Ah, summer! Long days and late sunsets, grasses blowing in warm (or hot) breezes. And for me, there’s the food! Between carnivals, rodeos, and fairs, there’s enough amazing food to keep me dreaming about all year long! So when I was struck by a longing for funnel cakes and fried Oreos, what could I do but compile a list of foodie books?
Plus, there’s the added bonus that this blog is called Eat, Read, Repeat. Double win! It was meant to be.
Here we go! Food-focused Teen Room books: fiction edition!
Violets are blue. If you like Wednesday, try these too! Are you obsessed with Wednesday Addams, Nevermore Academy, and all things spooky? Well, you’re in luck. Here are some books and shows to keep you in the creepy mood.
Dark Academia meets witchcraft in this twisting thriller. Felicity is returning to Dalloway School one year after her girlfriend died. The school is rumored to be haunted by five students, who were supposed witches. Ellis is the new girl at school, but already has quite the following. For some reason Felicity is drawn to her. But as the girls start digging in the past, history begins to repeat itself.
This double DVD is guaranteed to give you a boost of nostalgia and keep you in the creepy and kooky mood. Lost uncles, first loves, new siblings, and a murderous nanny? What more could you want?!
Rachel is a loner; she likes to keep to herself usually watching horror movies. She soon takes the interest of a mysterious student society called “The Mary Shelley Club.” They make her complete fear tests, each one worse than the last. As the tests escalate, the society and Rachel become the target of a serial killer.
“Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a while.” Two brothers are on a road trip searching for their missing dad. While they drive across country they hunt and kill monsters and save people. This show is addicting, so don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Can’t go wrong with Poe, he is one of the most famous Alumni of Nevermore Academy after all. This collection of short stories include color illustrated images to go along with each story. Each story is filled with the macabre, so prepare yourself for a spooky read. And maybe keep the lights on.
Sabrina Spellman knows her world is about to change; she turns 16 this October. She leads a double life, studying magic and spells with her aunts and attending normal school with her friends. Come her sixteenth birthday, though, she has to choose one and leave the other life behind forever. What choice will she make, and will it be the right one?
We’re very lucky to have an amazing collection of manga in our library, both upstairs and down. The Teen Room collects the manga we think you all will enjoy, including these new series:
There were two titles that we couldn’t come up with a quippy explanation for! Would you like to help us out? Comment below with your suggestions for the following titles:
I recently bought a Book Challenge Activity Book, with little envelopes of “prizes” I can open when I complete the challenge written on the outside.
The outside of one of the envelopes says, “Read a book from an author of a different ethnicity than yours.”
That might have been a challenge for me once, but the Teen Room offers so many different diverse authors, I could easily open the envelope right away. But never one to cheat the spirit of the system, (and always one to outdo myself!) I decided to mindfully begin reading even more diverse authors.
And in honor of Native American Heritage Month, here’s a short list of YA books whose authors are indigenous.
Did you know that July is National Culinary Month? It is also National Peach Month, National Blueberry Month, and National Ice Cream Month. What I’m saying is that if you love food, this is your month! We have a lot of great cookbooks down in the Teen Room, but also fiction books with a food theme. Here are a couple, but come visit us to see more!
The Heart-Break Bakery by A.R. Capetta
Syd loves to bake and works at the Proud Muffin bakery. Syd uses baking for any big issue or problem in their life. So, when Syd is dumped, they obviously whip up a batch of brownies. There is only one problem: everyone who eats Syd’s break-up brownies ends up breaking up. Can their magical baking talents fix this problem, or just cause more?
Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma
Radha is on her way to becoming one of the best kathak dancers and Jai is captain of a Bollywood dance team. Both of their future dreams are shattered due to family issues. Radha tries to reinvent herself at the Academy of Arts and Jai realizes she might be just what he needs for a knockout last year.
Bloom by Kevin Panetta
Ari wants nothing more than to move to the big city with his band, but first he has to talk his dad into letting him quit his job at the family bakery. He likes the job, but he doesn’t want to be there forever wasting away. Ari starts to interview candidates to take over for him when he meets Hector, and all of his plans change. This graphic novel has a heartwarming story and beautiful images to go with.
Donuts and Other Proclamations of Loveby Jared Reck
Oscar and Lou couldn’t be any different. Oscar hates school and wants nothing to do with college. Lou has valedictorian in her sights and lofty college goals. A relationship neither of them anticipated grows when Lou and Oscar must work together on a service project reducing food waste in their high school.
Did you know libraries are for everyone! Campbell County Public Library is no different. We have a very diverse collection of books for you to choose from! But why is diversity important in a collection? Diversity is important because it shows people that they aren’t alone in the world; there are others who have similar experiences. It also helps teach people about experiences they may never have. Having a diverse collection builds empathy in readers. Here’s four diverse books for you to pick from!
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
The children of Lucille are all told there are no more monsters. But how can that be true when Jam meets Pet, a monster with horns and claws? Pet tells Jam they’ve come to hunt a monster that lurks in Jam’s best friend’s house. Jam now must not only fight to protect her friend but also uncover the truth. Emezi’s debut novel raises the difficult question about what choices you can make when society is in denial.
This Is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio
Jos Wu has two wishes: to make it through high school without dying of boredom, and to direct a short film with her best friend.
Will also has two goals: to get assigned to a position with the school paper and to find a summer job.
But when things don’t go their way Jos and Will find an unlikely friendship in each other. They think that the only thing getting in the way is family prejudices but quickly find out it’s their anxiety and depression. This Is My Brain in Love is a contemporary romance that explores mental health, race, and self-acceptance.
Last Night At the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
1954 in America is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love; Chinatown makes it even more unsafe for Lily and Kath. The two are willing to risk everything to let their love survive. For Lily a Chinese American, that might include her father’s deportation despite his hard-won citizenship.
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
Miel and Sam are best friends who are inseparable and a little strange. Miel can grow roses out of her wrists and Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in trees. But even Miel and Sam stay away from the Bonner girls, four sisters who are rumored to be witches. Now the Bonner girls want the roses that grow form Miel’s wrist, convinced that the roses can make anyone fall in love. When the Moon Was Ours is an exploration of love and identity.
If you’re interested in more diverse books just let us know and we’d love to help you! Don’t forget to sign up for our Summer Reading
Did you know one of the great things about literature is sometimes authors from the past get retold and reimagined in new unique ways? Shakespeare is a great example of classic literature being reimagined. Another popular author to reimagined is Jane Austen. Many of Jane Austen’s works get retold; here are four retellings of Pride and Prejudice you can find in the Teen Room.
Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price
The first book in A Jane Austen Murder Mystery series, Pride and Premeditation is the murder mystery retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie is a huge law enthusiast and wants to prove she’s a formidable litigator. Unfortunately, women are only allowed in the court room as witnesses and the man accused already has a lawyer, Mr. Darcy. Instead of letting either of these deter her, Lizzie decides to steal the client out from under Darcy and solve the murder. True to the murder mystery genre, Lizzie discovers that being a lawyer can often be a dangerous job.
Bookish Boyfriends: A Date with Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt
Let’s be honest: boys are so much better in books – at least that’s Marrilee’s opinion. Real-life boys just don’t know how to woo her, until she transfers to Reginald R. Hero Prep where the boys look like they’ve stepped right out of her romance books. Now brooding Monroe is trying to woo her and make her feel like Juliet incarnate. But when things unfold in ways she didn’t picture, she starts to realize that only she is in charge of her story.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
A mysterious plague has fallen upon Meryton causing the dead to return to life! Elizabeth is determined to wipe out the menacing zombies, but she’s soon distracted by the arrogant Mr. Darcy. Now she must mind her manners and mind the undead. This book has something for everyone: romance, swordfights and rotting corpses.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Zuri wants nothing to do with the two new wealthy Darcy boys who have moved in across the street. She can’t stand Darius especially when she’s forced to find common ground with him. With college applications and family vying for her attention Zuri must fight to find her place in an ever-changing world.
I’m your new sometimes-staff member, Lindee. I started working in the Teen Room right about the time it shut down for COVID, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to fangirl about how cool the Teen Room is. And maybe plug in a little reminder of what all the Teen Room has to offer.
So of course, there are the books. I think there’s just something special about young adult literature. It can tackle some of the biggest issues we face today, and it can do so without taking itself too seriously. If you’re going through something, we have books that can remind you you’re not alone. And if you need a little escape or just a little fun, we have books for that, too.
My favorites so far are the Avatar Kyoshi duology and These Hollow Vows. One’s pretty new, and one’s been around for a bit.
Rise of Kyoshi, Book 1
Shadow of Kyoshi, Book 2
Avatar the Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi bring readers back to the world of the Avatar, before the GAang saved the world from the Fire Nation army. Kyoshi as the Avatar is not who anyone expected—she’s not even that good at bending her original element! But being raised away from the limelight and outside of the political machinations of her best friend’s mentor (as he teaches who he THINKS is the Avatar), might be the absolute best thing for the Avatar. Who else could save the Earth Kingdom, on the brink of war, but someone impartial?
These Hollow Vows
These Hollow Vows marries some classic fairytale elements with some high fantasy characters, when character Brie must attend a ball in the Faerie world to save her sister, Jas. Jas was sold to Mordeus, the uncrowned king of the Dark Throne, when Jas and Brie couldn’t pay their aunt their “life debts.” With love triangles, a smattering of unexpected magic, and TWO twist endings, you won’t be surprised to hear I was positively betrayed when I learned the sequel is still 6 months out!
Our nonfiction section has some really cool books, with my favorites being the themed cookbooks. Yep, themed. Like, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter, and general nerd cookbooks. There are tons of other topics in there too, y’know. History and mental health and programming. But somehow I always end up at the cookbooks.
Next there’s the makerspace, with a little bit of everything. Fancy teaching yourself to sew? There are sewing needles for hand sewing and even a sewing machine! (Does the Teen Room nonfiction section have books on sewing? Better explore and find out!) The Perler beads are always popular, and I’ve seen some excitement about the crochet looms. There’s an ever-shifting collection of creative outlets there, so feel free to dig around and make something amazing!
There are more adventures ahead in our tour of the Amazing Teen Room, so keep an eye out for installment 2!
Believe Me is the fifth novella in the Shatter Me series by bestselling author Tahereh Mafi and takes place after the events of book six Image Me.
City of the Dead by James Patterson
City of the Dead is the second book in the Hawk series which follows the daughter of Maximum Ride. The series takes place 10 years after the events of the Maximum Ride series.
In the Ballroom With the Candlestick by Diana Peterfreund
In the Ballroom with the Candlestick is the third and final book in the Clue Mysteryseries. Secrets continue to come to light and threaten to destroy the groups friendships; the group has little choice but to either band together or turn on each other.
Journey to the Heart of the Abyss by London Shah
In Shah’s first book The Light at the Bottom of the World, readers were introduced to Leyla McQueen whose dad had been arrested. Leyla must make choices to help save her father but, as she learns, actions have consequences. The sequel picks up where the first one left off.
Spells Like Teen Spirit by Kate Williams
Spells Like Teen Spirit is the third and final book in the Babysitters Coven series and concludes Esme and Cassandra’s legacy as Sitters.
