What's Up for Teens

The Summer Reading Celebration begins tomorrow, June 18th, and in honor of this year’s theme for teens, I’ve put together some fun reading lists of recommended reads for teens that will take you around the world. I will be sharing these lists with you throughout the summer, with each list containing a set of books featuring a new location. Since all of travels start at home, I’m kicking it off with a set of books that take place right here in the Bay Area. Read and enjoy, and don’t forget to sign up for the Summer Reading Celebration!

You Are Here: Bay Area, California

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

While working at summer jobs in San Francisco, twins Sophie and Josh find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

This graphic novel features three intertwining stories about Chinese Americans, including Jin Wang, a boy raised in San Francisco's Chinatown who moves with his family to the suburbs.

Estrella’s Quinceañera by Malín Alegría

San Jose teen Estrella is turning 15, and her mother and aunt are planning a gaudy, traditional quinceañera for her, even though it is the last thing she wants.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

After being wrongly imprisoned by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, seventeen-year-old Marcus must use his computer hacking skills to set things right in this action-packed techno-thriller.

The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy

 When thirteen-year-old Joan moves to the Bay Area in 1972, she becomes friends with Sarah, who shares her passion for creative writing, and after winning a writing contest together, they are recruited for an exclusive summer writing class that gives them new insights into themselves and others.

Wish: A Novel by Alexandra Bullen

After her vivacious twin sister dies, a shy teenage girl moves with her parents to San Francisco, where she meets a magical seamstress who grants her one wish.

I like beautiful beads and crystals. But how do I string those freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal beads together to make wearable jewelry? I found a lot of beading books and instructional DVDs in the library and I made some bracelets (yes, I made those in the right photo) for myself. Other than jewelry, there are books showing that beads can be wonderful decoration in the house, such as this book: Beading: 20 Great Weekend Projects. You will be so proud of yourself wearing your handmade necklace or giving a gift to a friend. Happy beading!

Before Gossip Girl, before Twilight, there was Sweet Valley High. Never great literature, the prolific teen series by Francine Pascal and a team of ghostwriters featured identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield who were as different as night and day. Their adventures and those of their friends and family members were recounted in several spin off series as well, each depicting the same characters at different ages. Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley Kids and Sweet Valley Junior High featured younger versions of the same characters. Eventually everyone graduated and moved on to SVU (Sweet Valley University). As a librarian in the late 1980s and early 1990s I sometimes joked that readers never had to leave Sweet Valley. The characters would just age with them until everyone ended up at Sweet Valley Convalescent Hospital.

Now Pascal has caught up with her characters ten years after the original series ended. As usual, couples are getting together, breaking up, and revealing secrets. Who’s out of the closet? Will Todd Wilkins end up with Jessica or long-time love Elizabeth? Like watching a reunion movie from a familiar TV series, Sweet Valley Confidential is a quick opportunity to reconnect with the characters you once knew well. But don’t be surprised to find out that while you’ve grown and changed, Sweet Valley remains the same.  

Thank you to the Santa Teresa High School Band! Meddle With Music: A Teen Library Invasion on Saturday, May 14 was a hit! We saw over 200 people watching and listening to the Santa Teresa High School Jazz Bands, Jazz Combos, Saxophone Ensemble and Ukulele Ensemble.

We were also happy to see so many teens in the Santa Teresa Branch Library. There were teens everywhere: checking out books; getting library cards; playing music; encouraging their friends in the band and in the children's area reminiscing over favorite picture books from childhood. We would love to have any or all of the band members back to play again in the Library.

The Library received many positive comments on the program from both staff and customers. Thank you Santa Teresa High School students and band instructors for making this such a special day at the Library!

San Jose Public Library services discussed in-between bands included:

• Tutor.com: Free, online tutoring and homework help
• Tuition Funding Sources: Scholarship database
• Learning Express: SAT (and other tests) preparation database
• teensReach: Year round volunteer opportunity
• Summer Reading Celebration Volunteers: Summer volunteer opportunity