YALSA Top Tens Nominees

Every year, YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, puts out a list of the top ten teen books, as voted on by teens from all over the country. This year's votes are in, and the top 10 for 2020 have been announced! All of them are available for checkout from Hoopla Digital, Overdrive or Libby, so if you haven't read them yet, here is your chance. And the winners are:

 

 

 So if you haven't read them, look for them to download today. And try to get a Bingo with the game below by reading the top ten as well as some of the other nominees for the year.

What's New On Overdive?

Need something new to read? Here are some of our picks for the best books that have recently been added to Overdrive!  If you don't have a regular library card, don't forget you can access these titles with a temporary e-card you can register for here: https://yumalibrary.org/sign-up-for-a-library-ecard/

Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani: Kira has never fit in or felt comfortable anywhere except her grandfather's shrine. That is until the day the shrine is attacked by Yokai (Japanese demons). Why are they here, what do they want, and how can Kira stop what might be the start of a war between forces darker than the could have ever imagined?

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore: The year is 1518, and a strange plague has hit France: women are taking to the streets and dancing themselves to death. No one knows why, but the rumors of witchcraft are everywhere. Fast forward 500 years, and a girl named Rosella finds a pair of shoes that attach to her feet, making dance, and dance, and dance. Based on a true story (yes, there REALLY WAS a dancing plague in the middle ages!), this beautiful modern fairy tale will have you hooked until the last page.

Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan: "Two houses, both alike in dignity...." oh wait, sorry, wrong book. But not really, because that's the opening line to Romeo and Juliet, and Verona Comics is a funny modern retelling of that classic story, except the two families here each run a comic book shop. Despite the fact that Ridley and Jubille's parents are business rivals, and hate each other, the two are of course, destined to meet... where else: at comic-con prom.

Elysium Girls by Kate Pentecost: For 10 years, a pair of sisters have been playing a game that neither one is willing to lose. Now, this wouldn't really matter to anyone, except that the sisters are the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Death. Now the sisters have concentrated all their game-playing energy on the small town of Elysium, Oklahoma and the lives of all the residents are at stake, unless Sal (a girl who sees visions) and Asa (a demon posing as a human) can figure out how to stop them... as soon as they figure out how to get themselves un-exiled from town first.

What's New On Hoopla?

Need something new to read? Here are some of our picks for the best books that have recently been added to Hoopla Digital! Don't forget that for the month of May you get 10 Hoopla checkouts, instead of our usual 5! If you don't have a regular library card, don't forget you can access these titles with a temporary e-card you can register for here: https://yumalibrary.org/sign-up-for-a-library-ecard/

So This is Love (Twisted Tales Series) by Elizabeth Lim: Disney fans have been waiting for this one for a while! The newest offering in the Twisted Tales series is finally out! This time author Elizabeth Lim asks "what if Cinderella never tried on the glass slipper?" Instead of relying on her fairy Godmother, Cinderella takes her fate into her own hands, leaves her evil stepmother and takes a job at the castle... but while there she uncovers a deadly plot against the prince, and Cinderella must decide where her loyalties lie.

The Burning by Laura Bates: Internet rumors can spread like wildfire. It's because of a vicious internet rumors and cyber-bullying that Anna and her mom have had to leave their home and move hundreds of miles away so that Anna can go to a new school. But the internet is everywhere, and soon, rumors and whispers start up again. Anna tries to escape them by diving into a story she has heard about a local woman who was once accused of witchcraft.

What the Other Three Don't Know by Spencer Hyde: Four very different High School Seniors have one major thing in common: each of them is hiding a deep, dark secret. When the four are forced to spend time together on a class trip, they each begin to let their guards down and share secrets that touch on death, disability, sexual identity, and life in general.

The Stone of Sorrow by Brooke Carter: Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black, The Stone of Sorrow takes you into the world of Norse mythology, with a twist. Runa is supposed to be content to be her village's resident witch, but all she really wants to do is sail the seas and see the world. But, when her village is attacked and her sister kidnapped, Runa must team up with an elf and a disgraced Valkyrie if she has any hope of getting her back.

Yes, we're closed, but we're still here...

Hi teens!
We miss you all so much!
Yes, the libraries are closed for now, but the staff is still thinking of you all and working on awesome programs for when the current crisis is all over and we can get back to hanging out in the teen room with all of you. For now, stay home, stay safe and check out some of our online offerings so you don't get too bored:

If you don't currently have a library card, you can sign up for a library eCard here:
https://yumalibrary.org/sign-up-for-a-library-ecard/
This card lets you access any of our online resources so you can download books, comics, manga and more.

Hoopla Digital lets you check out e-books, audio books, music, movies and TV shows. They have a GREAT selection of graphic novels and comics.

Overdrive allows you to have 10 books out at one time! We just added a whole bunch of new manga titles here too, so get the app today!

Kanopy is a streaming service for indie movies. You can check out and stream up to 10 movies a month on the adult side, with unlimited checkouts on the kids side (we won't judge you for watching every episode of Arthur, we promise!).

Why YOU Love The Library

During the month of February the Teen Room hosted an interactive bulletin board where people could wire down why they love the library and we got lots of great responses! Here are some of our personal favorites:

💗 "I love how people are welcomed with open hands when they're new. I love how we meet new people and turn them into family.

💗 "I love that the library keeps people involved and that it is a quiet study place."

💗 "I love the books, staff and the fact that we can watch anime."

💗 "It has a huge variety of books you could read."

💗 "I love that everything is free and there is always something for everyone."

💗 "I can be myself and meet new people."

💗 "It is my favorite place in the whole world."

💗 "Anime club!"

💗 "All the friends I made here & Dungeons and Dragons!"

💗 "There are two large bean bags!"

💗 "They complete me!"

💗 "They have mangas!"


Thanks for all the love! We love you all too!

The Peeps Are Back!

For many years, it was a tradition at YCLD to host an annual contest where people would make shoe-box dioramas of their favorite books and movies using only marshmallow Peeps candy as the "people" in the scenes. No one really knows why we stopped doing this contest, but the teen staff loved it, so this year, we are bringing it back as a month-long teen program.

Basically all you need to do to enter is come see us in the Main Library Teen Room, and ask Alex, Nikki or Elia for an entry form. Then create a diorama and bring it in to us by March 31st. In April we will have some impartial people come in to judge the contest and choose the top 3 best dioramas as well as let people vote for the "Peeple's Choice" winner. Winners will receive a trophy, a cool prize and bragging rights for the year.

Check out the pictures below, from past year's contests for some inspo, but please don't copy! All your work should be original. The contest begins today so stop in and grab your entry form!

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CONTEST IS FOR AGES 13-18 ONLY. INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES ONLY (NO GROUP CATEGORY)

2012 Entry "Harry Peeper" based on the Harry Potter books

2012 Entry "Oliver Peep" based on "Oliver Twist"

2011 Entry "Peep Holes" based on the book "Holes"

What's New at the Library: February's Great Graphic Novels

The month of February brought us a big cart-full of brand new graphic novels for you to check out and enjoy. Below are four we really like, and think you will like too. Click on the titles to access the library catalog and see if they are available near you.

The Avant Guards by Carly Usdin, illustrated by Noah Hayes: Charlie was a basketball star at her old school, but due to...circumstances... she has had to transfer to a college that focuses on arts and drama. They do have a basketball team, but they're kind of terrible players. Charlie is sure that she never wants to play ball again, but the team captain, Liv, is extremely persuasive, not to mention extremely cute.This one has a lot of humor, a lot of heart and really great art. This is just volume one of the series, but keep your eyes open for more to come.

Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom by Terry Blas and Molly Muldoon with illustrations by Matthew Seely: Camp Bloom is not an average sleep-away camp. It is a weight-loss camp for overweight teens to get into better shape. Jesse was sent there against her will by her parents. Noah is eager but frightened, not sure he can really do this. Tony just wants his phone back, and Kate just likes hiking. None of the teens expect much from the experience, until the night they discover that a counselor has been murdered, and they realize someone at the camp must be the killer. Spooky moments and lot of humor with some very cute art make this one a must-read.

Haphaven by Norm Harper, illustrated by Louie Joyce: Alex Mills is extremely superstitious. She gets it from her dad who never forgets to knock on wood, pick up a penny, or any of it. One day though, Alex kind of loses it, forgets to follow her superstitious rules and breaks her mother's back by stepping on a crack in the sidewalk. The only way to help her mom is obvious to Alex: team up with the weird leprechaun who shows up in her bedroom, travel to the land of superstition, and hunt down a lucky rabbit's foot that, by the way, is still attacked to the poor rabbit who kind of wants to keep it. This one is a really unique take on fractured fairy tales, with a lot of surprises along the way.

Qincredible: Quest to Be the Best by Rodney Barnes: Quinton West is a superhero, which is awesome. What's less awesome is his superpower. You see, Quin is invulnerable, which means he can take a beating, fall off a building, even get shot with nothing really happening to him. Problem is, he doesn't have any other abilities, like super strength or super speed so mostly this superpower just means that he doesn't mind too much when bullies beat him up. When Quin meets up with other local superheroes he feels like he's the lamest one of all, until he realizes his super smart brain and his incredible heart are much more important than being able to take a punch.