What's New on Overdirve for August 2021

 Here are some of our favorite titles that have just been added to Overdive for you to check out and read on your favorite device:

Blackout by Various Authors: If you don't have the time to commit to an entire book or series may we suggest this? Six amazing authors present a series of short stories that are all connected by a single unifying thread: they all take place during a blackout in New York City in the middle of a heat wave. The stories tell the tales of a pair of angry exes, long-time besties, perfect strangers and more, told by authors like Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles) and Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give).

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalo: A new series from the author of Stalking Jack the Ripper promises a whole new kind of chills. Emilia and Vittoria are twins and secret witches, living in secret in Sicilian society and working normal jobs at their family's restaurant... that is until the night Emila finds Vittoria brutally murdered and mutilated. Her grief leads her on a quest for vengeance at any cost, even if it means using the darkest of magic. Magic that is completely forbidden, and threatens to unleash hell itself upon the earth. 

Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura: Nozomi was sure this was going to be the summer she would get a girlfriend. She was NOT expecting this would be the summer she would be suckered into a fake relationship to make her actual crush's ex jealous. But that's ok, because Nozomi has a plan! She is going to turn her fake romance into a real thing by making Willow see she really is the perfect girl for her and turn fauxmance into romance or else!

What's New on Hoopla for August 2021

We have some great new titles for you to enjoy on Hoopla Digital this month! Here are some of our favorites:

Cloakers by Alexandra Lapointe: Crystia is a Cloaker: an elite member of a secret society of shape shifters tasked with maintaining order in society. The problem is, Crystia never wanted the job. She was one of dozens  kids stolen from her family at a young age by the Black Coats, and genetically modified into becoming what she now is. Now she wants out, and she and the other Cloakers will do anything it takes to make it to freedom and reunite with their families.

How to Break an Evil Curse by Laura Morrison: The first book in the new Chronicles of Fritillary series shows us why it's a really bad idea to fight with your BFF... especially if your BFF happens to be an evil wizard. The king of Fritillary learns this the hard way when his former bestie curses his firstborn daughter to die if she is ever touched by the sunlight. Of course the king decides the only way to keep Princess Juliana safe is to lock her in a dungeon... but never count a girl with a serving spoon down because after 8 years of digging a VERY big hole the princess is FINALLY free and she is off to see the world... and free herself from her curse!

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin: Mara did not mean to start a revolution when she tried out for the boys football team. She just wanted to get back on a team after getting kicked out of girl's basketball for fighting. It's not her fault she's really good at it, and it's not her fault four other girls joined the team, and it's DEFINITELY not her fault those four actually DO suck, but now the team, including her own brother blame her for "ruining" the team. If Mara has any hope of impressing the coach, and her crush Valentina (who just happens to be one of the 4 other girls on the team) it's up to her to whip these girls into shape and turn this team around!

Walls by L.M. Elliot: 1960 is was not an easy year for the city of Berlin. It was politically divided, and in about a year it would be literally divided by a huge wall that would separate the city into Democracy and Communism. This division is already becoming apparent in Drew's own family, since he lives in West Berlin in an Army family, while his cousin Matthias is in East Berlin, dodging the secret police and smuggling outlawed rock music, which if he is caught with, could get him sent to a work-camp for hard labor and "re-education."

Yes, the Teen Room IS Open!

 In case you had not heard, we are letting people hang out in the teen rooms at all our libraries again, but the rules remain basically the same as they were before the pandemic: in order to hang out in the teen room, you have to be at least 13 years old, and no older than 18 (if you have turned 18 we might let you hang out for one more semester of school or the summer after high school, as long as you don't break the rules, but that's up to the teen staff). 

Also, you should know, a few things have changed from before the pandemic so here is what you need to know:

We are not showing movies at all right now at any of the teen rooms. This has to do with licenses and how we are doing programming, and a bunch of technical stuff... but the main point is, no movies. 

There is currently no video gaming on our systems though video game programs might resume at some branches in the future, so check your branch for their individual calendars. 

The libraries will no longer allow teens to bring in their own video games from home to play on library TVs, but you can bring hand-helds like a Switch to play on your own. 

Also, we do not issue guest passes for computers to anyone under age 18, and we will not make exceptions for anyone under 18 who does not have a library card, so if you do not have a library card, you will not be able to get on a computer, even "just for 5 minutes" even if you beg a ton. Sorry, this is the law and we have to comply. 

Other than this, we do want to see you back in the teen rooms soon so stop in and say hi to the staff! There are a lot of new faces at all the libraries and they're all looking forward to meting all of you!

Summer Reading Starts This Weekend!

 It's that time of year again! The library district's annual Summer Reading program kicks off this Saturday, May 29th and runs through July 10th! This year we are trying a few different things with the program. First of all, we will be reading for a time goal instead of for a set number of books. 

All teens have to do to finish the program is read 20 minutes a day for a total of 840 minutes. If you do that you will be entered into the end of summer drawing for the grand prize!

In order to participate, you have two options this year: you can sign up in person at your closest library or you can download the Read Squared app to your Android or Apple device and track everything there. It's up to you how you want to participate. 

Don't forget to sign up starting the 29th of May!

What's New on Hoopla

 This month all Hoopla Digital users can get up to 15 checkouts! Here are some books we think you will enjoy!

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) by Alyssa Sheinmel: Moira can't help that she's considered "troubled." You'd be pretty troubled too if your best friend had just died. But Moira's parents don't seem to understand that's why she has been "acting out" lately, so they ship her off to a special all-girl's school somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Maine. Little do they know, the school is just down the road from a school for troubled boys which seems to Moira could be all kinds of fun... until weird stuff starts happening. Weird stuff that might be caused by the creepy doctors who run both schools. 

The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle: Luke never asked to be pulled into the middle of a murder investigation, but that's exactly what happens when Mr. Heckler, a professor at Luke's elite boarding school is killed. What's worse, the police think the killer is Oscar, Luke's room mate and best friend. Luke knows Oscar would never do such a thing, and sets out to clear his friend's name.. and maybe earn the attention of the hot new girl he's been dying to spend time with.

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Logan calls himself a romantic. Everyone else calls him a stalker, especially Delilah, who is the object of his obsession. Logan wants to know everything about Delilah, and will stop at nothing to know her better, including watching her on a secret camera he has installed and following her every move on social media. Then one day, Logan sees Delilah doing something terrible. Something he believes he can use to make Delilah love him.. or else. 

Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul: Jack has two goals before leaving for college: patch things up with the brother he once loved, and finally, FINALLY deal with the aftermath of their dad's death. Hallie is just trying to get to Oregon after receiving some really bad news about one of her closest friends. When the two former classmates who barely know each other end up on the same rideshare to the bus stop, neither one of them expected it to be the start of the most epic adventure of their lives. 

New Manga at the Library

 Here's a sampling of some of the newer titles available at the library. Come in and check them out today!

Cells at Work! by Akane Shimizu. (Rated "Teen" for violence and blood): Great manga to learn about how your cells run your body! It’s a blood-pumping job! From strep throat, to hay fever, to influenza, the world is dangerous place for a red blood cell trying to get her oxygen deliveries finished! Fortunately, she’s not alone…she’s got a whole human body’s worth of cells ready to help out, especially the white blood cell who seems to be always showing up when she gets into trouble with germs. Other cells, like the buff and brash killer T cells, the nerdy neuron, to the cute little platelets (the tiniest cells in the human body)  has a job they have to do to keep your body running and healthy. Based on the hit anime of the same name, you will enjoy and be educated in a fun way about your human body.

Fly Me to the Moon by Kenjiro Hata. (Rated Older Teen for fan service, sexual situations & conversations, romance drama & mild languag). Based off the hit anime, Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You. Whether he likes it or not, Nasa Yuzaki has felt connected to outer space ever since his parents named him. He is an overachiever and wants to outperform the space program one day, which is his ultimate goal. But his goal veers off course when he meets mysterious girl with strange powers called, Tsukasa. Is she an alien or a moon goddess? Either way, she insists on marrying Nasa and becoming his wife! Nasa will have plenty of chances to find our who she really is since they will be living together. Find out how married life treats these two strangers in this cute new series.

Those Not-So-Sweet Boys by Yoko Nogiri. (Rated "Teen" for teen drama, romance and mild language). From the author of the popular series, Not Your Wolf-Boy & Love in Focus, comes a new romance that fans will enjoy. High schooler, Midori drops her wallet on her first day of high school and cute classmate Ichijo finds it. When he gives back to her, she does not get a chance to thank him as he walks away. Ichijo is part of a tight-knit trio, and Midori finds out that they were suspended from class and have never bothered to come back school after the suspension has been lifted. So, when the chairman of the school board finds out she is working part-time to help her mom out of debt, he tells her it is against school rules, and she could be expelled and lose her scholarship. However, if she gets Ichijo and his friends to come back to school, he will find her a new, school-approved job. It should be a piece of cake, right? Turns out to be a harder task than what she thinks since these not so nice boys could care less! Will Midori succeed and is there a chance that love may blossom?

The Witch and the Beast by Kousuke Satake. (Rated "Older Teen" for violence, blood, witchcraft, mild language, nudity and dark fantasy elements). In this dark fantasy series, meet Ashaf, a soft-spoken and cool headed man who is carrying a mysterious coffin and has an entourage of black crows. His partner, Guideau, is a feral, violent girl with long fangs, eyes of a beast, a hot-headed temper and has quite an appetite. She also carries a secret and is out for revenge on a witch. The ominous pair set travel to a town to defeat a tattooed witch who has put a curse on the townsfolk to convince them she is a hero and make them worship her like a God. But Ashaf and Guidaeu know she is trouble, they live by one creed: “wherever a witch goes, only curses and disasters follow.” This is a dark, mysterious and fairytale-like series, set in world of magic and monsters where the people will do anything to destroy witches. For fans, of Noragami and Clamp’s xxxHolic, this one will sure give you a thrill ride while reading!

What's New in Graphic Novels

 The newest member of the YCLD teen department team, Genesis, tells us what is new for checkout in the world of graphic novels. 

Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot: For fans of DC Comics and anything Gotham City, this origin story is for you! Dinah Lance, a 13-year old middle schooler who's in a rock band with her two best friends spends most of her time practicing to win the upcoming school Battle of the Bands. When she's not rehearsing, she dreams of joining the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can make a real difference and solve crimes just like her detective father. But when a dangerous shadow figure begins threatening her friends and family, Dinah has to learn about her mother's secret past and newfound abilities.

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote: Fans of Bloom and Spinning will love this queer coming-of-age graphic novel adaptation of Gabby Rivera's best-selling novel. Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving her hometown of the Bronx and heading to Portland, Oregon for a summer internship. But, just before leaving, Juliet comes out to her family, causing a tear in her relationship with her mom. Wondering if her mom will ever speak to her again, Juliet arrives in Portland to meet with Harlowe Brisbane, both her favorite feminist author and the person she'll be interning with. In this new city, Juliet learns what it means to be Puerto Rican, lesbian, and out, even when the rest of the world doesn't understand.

Martian Ghost Centaur by Mat Heagerty and Steph Mided: The Town of Southborough was once a major tourist destination that was said to be the home of the famous sasquatch after multiple sightings of the cryptid over the years. But once sightings of the Sasquatch came to a halt, so did the town's tourism, and with that came financial difficulties for the town and its residents. A tech company by the name of Start-up.com, a start-up that helps people start their own start-ups, decides to take advantage of Southborough's monetary situation and begins buying up various places throughout town to construct a headquarters, in turn pushing out all the local townspeople. Fortunately, Louie O'Connor and her best friend Felix decide they're going to do whatever it takes to drive back tourism while also protecting everything that makes their hometown special. Even if that means creating an elaborate hoax to drive out the Start-up.com takeover.

What if We Were... by Axelle Lenoir: Nathalie and Marie are 17 year old best friends since elementary school who battle boredom by using their imaginations to play a game they invented called "What if We Were...?" The rules are simple: one player names a topic, such as "Vikings" or "vampire slayers," then both players imagine what life would be like as that subject. Easy enough to play, but hard to master. After all these years, Nathalie and Marie are experts as they have mastered how to think outside the box and creatively surprise each other. But what if a new player decided to join the game? And what if she was really hot? Find out if Nathalie and Marie survive the next round without heartbreak in this graphic novel that proves there's nothing better than using your imagination.