, to read an LGBTQ+ romance novel. LBGTQ+ romance is a genre that is growing.

The Haters

Road Trip!

Young adult novels about hitting the road

Road trips are part of the American mythos - think Steinbeck hitting the road with just his dog, or the Kerouac searching for something more. But they're not only for pretentious dudes! Here are some great teen novel about traveling by car, whether for joyful summer fun, for an undesired move, or to save the world.   The Haters by Jesse Andrews

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