Pasadena Public Library
recap by McKenna Blackshire, age 14 The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee Summary: A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible—if you want it enough. WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118. A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone […]
This year’s annual Halloween event–a dinner party, after-hours lock-in, murder mystery–was exceptional; the theme was Harry Potter. With an almost entirely teen cast, the Teen Advisory Board transported the guests into a Hogwarts mystery. As the Halloween feast was winding down, a mystery was afoot. The culprit could be a […]
review by McKenna Blackshire, age 14 Caraval by Stephanie Garber Summary: Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where […]
by Liliana Edmonds, age 16 The Pasadena Central Library’s summer party is a themed fandom party complete with themed decorations, activities, and party favors. The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) typically decides the party’s theme; this year, we selected the Avengers. Everyone on TAB contributed ideas for easy Avengers-themed party decorations […]
Rebel of The Sands By Alwyn Hamilton Summary: “Amani is desperate to leave the dead-end town of Dustwalk, and she’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to help her escape. But after she meets Jin, the mysterious rebel running from the Sultan’s army, she unlocks the powerful truth about the desert […]
recap by Genevieve Harvey, age 13 Many people feel uncomfortable talking about the issue of mental illness, and thinking about how they can deal with it or how they would react when hearing someone’s story. The Teen Advisory Board has tackled that phobia by showcasing a movie and discussion every […]
recap by Nina Dinan age 13 Breakin’ News is a recently organized monthly discussion for teens during which news, politics, and/or the Constitution are explored. Breakin’ News was organized to give teens an opportunity to exchange views and ask questions pertaining to current events. For example, “What’s up with Michael […]
recap by Madison Comick, age 15 Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven A couple of Novembers ago, YA Book Club read All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. We thought it was literally the most amazing story we’d ever heard of. I think we’re all still fawning over that […]
recap by Madison Comick, age 15 Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes Even if you’re a fan of magic and kingdoms, you may not like this story; participants at the YA Book Club this April meeting didn’t, even though 3 out of 4 of us enjoy fantasy novels. The fantasy novel […]
Book Club recap by McKenna Blackshire, grade 8 Summary: “In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (‘gleaned’) by professional reapers (‘scythes’). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe–a position neither of them wants. The one who […]