Kristina Naftzger

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.

Teens, undoubtedly you have noticed a national election is quickly approaching. While elections are always contentious, the recent past has witnessed some of the wildest contests to-date, and with an explosion of unreliable news sources slithering around the Internet and social media, it’s easy for important issues to get muddied. One of those issues is immigration. It confuses me! I didn’t want to be swayed by generalizations rooted in anxiety and fear, so I set out on a mission to inform my opinion using Young Adult (YA) literature as a starting point.

While I didn’t expect these YA books to clarify any complicated policy arguments, I did hope to humanize the issue with stories about human beings, some real and some fictional, that would help me avoid seeing immigrants through a single, threatening lens. Even if you’re not old enough to vote in this election, you’re definitely old enough to think about important things, so I’m sharing my reading list if, like me, you’re interested a fuller perspective.

It all started with Thien Pham’s Young Adult graphic novel memoir “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam.” First of all, it’s a graphic novel, a format that excels at conveying nuance and emotion because, of course, the story isn’t limited to words. Illustrations are so layered and revealing! And graphic novels are so speedy and fun to read! (Ad break for graphic novels over, back to the book.) “Family Style” follows Thien’s experiences as a kid when his family fled Vietnam in the late seventies and landed in a totally new world: Northern California.

Thien’s young life, which swings from traumatic episodes (his boat to the Songkhla Refugee Camp was attacked by pirates!) to moments of exhilarating triumph (the girl he has a crush on enters his family’s video store!), is remembered in the context of food; each chapter is titled with the dish that defines that specific time in his life, from bánh cuốn to steak and potatoes. If you want to satisfy your inner foodie while simultaneously opening your eyes to the whiplashing experience of leaving everything you know behind—or if Thien’s story resonates with you—order up a serving of “Family Style.”

In “Breathe and Count Back from Ten” by Natalia Sylvester, seventeen-year-old Verónica feels like she can’t do anything to satisfy her overprotective, Peruvian-born parents. It doesn’t help that she has hip dysplasia, a medical condition that makes moving around in everyday life painful…except when she’s in the water. When an opportunity arises for her to audition for her dream job performing in her town’s local attraction, Mermaid Cove, she knows her parents will think it’s a waste of time, and worse, a waste of their sacrifices. Nor will they understand Verónica’s budding feelings for her new, cute neighbor (understatement).

Sometimes you arrive at inflection points in your life; points that force you to decide whose dreams you’re going to follow…yours or someone else’s? So many relatable issues bubble to the surface in “Breathe and Count Back from Ten”…check it out if it sounds like something you may be into.

You may also want to add “Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card” by Sara Saedi and “An Emotion of Great Delight” by Tahereh Mafi to your reading list if you don’t want to stop here. Even though I definitely still don’t know everything there is to know about immigration in the context of politics, I’m glad these stories are now with me to help me resist fear and recognize connection. We hope you’ll come find stories, on any topic, that help you do the same.

Teens, are you currently living out all your summer dreams? Are your hours filled with round-the-clock thrills and excitement? When school starts back up, will your classmates stare at you icily as you read aloud your autobiographical essay, “My Unbelievably Amazing Summer?” If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, put this article down immediately and get back to it! Congratulations! You’re excused to go on your unbelievably amazing way!

Hello? Are you still there? If you are, I will assume your summer may be in need of a little oomph. Good news…oomph is the Teen Underground at A.K. Smiley Public Library’s middle name! Not only do we have a line-up of fun and creative events planned for teens, including a Modern Embroidery Makers’ Workshop, Teen Summer Book Club, and Super Smash Bros. Video Game Tournament, but we’re also hosting an ongoing summer reading challenge with some giveaways you may not want to miss.

Our Summer Reading Program theme this year is “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” and truer words have never been spoken. Last weekend, I attended the American Library Association’s annual conference in San Diego, and one of the keynote speakers was comedian and author Trevor Noah. Trevor (I call him Trevor now) called the library his rocket ship. A place he could go that would take him anywhere in the universe. A place where an old guy in the corner could be reading a book about how to build a closet while Trevor read a book about, well, not building a closet, and they would exist together, bound by the thread of curiosity that holds all library users together. What an unbelievably amazing place to be! Wait…

Teens! I’ve got it! This is your ticket to an unbelievably amazing summer. Bring your curiosity and we’ll take care of the rest. For more information on what’s happening this summer (and beyond), visit our webpage at www.akspl.org/teens or follow us on Instagram at akspl_teens. And if you, like me, are a fan of Trevor Noah, start by checking out his memoir, “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.” You’ll find it in our Adult Nonfiction section, but there’s plenty that you may be able to relate to, learn from, and be moved by. While a rocket ship may be overkill to get you from Redlands to South Africa, you have a standing invitation to climb aboard. There’s no better time to start your (unbelievably amazing) summer adventures.

Friendly footnote: As with everything you read, we encourage you to talk to your parents/caregivers about what may be a good fit for you.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Unfortunately, “Oomph” is not her middle name.

Teens, poor me. I’m always a little late catching on to trends. For example, I started listening to One Direction two years ago (approximately thirteen years after it was cool and seven years after they broke up). I watched the “Twilight” movie for the first time last October (fifteen years after it was released). I’ve been known to say, “Mozart really knows what he’s doing” (a record-breaking two-hundred-thirty years behind the curve).

So recently, I discovered I really like K-pop. Maybe someone out there is like me and finds out about things twenty to two-hundred years after they start being cool. If you are in this category and have been living under a rock since before you were born, K-pop is Korean pop music. But back to the story…I “discovered” K-pop and immediately got hooked on the irresistible tunes, sensational dance moves, and joyful feeling I get when I listen to it.

Good news, teens: even though I’m late to the party, the party is still going on! Imagine my elation when I realized we have five K-pop inspired Young Adult (YA) fiction titles in our collection here at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Of course, I wasted no time scooping them up so I could tell you about them if you live, eat, breathe—and want to read—K-pop.

Author Jessica Jung not only wrote a book about K-pop, she’s actually a former K-pop star (Girls’ Generation circa 2007-2014). In other words, her credentials are unmatched. Do you want an insider’s look behind K-pop’s bubblegum veneer? So did I!

Teens, what a roller coaster ride Jung’s YA novel “Shine” will take you on. When 17-year-old Rachel Kim became a K-pop trainee with an elite Korean entertainment company at age 11, she had stars in her eyes. In the years since, she has competed, sweat, and sacrificed to be selected for the next big girl group. Her dreams are finally inches away when a few major obstacles (ahem, an irresistible crush, a shady competitor, a manipulative music label) threaten to undermine everything. “Shine” will definitely kick-ball-change you behind K-pop’s polished choreography and pitch-perfect voices, and reveal some disturbing truths about what it really takes to make it. If you get hooked, don’t miss its sequel, “Bright.”

Did you know K-pop idols are typically forbidden from having boyfriends and girlfriends? Boohoo if you have heart eyes for Jung Kook (K-pop band BTS heart-throb)…you will have to wait until he retires to make him yours! Axie Oh’s novel, “XOXO,” follows the story of classical cellist/high school junior Jenny Jooyoung Go, whose chance encounter with Jaewoo kicks off an accidental romance that spans continents as well as musical genres. Will these classical/K-pop virtuosos let their musical aspirations silence their hearts? This is a book that’s as delightful and funny as it is fun…read it and be charmed.

If you’re on a roll after these two, you may want to check out Kat Cho’s “Once Upon a K-Prom,” in which perpetual sidekick Elena Soo does NOT want to go to Prom. That is, until her childhood best-friend-turned-K-pop-sensation Robbie Choi, re-enters the scene. Or maybe try “Somewhere Only We Know” by Maureen Goo, where K-pop star Lucky pretends to be a regular girl-next-door after an existential crisis, only to find herself knee-deep in real feelings built on a pretend identity.

Okay, K-pop stans (a.k.a. enthusiastic fans), I hope this little list leads you to some satisfying K-pop reads. Remember, we have YA books for all kinds of musical (and literary) tastes, so come by and find something that’ll light you up like dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, dynamite (even if you’re two hundred years behind the trend).

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library; her bias is Jung Kook, and she is currently making a finger heart at you.

Teens, every once in awhile, a new Young Adult (YA) book passes through my hands on its way to the shelves and doesn’t make it out. It usually starts something like this: a cover or title will catch my eye and I’ll think “Oh this looks intriguing…let me take a quick peek.” Next thing you know, it’s three and a half hours later and the unsuspecting book is trapped in my iron clutches.

This phenomenon happened to me twice in the last month, and both of the culprits were YA nonfiction titles. The first was “Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed” by Dashka Slater. The book reads like a smart investigative podcast, with voices directly from the high school students involved in creating the racist account, the account’s followers, and its targets. The author digs into the story with the kind of depth and messiness it deserves, not glossing over anything, from the students’ raw and honest reflections, to the school district’s possible mishandling.

While the book’s tone isn’t preachy, it also doesn’t shy away from the account’s shattering impacts on everyone it touched, including its creator and followers. Is this a clear-cut story about villains and victims? Read it and decide for yourself.

On another note, teens, I secretly wish I was in a band, but unfortunately, my musical skills are limited to playing the triangle (non-professionally) and singing incorrect lyrics off-key. Despite this, I am a music lover, so imagine my excitement when my eyes caught sight of “Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music” by Andrea Warner. Clutches…activate!

The book takes a look at the entwined relationship between social justice movements and music in the realms of climate justice, Indigenous rights, disability rights, racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights and more, and best of all, it includes playlists—perfect for me to triangle along with! A diverse array of both modern and older artists and songs are featured, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to spice up their Spotify account. “Rise Up and Sing!” loudly celebrates music’s singular power to unite, teach, disrupt, inspire, and transform. If social activism gets your heart pumping as much as a good beat, this book is for you.

Excellent news…my clutches have, at last, relinquished the titles above. If your clutches are interested, stop by the Teen Underground at A.K. Smiley Public Library and check them out! If these titles don’t excite you, don’t worry, we have so many more books/DVDs/video games/and more that might…come fill your clutches!

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where she clearly thinks way too much about her own, and everyone else’s, clutches.