It’s hard to believe, but we have reached the final week in the Delaware County District Library Summer Reading Club. Since the beginning of June, we have had weekly programs for families, kids and teens at all four of our library branches – an astonishing 96 programs in just eight weeks! That doesn’t even count the adult book clubs and craft nights, and 20-plus weekly storytimes for early learners.
There is still plenty to get into this week. Let’s look at some of our teen programs. All teen programs occur at 2 p.m. and last approximately one hour. On Monday, the Delaware Main Library teaches teens how to make “galaxy jars” – a sparkly, celestial jar that will make any teen’s room look out of this world. Fans of the Star Wars series will enjoy Tuesday’s program at the Ostrander Library, Light Saber Academy.
On Wednesday, Julie Standish will teach the teens at the Orange Branch Library how to stretch and relax with yoga. Finally, the Arts Castle will bring an army of tiny aliens to the Powell Branch Library on Thursday for teens to decorate and take home.
Our Universe of Storytellers July speaker, Rachel Ignotofsky, is visiting the Delaware Main Library on Thursday as well. At 6:30 p.m., Rachel will be discussing her latest book, “The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth,” which features original illustrations and science to bring our planet to life on the page. So come in and cool off with refreshments from Fresh Start Café and Bakery and learn something with us.
In the meantime, here are some great young adult books that teens and adults alike will enjoy:
• “If It Makes You Happy” by Claire Kann. Winnie is fat, proud, and excited to spend the summer working at her granny’s diner and hanging out with her family and her queerplatonic ungirlfriend, Kara. Winnie is appointed Summer Queen of her small town, a role that comes with obligations as well as complications — such as her feelings for the Summer King, Dallas.
• “People Like Us” by Dana Mele. This book opens on Bates Academy, an elite prep school where Kay Donovan has reinvented herself as a popular soccer star, leaving her shady past behind. Kay’s past catches up to her, however, when a murdered classmate leaves behind a digital scavenger hunt that forces Kay to expose her new friends’ darkest secrets…or else have her own secrets revealed.
• “Truly Devious” by Maureen Johnson. Sixteen-year-old true crime enthusiast Stevie Bell arrives at Ellingham Academy (an unusual school for exceptional students) with one goal: to solve a kidnapping that took place there in 1936. Cracking the cold case proves complicated, however, when a present-day murderer begins targeting Ellingham students.
• “This Time Will Be Different” by Misa Sugiura. Despite years of pressure from her high-achieving mother, C.J. Katsuyama’s only ambition is to hone her flower-arranging skills at the family flower shop. Yet when her mom threatens to sell the shop to a family that once took advantage of C.J.’s grandparents, C.J. finally finds her own determination.
• “Let Me Hear a Rhyme” by Tiffany D. Jackson. After up-and-coming rapper Stephon is murdered, his sister, Jasmine, and his best friends, Quadir and Jarrell, keep his talent alive by promoting his music under a different name. Yet the closer they get to success — and to finding Steph’s killer — the harder it is to keep their secret.
• “The Missing Season” by Gillian French. Welcome to Pender, Maine, where legend has it that a monster known as the Mumbler steals kids on Halloween. Newcomer Clara doesn’t believe in the Mumbler, but the missing kids are real enough, and as Halloween approaches and her new friends’ prank war intensifies, Clara can’t ignore the creeping suspicion that she’s in danger.
