Teens

The award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay has a new book out this week!

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram (03/22/22)
Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend–leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all–and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.

Next week is Spring Break!  Some folks will go on vacation, but a lot of us will be staying in town.  Looking for something fun (and free!) to do?  Check out our Game On! programming.

Mario Kart Tournament for Grades 4-6
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 3:30 pm
Mario Kart Tournament for Grades 7-12
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Both of these events will be a single winner competition on the Switch.  Participants do have to register.  Click on the blue program name to sign up online or give us a call (205-444-7830).

Gameapalooza
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 10:30 am
This all-ages program will feature a Minecraft maze, both a Pokemon and Sonic the Hedgehog game, a Piranha Plant craft, three larger-than-life classic games -- Connect 4, Jenga, Tic Tac Toe -- and snacks.  Registration is not required.

We can't wait for St. Patrick's Day to officially begin, so we will Decorate Cupcakes (and eat them, too!) a couple of days early!  Sign up online then show up next Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.  We'll provide the cupcakes, the green frosting, the rainbow sprinkles, and all the other stuff you'll need.  You'll provide the creativity . . . and the hunger for cupcakes.

CUPCAKE-BAKING BOOK BONUS!
Bake It: 150 Favorite Recipes from Best Loved DK Cookbooks (2019)
Crazy Sweet Creations by Ann Reardon (2021)
Kawaii Sweet World: 75 Yummy Recipes for Baking That's (Almost) Too Cute to Eat by Rachel Fong (2019)

In 2017 in Whitehall, Michigan, a group of teenage activists called the Coral Keepers established National Skip the Straw Day to recur every fourth Friday in February.  In 2022, that's today!  Do you know everything about the current fight against plastic pollution?  Maybe today is a good day to educate yourself, and decide if you, too, will skip the straw.

Wendy, our Teen Librarian and resident artist, is hosting a Teen Art event next Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.  Artists in grades 7-12 will learn about a famous Black American artist that died earlier this month at the age of 98 -- Ashley Bryan.  Over the course of his artistic life, he worked in a variety of mediums.  Teens will choose one of his art styles as inspiration for creating their own art, decorating the cover of a sketch book.  Registration is required, so sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826) today.

BOOK BONUS!
Infinite Hope: A Black Artist's Journey from World War II to Peace by Ashley Bryan (ebook & audiobook on Overdrive, audiobook on Hoopla)

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than a blog about new Black history nonfiction books that I love!  I've recently taken over the children's nonfiction collection, so I get to see everything before it's ready for the public.  It was hard to narrow down my selections!  Swing by the Kid Zone's Black History Month display or take a peek at some of our social media posts for even more recommendations.  And don't forget to take part in our Black History Month Book Bingo reading challenge!

I don't pay any attention to professional football, but even I know that the Super Bowl is this Sunday, February 13, 2022.  Before you watch the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals, get in the zone with these new football books!

It's one of our favorite days of the year!  Here are the winners of the 2022 Youth Media Awards!  Access the full list of winners and honors here.  And don't forget to take part in our Newbery 100 Reading Challenge via Beanstack, which kicks off today!  Help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of the most prestigious award in children's literature!

NEWBERY MEDAL
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (ebook & audiobook on Overdrive)

One of my favorite books of 2021 is a perfect read for this long weekend, which includes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Threads of Peace: How Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Changed the World by Uma Krishnaswami (08/17/21)
A lawyer and activist, tiny of stature with giant ideas, in British-ruled India at the beginning of the 20th century.  A minister from Georgia with a thunderous voice and hopes for peace at the height of the civil rights movement in America.  Born more than a half-century apart, with seemingly little in common except one shared wish, both would go on to be icons of peaceful resistance and human decency. Both preached love for all human beings, regardless of race or religion. Both believed that freedom and justice were won by not one, but many. Both met their ends in the most unpeaceful of ways—assassination.

PICTURE BOOKS
Grandpa Across the Ocean by Hyewon Yum (ebook on Hoopla)
My Tree by Hope Lim