Teens

You don't have to have a green thumb to grow these gardens!  Our next teen event is Cupcake Gardens on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.  Each person will get a few cupcakes to turn into a garden-inspired edible masterpiece.  Registration is a must, so sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826) today!

BOOK BONUS!
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego
Things That Grow by Meredith Goldstein

The Islamic calendar is based around the lunar cycle, so the holy month of Ramadan does not always fall on the same dates each year.  In 2023, Ramadan began following the sighting of the moon over Mecca on March 22.  If you do not celebrate Ramadan, you can still use the next 30 days to focus your reading on Muslim literature.  We currently have a display in the Kid Zone that is filled with options.  And I'm going to highlight several new titles in this blog.

Spring Break is just around the corner!  Now, some of you will be out of town.  You made your plans months ago.  But some of you are staying in Hoover, and you have barely started planning how to fill the days.  Let Hoover Public Library help you have fun this Spring Break!  Here's everything that we have going on that week.

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2023
Baby Playdate at 9:30 a.m.
Enjoy a brief storytime activity and open ended play. Ages 0-18 Months. Registration required.
Story Lab: Spring Break Surprise at 4 p.m.
One story prompts lots of hands-on S.T.E.A.M. activities designed for 3 to 8-year-olds.  No registration needed.

March 13-19, 2023 is Brain Awareness Week! It's a global campaign to get folks interested in brain science.  The more interest, the more money will be put into research.  One way you can participate is to do your own brain "research" with one of these new books.

Everything Sad Is Untrue won a ton of awards when it debuted in 2020 -- Printz Award, Christopher Award, Middle East Book Award, Walter Honor.  It also hit almost every "best of" list you've ever heard of.  If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?!  If you read it and loved it and are dying to read something else by the same author, I have good news.  Daniel Nayeri has a new middle grade adventure out this week!  Read the New York Times review.

We're getting together to do Comic Book Crafts on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.  Need I say more?  Okay, fine.  Here are some specifics.

Character color bracelets.  Comic book magnets.  Comic mash-ups using panels from various comics.

Oh, and you have to be in 7th-12th grade.  And let us know you're coming.  Sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826).

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin delivers a gripping romance about two teens: a certified genius living with a diagnosed mental disorder and a politician’s son who is running from his own addiction and grief.

Chaos Theory by Nic Stone (02/28/23)
Since Shelbi enrolled at Windward Academy as a senior and won’t be there very long, she hasn’t bothered making friends. What her classmates don’t know about her can’t be used to hurt her—you know, like it did at her last school.

Andy Criddle is not okay. At all.
He’s had far too much to drink.
Again. Which is bad.
And things are about to get worse.

When Shelbi sees Andy at his lowest, she can relate. So she doesn’t resist reaching out. And there’s no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars . . . but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull their universes apart.

Drop by the Teen Department on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 for our Maker Space Pop-Up.  From 5-7 p.m., teens can create, experiment, and explore in a variety of activity and craft stations -- Random DIY, button making, jewelry making, LED greeting card, and LEGO building.  Everything is self-directed, and you can choose to just do one station, a few, or all.  And you don't have to let us know you're coming.  Just show up! 

I know that today is Valentine's Day.  But, guess what?  It is also Extraterrestrial Visitor Day.  And I would much rather blog about that!  Especially since I have the perfect book to recommend.

Crash from Outer Space: Unraveling the Mystery of Flying Saucers, Alien Beings, and Roswell by Candace Fleming (10/04/22)
In 1947, during the early years of the Cold War, a field in Roswell, New Mexico was disturbed by a strange crash and smattering of debris. Some say the bodies of extraterrestrial beings were strewn across the ground, that a UFO had crashed there, and that the government was covering up the evidence in a massive conspiracy.

But what really happened at Roswell?

An elite female fighter must reenter the competition to protect her found family of younger sisters in this fantasy inspired by West African culture.