Kristina Naftzger

Teens, I’m curious. What are your thoughts on yelling at books? Maybe I need to provide more context. Lately, I’ve gotten back into reading Young Adult (YA) thrillers, a genre that never fails to lure me in and rile me up. I don’t know if I love to hate them, or hate to love them, or just simply love them, but what can I say? I periodically pick one off the shelf and next thing you know, my booklight battery is drained and my voice is hoarse.

I started yelling at Jessica Goodman’s “The Meadowbrook Murders” on page 29. I yelled again on page 60…and 61…and then I lost count. Okay, so I’m actually yelling at the characters in the book, but still, an outsider would only observe a lady screaming at a book. The outsider would be too polite to say anything, but of course, they would be unnerved.

Meadowbrook is a private boarding high school for the kids of the ultra-rich. Roommates and best friends Amy and Sarah arrive to their Senior year elated to decorate their dorm room and have the whole campus to themselves for Senior week…and the partying that comes along with it. Things turn dark when Amy wakes up to a grisly scene…Sarah and her boyfriend slain in their shared suite.

What follows is a twisty, turn-y ride filled with alternating narrators and false leads and secrets and unexpected alliances and all the things that make a person want to yell at a book (like characters who do things anyone in their right mind who has an omniscient perspective would never do). If you need to scream, consider checking it out.

I offer “Six Truths and a Lie” by Ream Shukairy—voted one of the 2025 Young Adult Library Services Association’s “Teens’ Top Ten” by real-live teen readers—as another YA thriller against which you may wish to rail. It’s Fourth of July and the Muslim Students’ Association is hosting an Inter-school Independence Day Beach Bonfire Spectacular. When an oil rig explodes off the adjacent Los Angeles Coast, six Muslim teenagers are taken into custody as suspected terrorists. Each is keeping a personal secret, but did any of them play a role in the fatal blast? And will they turn on each other to protect themselves? This book may have you considering if the United States’ promise of “…and justice for all” applies as emphatically to all of her citizens.

Finally, a book that’s on my to-be-read list… “Unhallowed Halls” by Lili Wilkinson. Since I haven’t read it yet, I am unable to issue my “yell” guarantee, but we’re dealing with another boarding school with dangerous secrets here. Elements of magic, dark academia, secret societies and more come together in an alchemy that promises to keep us turning pages way past our bedtimes. If you read it, come let me know if I should yell at it.

All of these titles (and more!) can be found in the “New Book” area of the Teen Underground at A.K. Smiley Public Library…they’re waiting for you! I promise I won’t even look twice if I see you berating one.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where she sometimes mysteriously loses her voice.

Teens, it’s easy to think the things that happen in our lifetimes have never happened before…that the events we experience personally or collectively are ours alone, totally unique to our time, and hazardously unmapped. While it’s true that names, dates, and details change, several Young Adult nonfiction books I’ve read lately have convinced me of another weird truth: so many current events are iterations of things from the past. When you peek behind the 21st century costumes, you sometimes find a lot that looks uncannily familiar.

Before we jump into this week’s titles, I encourage you to talk to your parents about the books you read to decide what may be a good fit for you. I understand and honor that not every book is for every reader, and recognize how important it is for you and your family to make informed decisions about all the media you consume, including library books. With that, let’s get into it!

“America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History” by Ariel Aberg-Riger is nothing like your history textbook. To tell you the truth, it’s unlike any book I’ve seen before. It approaches major topics in American history from a non-linear standpoint, one that explores the idea that time is cyclical, “a continual, ever-evolving relationship, not a series of isolated, fixed points on a line.”

What starts as a mind-bending premise (but one that is rooted in Native American, African, Chinese, Indian, Celtic, and Mayan philosophies), reveals that there are dots to be connected in American history. Aberg-Riger does this through visual storytelling; she uses a series of riveting collaged illustrations—that include historical photos, documents, maps, and hand-lettered text—to dunk you into an unblinking look at American history, suggesting connections you may not have previously considered.

This can’t be sugar-coated…many of the events the author explores are emotionally difficult to process. But looking at them through the author’s eyes did not leave me in despair. They actually gave me hope, illustrating the ways we have collectively clawed through challenging and divisive times before, the ways we are resilient, and ultimately, the truth that power resides in the people.

Candace Fleming’s “The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh” is another title that exposes echoes between our past and present. I went into this book knowing just the basics about Charles Lindbergh…he was a celebrity American aviator whose baby got kidnapped. Fleming fills in all of Lindbergh’s messy details: a person who accomplished incredible mechanical feats for his time, while simultaneously allowing his obsession with eugenics to push him into racist beliefs that would lead to his public downfall. The book opens with a rowdy scene from one of the “America First” rallies Lindbergh headlined in the first half of the 20th century, and it was easy to imagine a similar scene unfolding today, close to one-hundred years later.

Teens, will you allow me a moment to get philosophical? I hope you said yes. These books got me thinking about a phrase from the preamble of our Constitution (you know how it is when you can’t get the preamble of the Constitution out of your head…I’m sure this is a very common phenomenon).

“…in order to form a more perfect Union…”

The delegates included the phrase “more perfect,” acknowledging in our most significant foundational document, that the Union was not, nor may ever be, perfect. How inspired and non-defensive it is to say “more perfect,” allowing room for self-reflection and flaws and evolution. It feels very patriotic to me to look critically at the past to discern a “more perfect” path forward. These books, that shine lights on some troubling times and complicated individuals from our past, remind me to feel deeply grateful you have the right to disagree.

Teens, you didn’t ask, but one of my favorite quotes is by playwright Anton Chekhov: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” It gives me shivers! I’m not even a fan of Anton Chekhov (apologies to Anton’s estate), but as someone who loves to read and sometimes enjoys writing, I find myself staring at those glinting shards and considering the magic of good writing.

If this is something that also gives you shivers (a.k.a. you enjoy writing, thinking about ways to make your writing glint, and/or staring at broken glass), I have good news. We’re starting a teen writers’ club at A.K. Smiley Public Library in February and we would love for you to join us. What is the name of this club? I don’t know. What will we do at this club? I don’t know. Is it even a club? I don’t know. This is a brand-new club, and the beauty of brand-new clubs is they can be anything we want them to be. They can even NOT be a club!

Have I enticed you yet, teen writers? Has telling you absolutely nothing piqued your interest? Then come help us figure ourselves out! Our first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11, from 7:30-8:30pm, in the Teen Underground (the lower level at A.K. Smiley Public Library).

In the meantime, if you are looking for ways to electrify your writing, you may wish to check out the following Young Adult nonfiction titles, all, of course, available from the Teen Underground area at A.K. Smiley Public Library.

“Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write” by Victoria Hanley offers helpful tips on the writing process, from character development to spiffing up your final draft. As I was thumbing through this book, I read all of the author’s advice and immediately threw this whole article in the trash and rewrote it. Did I do a good job? You will only know if you check out this book.

“Dare to Write: Creative Writing Prompts for Young People and Word Rebels Everywhere” by Kristen Fogle delivers what the title promises…so many fun ideas to get your ideas and writing flowing. The book is organized by genre, and readers are invited to jump around. There are character worksheets, scene-setting prompts, dialog tools, and so much more, including what the author calls “story starts,” like this one: “She didn’t start the fire. But she knew who did…” This book may or may not show up at our first teen writers’ club meeting.

If you’re already an established teen writer (I know you’re out there!), you may want to take a look at “Writer’s Market,” found in the Adult Nonfiction and Reference sections of the library. This book is a comprehensive guide to getting your work published, including thousands of updated listings for book publishers, magazines, contests, literary agents, and more. There’s even a book dedicated just to writing for kids called “Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market,” if writing for young people is more your vibe. Definitely study these titles and put yourself out there if this is your dream! Of course, you will be expected to dedicate your first book to me, but that seems a small price to pay.

Well, teen writers, I hope I have somehow convinced you to join our brand-new teen writers’ club (which may not be a club), in spite of providing you zero compelling evidence about why you should. While I can’t promise there will be any broken glass, there will definitely be a playful spirit of creativity, support, and self-expression while offering space to share ideas and projects. I leave you with the words of poet (and genius) Emily Dickinson, which can be applied to writing your own truth.

Tell all the truth but tell it slant—

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth’s superb Surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind—

Emily Dickinson

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Some days she finds writing fun. Other days, she finds it torture. She finds Emily Dickinson a genius every day.

Teens, good news: I’m not dying. Well, I am, eventually, but for now, it seems my demise isn’t imminent. Why am I telling you this? For the last several months, I’ve felt an unmistakable heaviness in my chest and on my shoulders. The most logical explanation, of course, was that I was about to croak. As it turns out, there was no need for funeral arrangements…I was experiencing anxiety.

If you are feeling like this, I definitely advise a professional medical assessment (librarians aren’t trained to rule out real impending doom), but after I figured out the source of my discomfort, I did what any book-lover would do…I turned to my trusty Young Adult (YA) novels.

The YA titles below all feature characters who also experience anxiety in one form or another, and while the library does offer nonfiction and online resources with more instructional “how to deal” perspectives, these novels help in another way…they make you feel less alone.

In “How to Pack for the End of the World” by Michelle Falkoff, 16-year-old Amina is obsessed with, well, the end of the world. School shootings, democracy in peril, climate change, violent threats against her synagogue, these are all things keeping her up at night…like, all night…like, every night. When her parents decide to send her off to a private boarding school to help her re-set, little do they know she is going to connect with a like-minded gang of activists, whose doomsday preparation club uncovers a mystery none of them, despite their mutual fixations on the future, could have predicted.

In Jennifer Dugan’s “Verona Comics,” 17-year-old Ridley’s social anxiety is so intense that a mere “hi” from a pretty girl in an elevator can send him into panic attack mode. It doesn’t help that his domineering dad, the owner of comic store giant The Geekery, is forcing him to work FabCon, a massive comic convention that is frying his every nerve. But when he meets 16-year-old Jubilee at the FabCon Prom, the sparks that fly between them seem to make it all worthwhile. That is, until Ridley’s dad hatches a plot to take over Jubilee’s stepmom’s indie comic shop and enlists Ridley as a spy.

Ahhhhh! Star-crossed love interests, comics, and mental health? This is such a good one! It bounces back and forth between Ridley and Jubilee’s perspectives, and includes a diverse cast of characters who are as likeable as they are authentic. Two anxiety-laden thumbs up!

“You, Me, and Our Heartstrings” by Melissa See is another satisfying read if you’re in the mood for love with a side order of stringed instruments. Seventeen-year-old Daisy and Noah share a common goal: they want to get into Juilliard, the prestigious performing arts college. They’re both enormously talented musicians, and when they get paired to do a duet in their school’s holiday concert, they know this might be their shot to attract the notice of the Juilliard admissions team. Sounds like a slam dunk!

But, no! Of course not, fellow readers! What kind of boring novel would allow a slam dunk?

Unfortunately, besides orchestral talent, Daisy and Noah share something else in common: they’re both coming to blows with inner turmoil that could sabotage a stellar performance. Daisy has cerebral palsy, a condition she totally accepts, but wishes wasn’t the only thing people saw when they look at her. And Noah is trying to hide his immobilizing anxiety, fearing that he will never live up to his prodigy-filled family’s expectations.

What happens when two people come together, one who feels like the world only sees her disability, and the other whose disability is invisible to a fault? I’m going to need another set of thumbs because you know what? I’m putting two more up for this book.

Finally, if you’re looking for more immediate anxiety relief, don’t miss the “Calm Room” link, curated by Rosen Teen Health and Wellness, from the Teens’ page of the library’s website: www.akspl.org/teens. There you will find everything from relaxing waterfall sounds to guided meditations to live sea otter cams. Get ready to, temporarily at least, let a sea otter soothe you the way only a sea otter can. Most especially, teens, know that if you are experiencing anxiety, you are not alone. There are so many of us! Let these YA books, that don’t judge or demand, comfort you in their small ways, and gently guide you, like they did me, away from your imagined deathbed.