Kristina Naftzger

Teens, I’m aware that many of you will be heading back to school in the very near future. I’m excited for you! But, I’m also sad. I will miss seeing you at the library when your busy back-to-school lives take over. My first instinct is to encourage you to quit school, reject all of your extracurricular obligations, and free up your schedule for more library visits. Unfortunately, such a suggestion is slightly out of alignment with my professional conscience, so that is NOT my advice to you today. Go to school, everybody!

Before I get to my real (unsolicited) advice for you, allow me a moment to reminisce about this summer. So many of you participated in our 2026 “Plant a Seed, Read!” Summer Reading Program and it was so much fun. You made stuff in our Teen Makers’ Labs, read in our Teen Summer Book Club, played in our Smiley Gamers’ Society Video Game Tournament, created in our Teen Summer Reading Challenge, wrote in our Teen Writers’ Club, earned community service with our Teen Volunteer Summer Squad, and more. We’ve loved having you around!

Here’s my advice: you should keep coming to the library. The library is open year-round! The library is a wonderful place to study! Nothing will get you in the zone better than these 128-year-old walls. Think of all the scholars who have sat at these tables! Brain vapors abound.

We have air conditioning!

We offer free things all the time: books, video games, eBooks, magazines, and more for checkout, access to reliable databases for homework, events, activities, and clubs to get your creative juices flowing, and more. Our goal in life is to support you in meaningful ways that honor your individuality and show off your importance to our library community. We hope that every time you enter, you feel simultaneously energized and valued and inspired.

Is this asking too much from 128-year-old walls? We don’t think so. So, keep coming to the library (AFTER school…no need to quit school, let me reiterate). Check the teens’ page of our website for all of our upcoming events (www.akspl.org/teens) or follow us on Instagram at akspl_teens.

And what is an (unsolicited) advice column from a librarian without a book recommendation? Here goes…

My latest favorite is a Young Adult title that may already be on your radar: “Better Than the Movies,” by Lynn Painter. The book was published in 2021, but it’s consistently checked out so I’m just finally getting my hands on it. If you love rom-coms (like the protagonist of this book), you will fall head over heels for this book. Liz (the aforementioned protagonist) loves love stories. It’s something she inherited from her mom, the biggest rom-com fan of all time. After her mom dies, it’s the one thing that keeps Liz feeling connected—watching all of her mom’s favorite movies feels like a hug…and kind of becomes Liz’s personality.

So imagine twelfth-grade Liz’s excitement when her real life starts morphing into one of the movies she’s so obsessed with. Her fifth-grade crush moves back to town and she’s convinced this is her shot at a happy ending. But she’ll need help from her insufferable neighbor to get the romance rolling. Liz can scheme with the best of them, but will she become the leading lady in the love story she’s always dreamed of?

Of course, I can’t tell you. One, because I haven’t finished the book. And two, because I want you to have yet another reason to come to the library. See you here (after school, of course)!

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where she genuinely enjoys being around her patrons.

Teens, what are you reading these days? Oh, how I wish I could hear you! Tragically, my earshot is no match for the miles between us, so I will have to imagine your response. What? You want to hear about what I’m reading? Would you believe I just happen to have a stack of YA nonfiction sitting next to me right now that I’ve been dying to tell you about? You asked for it…

Gail Jarrow’s “White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-Ups” will have you clutching your red, white, and blue pearls. Did you know eight United States presidents have died while in office? Did you know more than a third were gravely ill at some point during their presidencies? Through no fault of your own, you probably didn’t, as many of these health crises were kept hidden from the American people. But this book pulls back the curtain.

With chapter titles like “Doomed by Dirty Fingers,” “The Hidden Diagnosis,” “The Vanishing President,” “An Image Manipulated,” and more, Jarrow takes us to the concealed bedsides of these ailing leaders. Here’s a tiny taste: President James Garfield was shot by a would-be assassin, but science says it wasn’t actually the bullet that killed him. So, what did? I’m not going to tell you (but this book will)! If you like blood, guts, and uncovering a cover-up as much as I do, you may want to check this one out.

“A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out” by Nicholas Day is a book about history’s deadliest volcanic eruption. It’s also a book about Mary Shelley and the birth of her novel “Frankenstein.” Don’t see the connection? “A World Without Summer” will show you.

The year was 1815, and in a burst of pyroclastic flow, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted, triggering a disruption of the world’s climate that would last for years to come. Against the backdrop of an invisible veil of global atmospheric shock, the brilliant Mary Shelley would experience a summer like no one had ever seen. A summer where rain and thunder seemed never-ending. She would be challenged in a contest to write a horror story…

Agh! I wouldn’t have guessed a book about weather would be impossible to put down, but this one is. You will walk away with a better understanding of the far-reaching and enduring effects of climate shock, and an incredible story to tell at the dinner table.

Fame is a bee.

It has a song—

It has a sting—

Ah, too, it has a wing.

Emily Dickinson

Thus begins Barb Rosenstock’s “American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad That Haunted a Nation.” In Spring of 1848, young sisters Maggie and Kate Fox discover they can communicate with the dead. What follows is a meteoric rise to fame and fortune as the sisters seem to activate a nation-wide obsession with the occult. So-called “mediums” pop up around the country, séances become commonplace, and young women, many of whom had been pushed to the edges of society, suddenly find themselves elevated to positions of power and influence.

But were these “spiritual” encounters a hoax? Were the Fox sisters really able to transcend the boundaries between life and death? Answers will be provided, but of course, not in this article. I am being told by the twin ghosts of Albert and Alfred Smiley that you will have to read this book to find out.

Teens, I hope these nonfiction books, which feature a mix of horror, spirits, and science, will be ones you read and then want to talk about. I promise my ears work much better in person.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library who loves reading books about fascinating historical things that she can use to sound clever around the dinner table (but will probably forget in a week). She is happy to now have an article to refer back to!

Teens, winter has arrived at last…the perfect time to hunker down with a good book (or two). If you are in the market for a good book (or two) to read in your winter hunker hole, I have news for you: we’re kicking off our Teen Winter Book Club here at A.K. Smiley Public Library, and we’d love for you to join us. We’ve got two titles lined up, and we’re giving away free copies for you to keep forever! But before you emerge from hibernation to grab your free book(s), let me tell you about what we’re reading. As a friendly reminder, we always encourage you to talk to your parents about what titles may be a good fit for you.

Seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan is the star of the YA historical fiction novel “The Downstairs Girl” by Stacey Lee. When Jo, a resourceful Chinese American living in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1890, is unfairly fired from her job as a hat-maker’s assistant, she resolves to not go quietly. Jo is spicy! She speaks her mind! She’s smart, skilled, and creative! It should be easy for her to land on her feet.

Unfortunately for Jo, 1890s Atlanta is not a friendly place for a Chinese worker who likes to speak her mind. Or a woman who likes to speak her mind. Or any person of color who likes to speak their mind. Jo’s determination turns to desperation as she is forced into a job as a handmaid for a bratty debutante, and has to figure out if becoming invisible is her only option for survival.

Want to walk around 1890s Atlanta in Jo’s shoes and then talk about it with a teen book club in 2026 Redlands? Then register for the Teen Winter Book Club and pick up a free copy of this book from the Young Readers’ Room at A.K. Smiley Public Library while supplies last.

In Maya MacGregor’s YA thriller “The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester,” eighteen-year-old Sam moves to Astoria, Oregon aching for a new start. As if high school isn’t hard enough, Sam is autistic, nonbinary, and attempting to heal from the trauma of surviving a hate crime that almost killed them. But Sam’s first night in their new home does nothing to calm their anxiety…Sam feels the unmistakable presence of someone else.

When Sam discovers a teenager died in their new room under mysterious circumstances 30 years ago, Sam knows the presence they feel is not imagined. With the help of a new community of found family, Sam resolves to crack the case, but it is quickly apparent someone does not want this case to be cracked, putting Sam in perilous crosshairs once again. And with school bullying re-surfacing, will Sam ever feel safe existing as their true self?

Even though the plots, settings, time periods, and characters featured in these two books appear to have nothing in common, they are bound by themes of visibility and survival. Both titles ask a question: who is safe to be seen in society?

If 1) you are a teenager and 2) this is a question you’re curious to explore and/or 3) you just want to read one or both of these books, join our Teen Winter Book Club. You are welcome to read just one of the titles, or both. We will have back-to-back book club parties to the discuss the books, and again, you are absolutely invited to come to just one or both. Free books are available for pick-up from the Young Readers’ Room at A.K. Smiley Public Library while supplies last. Come pick one (or both) up if you’re interested and then resume hunkering!

For more information about the titles, including reviews, and to register for the Teen Winter Book Club Parties, visit www.akspl.org/teens.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library.

Teens, you have constitutional rights. And not just the right to remain silent (although this is a useful one that many teenagers have invoked since the Fifth Amendment was ratified in 1791…haha). Understanding exactly what your freedoms are can be confusing, but let me affirm the United States’ Bill of Rights are not exclusive to adults…they protect you too. How do I know? I read some books about it!

“What Are My Rights? Q&A about Teens and the Law” by Judge Tom Jacobs is my new obsession. This Young Adult (YA) nonfiction book answers so many interesting and nuanced legal questions…things like “Can my property be searched and seized?”; “Do I have complete freedom of expression in school?”; “Can I be prosecuted for comments I make online?”; and “What are my rights as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender teenager?” I’m telling you; you will be hooked. This book is easy to jump around in…just read the table of contents and flip to the topics that interest you. It’s written by a judge who knows his way around the law, and he explains complex things in a way that makes readers feel like we can find our way around too. Read it and feel confident leveraging your rights…and better understanding their potential limits.

I wanted to know more about teenagers’ First Amendment Rights specifically, so I read on. “Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid’s Guide to the First Amendment” by Allison Matulli with Clelia Castro-Malaspina can be found in the children’s nonfiction section, and it’s an absolute heavy hitter when it comes to figuring out your freedom of expression. Again, it’s organized in a way that makes it easy to jump around to the sections that interest you most. Want to know more about book banning in public schools? Prayer in the classroom? Your HAIR (and if your principal can dictate how you style it)? All of these topics and more are covered in this book, which will leave you feeling empowered and prepared to defend your liberties (and your mullet).

Did I stop there? No, I couldn’t. Reading about rights is addictive. I then turned to some books from the adult nonfiction section, including “Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media” by Jacob Mchangama, “You Can’t Always Say What You Want: The Paradox of Free Speech” by Dennis Baron, and “Guardians of Liberty: Freedom of the Press and the Nature of News” by Linda Barrett Osborne. Among other important things, these books examine the tension between uninhibited discourse and the abuse, misinformation, and hyperbole that can come with it. Free speech carries a weighty price, but could democracy exist without it? Teens, read these books and answer this existential question with me!

Something great I learned while immersing myself in these books is that in many instances, it was teenagers themselves who went to court to challenge violations to their constitutional rights, and in the process, really helped the courts define the rights of minors more explicitly, saving other minors from censorship and suppression. Maybe one day I will pick up a new book about teenagers’ rights and you’ll be in it. It will be my new favorite book.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library.