Kristina Naftzger

Teens, is it just me or do you feel like food is everywhere at this time of year? Like, right after I swallow my last slice of pumpkin pie, somebody’s showering me with gingerbread and gelt. Perhaps I am alone in this observation, but before I can wipe the mashed potatoes from my sticky fingers, I have eaten an entire yule log.

All this to say that food is on my mind, and so I am compelled to tell you about several food-adjacent YA titles you may wish to scarf down this month. Let’s dig in…

Okay, okay, “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” by Laura Taylor Namey only refers to a beverage in the title, but don’t be deceived, there are plenty of food references throughout to make your stomach growl. Lila, 17-year-old wonder chef, does not want to go to England. But after her boyfriend breaks up with her, her abuela dies, her best friend ditches her, oh, AND she has a full-on mental meltdown, Lila’s parents decide she needs a change of scene. They send her to stay with her aunt in Winchester, England. The moment Lila steps off the plane, she starts counting down the days until she can return to her beloved Miami home and her life as a baker phenomenon…that is, until she meets the charming, funny, motorbike-driving tea-shop clerk Orion and his artistic, quirky group of friends.

As Lila takes over the kitchen at her aunt’s inn, she slowly begins to imagine her life away from Miami, and what it may mean to heal from the traumas of her previous year. If you enjoy romances that include the English countryside, Cuban pastries, self-discovery, and a little spice, you may want to carve out some time to devour this one.

I have a confession to make about my next recommendation, Kelly deVos’ “Eat Your Heart Out.” I did not want to read this book. It’s a zombie novel, and zombie novels aren’t typically my thing. I forced myself to choke down the first chapter because the book had the word “eat” in the title and (kinda) went with my theme. Hmmm, it wasn’t bad. I kept going. Breaking news: I think zombie novels may now be my thing.

The premise of this book is straightforward. Featherlite is a camp for overweight kids, and Vivian, Allie, Sheldon, Paul, and Rachel have all been sent there to take advantage of an incredible new scientific method for losing weight. The problem? The miracle cure seems to be turning the campers into flesh-eating zombies.

While this book is full of electrifying action—every chapter ends in cliff-hanger fashion—it’s also a profound social commentary on the business of diet culture and the damaging, dehumanizing effects of what the author calls “fat-phobia.” The characters are deep, complicated, and they kick butt. Each takes a turn narrating the heart-pumping story, which results in a fast-paced, insightful ride that will leave you turning pages well past your midnight snack time. Warning: if you love happy endings, you may want to pass on this one.

If neither of these titles made your mouth water, consider one of the following YA specials:

“The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling” by Wai Chim

“Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet” by Laekan Zea Kemp

“A Pho Love Story” by Loan Le

“The Cupcake Queen” by Heather Hepler

“Butter” by Erin Jade Lang

“Puddin’” by Julie Murphy

“Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love” edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond

All of these titles and more can be found in the Teen Underground area of A.K. Smiley Public Library, and several are available as eBooks through OverDrive. I wish you extra helpings of adventurous reading (and eating) in the month ahead. At the library, you are always invited to come back for seconds.

Teens, this week is Banned Books Week, a time when libraries across the U.S. affirm and celebrate your freedom to read. Every year, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom releases a list of its top ten most challenged books for the year and guess what? Young adult titles invariably dominate the charts. Congrats, teens (ha)! Last year was no exception. YA titles like “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas all made last year’s list.

The truth is, these books (and many, many others) may indeed contain parts that offend you. They might use language or deal with topics that make you cringe. They might very literally say things that hurt you. It’s not that librarians think every book ever written is worthy of praise and your time. We find some books offensive, even repulsive, and we might secretly wish no one would read them.

But (and this is a big “but”) we do believe that you should be able to seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction, a.k.a. enjoy what’s called intellectual freedom. It’s one of the core values of librarianship. We believe that it is your job/privilege/responsibility, in collaboration with your families, to determine what is right for you to read, and we believe that about every single person. And because everyone is different, with different values and different political viewpoints and different thresholds for revulsion, we resist censorship in all its forms. Basically, library workers are like glasses-wearing superheroes who passionately defend your right to read things that might make you sick (just kidding, we don’t all wear glasses). You’re welcome!

All that being said, let me tell you about some frequently challenged YA books that you may or may not want to read to celebrate this year’s Banned Books Week.

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, it’s relatable, and according to the American Library Association, it gets challenged A LOT for several reasons, including “profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author.” This book definitely offers an opportunity for you to check in with your family and decide if it’s a good fit for you.

The story is about Junior and his life on—and off—a Spokane Indian Reservation. When Junior leaves the “rez” to attend and play basketball at an all-white high school across town, he finds himself stuck between two worlds, and rejected by both. Junior is a victim, an outsider, a hero, a ruffian, a survivor…a lot of the identities many of us experience in high school, but on an exponential scale. If you like books that wrench your guts but still leave you hopeful, then this book might be one you are relieved to still find on the library shelf.

“All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely, another of last year’s most challenged books, is a story told from two perspectives. Rashad is sixteen when he is mistaken for a shoplifter at a corner store. The situation quickly escalates, misinterpretations ensue, and he is fiercely beaten by a police officer. Quinn Collins, Rashad’s classmate, witnesses the scene, but feels conflicted about coming forward with the truth about what he saw, as the police officer is a close family friend.

Tensions boil as calls of racism and brutality echo through the community. This book explores the agonizing effects of one violent moment from the points of view of two American boys. According to the American Library Association, “All American Boys” was on this year’s Top Ten Most Challenged list for “profanity, drug use, and alcoholism and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be ‘too much of a sensitive matter right now.’”

Teens, in the American Library Association’s “Freedom to Read Statement,” they list a series of propositions designed to help librarians and publishers understand how to best protect your freedom to read. They write, “We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.” We wish you free reading in the days ahead and trust you to think critically, even about those titles you decide to put down.

For more information about Banned Books Week, visit www.bannedbooksweek.org.

Teens, do I even need to remind you that summer is right around the corner? Look around the corner. See summer waiting for you, eager to sizzle you in a boiling sweat bath? Luckily, for the next few weeks we get to luxuriate in thoughts of summer (freedom, no homework, popsicles, adventures) without experiencing its fiery death grip. What better time to read an epic summer novel? Here are some YA titles you may want to add to your summer reading pile.

Full disclosure: I broke the cardinal rule of reading. I judged a book by its cover. Picture it: the tantalizing silhouette of an amusement park bathed in the glow of a purple sunset. And in the foreground? A girl in a hot dog suit.

If this description hasn’t convinced you to immediately check out the book “Hot Dog Girl” by Jennifer Dugan, allow me to elaborate. Teenager Eloise gets a job at a local theme park in the hopes of attracting the romantic attentions of Nick. There’s just one problem. Nick is cast as a dashing pirate, and Eloise, a.k.a. Lou, is assigned the role of, yes, you guessed it, a hot dog. Oh, and Nick already has a girlfriend—as luck would have it, the amusement park’s beautiful and beguiling princess. Lou hatches a cockamamie plot to win Nick over—a classic frankfurter-woos-swashbuckler scheme—and in the process, learns more about real love than she anticipated. Pass the mustard and pull down the security bar for a wacky summer love quadrilateral that redefines happy endings.

If you have a heart of stone and hate hot dogs, maybe “The Lake” by Natasha Preston is more your speed. I am quivering in my flip-flops just thinking about this book.

When seventeen-year-old friends Esme and Kayla receive letters inviting them to return to Camp Pine Lake as counselors-in-training, they’re excited but wary. Last time they were at Camp Pine Lake was eight years ago, as campers, and they were involved in something horrible they swore they would never talk about again.

Now they’re back, and mysterious messages start appearing at camp, messages that reveal someone else knows their secret…and wants revenge. What starts out as disturbing quickly turns terrifying as Esme and Kayla come face to face with their dark past. The lake never forgets…

Eeeeeek! Kiss your fingernails goodbye. This is an unsettling but hard-to-rip-your-eyes-away-from nail-biter…proceed with caution.

I didn’t want to write about two summer love stories in one article, but alas, “Love is a Revolution” by Renée Watson made me do it. Does it count as a love story when the book takes a turn from the typical girl-meets-boy romance to more of a self-love story? What’s that you say? That’s an exception to the two-love-stories-in-one-article rule? Phew! Here goes…

Nala made a list of the things she wanted to accomplish during the summer before her senior year: Find a new hairdo. Binge-watch Netflix. Oh, and find love. When her cousin Imani drags her to a talent show sponsored by Imani’s social activism group, Inspire Harlem, Nala, whose eyes typically roll at these events, catches sight of Tye and her heart immediately catches fire. It’s fine if Nala pretends to be an activist to get Tye’s attention, right? And it’s no big deal if she pretends to be a vegetarian, like he is? That’s the best strategy to make him like her, right? Right? RIGHT???

What happens when you make someone you’re really into fall for a not entirely real version of you? Check out this body-positive, entirely relatable summer tale to find out.

And there you have it. A short list to get your summer reading started off right. And don’t forget to join A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Dig Deeper Summer Reading Program this summer. It starts June 15 and there will be prizes specifically for teens which you will not want to miss. Unfortunately, no hot dog suits.