Do you have a teenager at home who is reluctant to sit down and read?
- Keep things real. Converse with your teen about their likes, dislikes, hopes, fears, and dreams. Look for popular role models who might have also struggled at reading in youth. Jason Reynolds one of our nation’s most popular children and teen writers, and named the 2020-2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress says he didn’t read a book cover to cover until he was 17. His message is honest, and it is compelling.
- Let your teen choose what to read.
- Connect reading to your teen’s passion. Subtly pepper your house with well-illustrated library books about things they’re passionate about.
- Find ways to tie reading to social media. Reading doesn’t just have to happen with a nose in a book.
- Leverage your teen’s interest in current events… sports, celebrities, gaming, politics…
- Ask your library to help you find engrossing books at your teen’s reading level.
- Model reading at home. Sit yourself down and read regularly. Show your teen what it looks like.
- Discuss what your teen reads. Be interested in what your teen thinks of it. Remember to not judge.
- Resist the urge to criticize.
- Find a compelling page turner series. It’s easier to get into books with characters you’re already familiar with.
These tips came from Louise Baigelman, MEd, an expert dedicated to and passionate about literacy education. You can find further explanations of each point in Ms. Baigelman’s full article here at Understood.org
Remember this: When things are stressful, even people who LOVE to read find it hard to sit down and read new books. It can be a real comfort to pick up a book you’ve already read… stories you already know… with characters you’re already familiar with. It’s nice to have SOMETHING going on where we know what’s going to happen next – even if just in a well-known and well-loved story-line.
If your teen loves a film or TV show based on a YA novel, why not just happen to leave a copy of the book sitting around... YA adaptations of 2020
Kiss Number 8
Published in 2019
A 2019 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids A 2020 Tayshas Reading List Selection A 2020 Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection Mads is pretty happy with her life. She goes to church with her family, and minor league baseball games with her dad. She goofs off with her best friend Cat, and has thus far managed to avoid getting kissed by Adam, the boy next door. It's everything she hoped high school would be... until all of a sudden, it's not. Her dad is hiding something big—so big it could tear her family apart. And that's just the beginning of her problems: Mads is starting to figure out that she doesn't want to kiss Adam... because the only person she wants to kiss is Cat. Kiss Number 8 , a graphic novel from writer Colleen AF Venable and illustrator Ellen T. Crenshaw, is a layered, funny, sharp-edged story of teen sexuality and family secrets.
Belly Up
Published in 2019
Know what's more fun than being the new girl for your senior year? Being the pregnant new girl. It isn't awesome. There is one upside, though--a boy named Leaf Leon. He's cute, an amazing cook and he's flirting me up, hard-core. Too bad I'm knocked up with a stranger's baby. I should probably mention that to him at some point. But how?--Amazon.com.
10 Blind Dates
Published in 2019
After an unexpected breakup, seventeen-year-old Sophie lets members of her large, eccentric extended family set her up on ten blind dates during Christmas vacation.
10 Blind Dates
Published in 2019
Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation. Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby. When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available. This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever . . . or is it?
10 Blind Dates
Published in 2019
Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation. Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby. When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available. This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever . . . or is it?
Unpregnant
Published in 2019
SOON TO BE A MOVIE FROM HBO MAX! A Top Ten YALSA 2020 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers! Perfect for fans of Juno and Jennifer E. Smith, Unpregnant is a heartfelt and hysterically funny YA debut about fierce friendship, reproductive rights, and the wild road to adulthood. "Hilarious. A remarkable debut." -Stephen Chbosky, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower "A buddy road trip novel so funny, touching, and surprising, readers will forget it's also important. Honest and relatable!" -Alex Flinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beastly Seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke never thought she'd want to fail a test-that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with two solid pink lines. With a college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she'd have to make: an abortion. There's just one catch-the closest place to get one is over nine hundred miles away. With conservative parents, a less-than-optimal boyfriend, and no car, Veronica turns to the only person who won't judge her: Bailey Butler, a legendary misfit at Jefferson High-and Veronica's ex-best friend. What could go wrong? Not much, apart from three days of stolen cars, crazed ex-boyfriends, aliens, ferret napping, and the betrayal of a broken friendship that can't be outrun. Under the starlit skies of the Southwest, Veronica and Bailey discover that sometimes the most important choice is who your friends are. This breakout novel is from authors Jenni Hendriks (writer for How I Met Your Mother) and Ted Caplan (music editor for The Hate U Give). "A stellar, timely debut." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Timely, hilarious, and heartfelt." -Kirkus (starred review)
Unpregnant
Published in 2019
When seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke discovers she is pregnant, she enlists the help of high school misfit Bailey Butler to drive her over nine hundred miles to the closest abortion clinic.
Unpregnant
Published in 2019
-- This breakout novel is from authors Jenni Hendriks (writer for How I Met Your Mother(starred review)“Timely, hilarious, and heartfelt.” ?Kirkus (starred review)
Heroine
Published in 2019
An Amazon Best Book of the Month! A captivating and powerful exploration of the opioid crisis?the deadliest drug epidemic in American history?through the eyes of a college-bound softball star. Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a visceral and necessary novel about addiction, family, friendship, and hope. When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she's ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she's been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. With a new circle of friends?fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill?Mickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.
Heroine
Published in 2019
An Amazon Best Book of the Month! A captivating and powerful exploration of the opioid crisis?the deadliest drug epidemic in American history?through the eyes of a college-bound softball star. Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a visceral and necessary novel about addiction, family, friendship, and hope. When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she's ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she's been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. With a new circle of friends?fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill?Mickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.
Heroine
Published in 2019
"Mickey Catalan's life has been littered with struggles -- from the scars that tell of past injuries to her parents' divorce to the daily complexity of finding the right words to fit in socially. Mickey is no stranger to pain, emotional or physical. When a car crash sidelines her months before softball season, Mickey has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she's ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she's been prescribed can help her get back there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. With a new circle of friends -- fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill -- Mickey finds peaceful acceptance and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control."-- Provided by publisher.
Heroine
Published in 2019
"When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place shes ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers shes been prescribed can help her get there. The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good. With a new circle of friendsfellow injured athletes, others with just time to killMickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue. But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control."--Amazon.
Two Can Keep a Secret
Published in 2019
Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.
Two Can Keep a Secret
Published in 2019
"When it comes to YA suspense, Karen M. McManus is in a league of her own. Fresh off her best-selling breakout One of Us Is Lying . . . the author has returned with a juicy second novel. It's even better than what came before." ? EW The New York Times bestselling "must-read YA thriller" ( Bustle ) from the author of One of Us Is Lying ! Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows. The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing. Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous?and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself. 2 STARRED REVIEWS! Praise for Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying A New York Times Bestseller An EW.com Best YA Book of the Year A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of the Year A Popcrush Best Young Adult Book of the Year " Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club ....so make room for One of Us Is Lying in your bags, because this is one carry-on you won't want to put down ." ?EW.com " A whodunit with a Breakfast Club twist ...following four unique voices on a chase to find the killer, this one will keep you guessing until the very, very end." ? Popcrush "This is no ordinary whodunit ...surprising and relevant."? USA Today
Two Can Keep a Secret
Published in 2019
"When it comes to YA suspense, Karen M. McManus is in a league of her own. Fresh off her best-selling breakout One of Us Is Lying . . . the author has returned with a juicy second novel. It's even better than what came before." ? EW The New York Times bestselling "must-read YA thriller" ( Bustle ) from the author of One of Us Is Lying ! Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows. The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing. Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous?and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself. 2 STARRED REVIEWS! Praise for Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying A New York Times Bestseller An EW.com Best YA Book of the Year A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of the Year A Popcrush Best Young Adult Book of the Year " Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club ....so make room for One of Us Is Lying in your bags, because this is one carry-on you won't want to put down ." ?EW.com " A whodunit with a Breakfast Club twist ...following four unique voices on a chase to find the killer, this one will keep you guessing until the very, very end." ? Popcrush "This is no ordinary whodunit ...surprising and relevant."? USA Today
Two Can Keep a Secret
Published in 2019
While true-crime afficionado Ellery and her twin brother are staying with their grandmother in a Vermont community known for murder, a new friend goes missing and Ellery may be next.
Pumpkinheads
Published in 2019
This format is designed to be read on color devices and cannot be read on black-and-white e-readers . In Pumpkinheads , beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell and Eisner Award–winning artist Faith Erin Hicks have teamed up to create this tender and hilarious story about two irresistible teens discovering what it means to leave behind a place—and a person—with no regrets. Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they've worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they're reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye. Josiah's ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn't ready to let him. She's got a plan : What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he's been mooning over for three years . . . What if their last shift was an adventure?
Pumpkinheads
Published in 2019
"Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they've worked together at the world's best pumpkin patch. They say good-bye every Halloween, and they're reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different. Josiah and Deja are finally seniors. It's their last season at the Patch, their last shift together--their last good-bye. Josie's ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. (He's the melancholy type.) But Deja has a plan: What if, instead of moping and instead of the usual--slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut--they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! Maybe Josie could even talk to that cute girl he's been mooning over for three years ... What if their last shift was an adventure?"--Provided by publisher.
The Haunted
Published in 2019
To evade her manipulative ex-boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Hendricks' family moves to small-town New York, where she joins the popular crowd, but only her outcast neighbor, Eddie, can help chase vindictive ghosts from her new house.
Kiss Number 8
Published in 2019
"Mads is pretty happy with her life. She goes to church with her family, and minor league baseball games with her dad. She goofs off with her best friend Cat, and has thus far managed to avoid getting kissed by Adam, the boy next door. It's everything she hoped high school would be... until all of a sudden, it's not. Her dad is hiding something big--so big it could tear her family apart. And that's just the beginning of her problems: Mads is starting to figure out that she doesn't want to kiss Adam... because the only person she wants to kiss is Cat. Just like that, Mad's tidy little life has gotten epically messy--and epically heartbreaking. And when your heart is broken, it takes more than an awkward, uncomfortable, tooth-clashing, friendship-ending kiss to put things right again. It takes a whole bunch of them"-- Page 4 of cover.
We Are Displaced
Published in 2019
With her powerful new book, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai starts with her own story of displacement as an Internally Displaced Person to show what it means to lose your home, your community, and the only world you've ever known. She also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her various journeys to refugee camps and the cities where refugee girls and their families have settled.
We Are Displaced
My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World
Published in 2019
"Malala Yousafzai introduces some of the people behind the statistics and news stories we read or hear every day about the millions of people displaced worldwide. Malala's experiences visiting refugee camps caused her to reconsider her own displacement-- first as an Internally Displaced Person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world except to the home she loved. In We Are Displaced, which is part memoir, part communal storytelling, Malala not only explores her own story, but she also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her journeys-- girls who have lost their community, relatives, and often the only world they've ever known. In a time of immigration crises, war, and border conflicts, We Are Displaced is an important reminder from one of the world's most prominent young activists that every single one of the 68.5 million currently displaced is a person-- often a young person-- with hopes and dreams."--Dust jacket flap.
We Are Displaced
My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World
Published in 2019
With her powerful new book, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai starts with her own story of displacement to show what it means to lose your home, your community, and the only world you've ever known. She also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her various journeys to refugee camps and the cities where refugee girls and their families have settled.
