Laugh Out Loud

Sometimes we just need a good laugh.  So this week, I'm sharing some of my favorite funny teen books . . . .

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved with fighting against some disreputable wizards who want to steal away the dragons' kingdom.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schrieber
Perry's parents insist that he take Gobi, their Lithuanian exchange student, to senior prom but after an incident at the dance he learns that Gobi is actually an assassin who needs him as a henchman on a mission in Manhattan.

There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
When the beautiful Lucy prays to fall in love, God, an irresponsible youth named Bob, chooses to answer her prayer personally, to the dismay of this assistant, Mr. B who must try to clean up the resulting catastrophes.

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.


More Funny Books --
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney
Boys Don't Knit (In Public) by T.S. Easton
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan
Noggin by John Corey Whaley
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly
Soul Enchilada by David Gill
Thieving Weasels by Billy Taylor
Three Clams and an Oyster by Randy Powell
The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer
We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through October 13, 2017.

Teen Books for PRIDE Month

Every June, the country remembers the Stonewall Riots with PRIDE Month.  So today, I am sharing LGBTQIA books for teens . . . .

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
A gender-fluid teenager who struggles with identity creates a blog on the topic that goes viral, and faces ridicule at the hands of fellow students.

Shine by Lauren Myracle
When her best friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover the culprits in her small North Carolina town.

Fan Art by Sarah Tregay
High school senior Jamie has a crush on his best friend and finds ways to share that news with the help of several friends.

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Ann Peters
When her girlfriend dies suddenly at age seventeen, Colorado teenager Alix struggles with grief as painful secrets are revealed.


More Books --
10 Things I Can See from Here by Carrie Mac
Adaptation by Melinda Lo
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
Away We Go by Emil Ostrovski
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
Far From Xanadu by Julie Ann Peters
Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan
Girl Mans Up by M.E. Girard
Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
Wide Awake by David Levithan
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through July 21, 2017.

Summer Reading for Teens, Part 3

Some more great teen books perfect for summer reading . . .

Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter by Simon Mayo
When fourteen-year-old Itchingham "Itch" Lofte discovers a new radioactive element, he must use all of his wits and scientific knowledge to stop a top-secret government agency, his greedy teacher, and an evil corporation from getting hold of it.

Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
After the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, mysterious figures in Verona are determined to reignite the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, so, for the sake of peace, the Prince orders Romeo's best friend Benvolio to marry Juliet's cousin Rosaline.

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

Emily's Dress and Other Mising Things by Kathryn Burak
A new girl in Amherst, Massachusetts, comes to terms with her mother's suicide and her best friend's disappearance with the help of Emily Dickinson's poetry--and her dress.

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers
In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and aviolent destiny.

Happy Valentine's Day, Part 2

A lot of teen books include a romance story line.  For Valentine's Day, here are some of my favorite teen romances . . .

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day.

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
When Lord Death comes to claim sixteen-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King's Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a twenty-four hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.

The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
A coming of age novel in verse about sixteen-year-old Billy who runs away from his alcoholic father, lives in an abandoned freight train, falls in love with a rich girl, and ultimately learns the meaning of family.