Kristina Naftzger

Teens, are you fa-la-la-la-la-ing yet? I dusted off my elf suit extra early this year so I could recommend some Young Adult (YA) rom-com titles to get you in the holiday spirit. Cancel your subscription to the Hallmark channel immediately…we’ve got your romantic holiday media needs covered! AND, I have some pre-holiday surprises for you at the end of this article…read on and you can unwrap them early.

In Hannah Reynolds’ “Eight Nights of Flirting,” sixteen-year-old Shira Barbanel has her sights set on a holiday hookup. When her big and boisterous extended family convene at her grandparents’ Nantucket home for Hanukkah, the scene is set for love…her great-uncle’s tall, dark, smart, and handsome intern will be joining them and despite her past romantic flops, Shira is determined to do what it takes to get sparks flying.

There’s just one problem. Despite Shira’s go-getter attitude, she’s a dunce when it comes to love. She makes a deal with her charming ex-crush-next-door-neighbor, who happens to be a flirting prodigy, to teach her his player ways. Surely nothing could go awry with this fool-for-love-proof scheme, right?! To find out if Shira gets the romantic miracle of her dreams, make plans to snuggle up with “Eight Nights of Flirting.”

If holiday romances are your love language, don’t stop with just one…put Tiffany Schmidt’s “I’m Dreaming of a Wyatt Christmas” next on your list. Sixteen-year-old Noelle is crazy for Christmas. Ever since her mom died six years ago, she throws herself headfirst into the holiday season, keeping all of her mom’s traditions going with a level of enthusiasm that borders on maniacal. But this year seems cursed…her festive plans keep getting thwarted, her dad is distracted to the point of ignoring her, and she’s ready to throw her jingle bells out the window. To escape all the things that are making her un-merry, Noelle accepts a ski-trip babysitting gig with her favorite family.

What happens on this babysitting ski trip? It may involve getting puked on by a four-year-old. It may involve an obnoxious (but very cute) older half-brother who shows up on the ski trip out of nowhere. It may involve getting to the rock bottom of Noelle’s manic quest for the perfect Christmas. If you’re in the mood for something simultaneously sentimental and sparkly, with a dash of love, this may be the book for you.

And now, teens, for your early present…are you ready to rip it open? The library now offers video games for checkout! We have games for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. If you want to expand your gaming repertoire, or even just try out a new game before you purchase it, come check one out to play on your home console. Video games are located to the right of the New Adult Fiction books, just behind the Adult Reference Desk. From “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe,” to “NBA 2K24,” we have a little something for everyone. So come get your holiday gift-receiving started a little early and borrow one!

We’re also hosting a Barbie movie-watching extravaganza for teens on Wednesday, December 20, from 2-4 p.m., in the Contemporary Club. Iron your pink garments and prepare to join us! More information about this event will be available at www.akspl.org/teens in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back.

Teens, the library loves treating you year-round, but we especially hope to entertain you this holiday season. We wish you all things bright and jingly in the weeks ahead…stop in and we’ll do our best to add a little extra sparkle.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, who only wishes she owned an elf suit.

Teens, when you think about the Library—which I’m guessing you do multiple times a day—you probably think about books. Who could blame you? Books are our thing. I want you to continue to think about books as one of the Library’s main dishes. But I also want to introduce you to some of our side dishes. What would your life be like without French fries? Without chips? Without tater tots? It would be lackluster and dreary. Thus, it is imperative for me to immediately tell you about some of the Library’s (non-potato-based) (figurative) side dishes for teens.

Side dish number one: stuff to do. Sometimes people call “stuff to do” activities, but “activities” lacks the mystique of the more dignified “stuff.” Some of the stuff we offer is geared toward teen makers and crafty people. Some is geared toward teen movie-lovers, costume-wearers, and trivia pros. Some is for teen Virtual Reality gamers. Some (well, one in particular) is aimed at teen murder-mystery-solving-sleuths (more on that later). We advertise all of this “stuff” and more on our webpage (www.akspl.org/teens) and Instagram account (akspl_teens), so if it’s okay with your parents/guardians, follow us for up-to-the-minute info on…well…stuff.

Another side dish the Library currently has in the works is our first Dia de Los Muertos themed Teen Art Contest. Artists ages 13-19 are invited to create an original work inspired by Dia de los Muertos, a thousands-year-old sacred holiday, rooted in Mexican culture, that celebrates the loving connection between the living and the dead. Submission applications and contest guidelines will be available on the Teens’ page of the Library’s website beginning October 4^th. Not only will entries be on display at the Library’s Dia de los Muertos community celebration, but prizes are on the line, to the tune of $500 for the grand prize, $250 for second, and $100 for third. If you have a creative bone in your body, put it to work this Dia de los Muertos! Submissions are due October 25^th. Visit www.akspl.org/teens for more info.

Side dish number three: community service opportunities. I’ve mentioned this before, but it deserves repeating, the Library offers seasonal prospects for in-person community service for teens ages 16 or older, and virtual community service in the form of Young Adult book reviews for teens younger than 16. If you’re interested, reach out to us by email at yrr@akspl.org and we’ll send you the details about any current opportunities. This is a great way to build friendships, boost your resume, and impact your community in one fell swoop…a side dish to end all side dishes!

Now, if you were reading with close attention, you noticed I mentioned an upcoming side dish that will appeal to teen murder-mystery-solving-sleuths (of course you were reading with close attention…you’re a sleuth, no doubt!). We know you are out there, teen detectives, looking for (fictional) crimes to solve. Join us for our first ever teen Murder Mystery Party, where you will be assigned a character to role play and help your fellow party-goers get to the bottom of a (fictional) murder. It’s free! It’s macabre! It’s happening Sunday, October 29^th! Registration will be required, so once again, check our webpage for the details.

All this talk about side dishes has my stomach growling, so now I must go eat mashed potatoes. If you feel the same, come feed your literary hunger, along with your appetite for “stuff to do” here at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where we always want our menu to reflect and excite you. Thank you for letting me be your server.

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

Teens, on a scale of comforting to ultra-freaky, how disturbing do you like your reading materials? Are you more likely to pick up a book with cotton-candy on the cover, or say, a pool of blood? If your tastes fall closer to the crime scene end of the spectrum, you’re in luck…one of the following YA titles may have your name—and your future fingerprints—on it.

“Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime” by Candace Fleming is nonfiction; this book is about a real murder, and the wealthy teenagers who plotted it. The year was 1924 and Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb looked like they had it all. They were both born into millionaire families, they were both supernaturally smart, and by many accounts, they both appeared to be charming, attractive, and well-mannered—if not slightly quirky—intellectuals.

So what made them carefully plan and carry out the murder of an innocent 14-year-old neighbor? Teens, I’m not going to tell you. Read the book yourself. From now on, just give me cotton candy! If bingeing true crime podcasts and documentaries is your idea of a good time, this real-life thriller—featuring a possible psychopath, an ice-cold homicide, and an explosive court trial—is for you.

Now that we’re traumatized by reading about a real crime, let’s learn how to solve them with Bridget Heos’ “Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA.” You’re probably already a crime scene analysis expert from all the episodes of “CSI,” “Criminal Minds,” “Cold Case,”  “NCIS”, “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: New York,” AND “CSI: Cyber,” you’ve watched, but maybe this book will offer something extra.

“Blood, Bullets, and Bones” explores the long history of crime scene investigation, dating back an astonishing two thousand years (CSI: Ancient China?) to today, and sheds light on the modern crime-solving techniques that have perpetrators shaking in their microscopic bad guy fibers. Although this nonfiction work will once again immerse you in real-life criminal activity, this time you’ll be empowered with your new-found knowledge of blood spatter analysis and forensic anthropology.

Teens, these and more chilling true-crime tales await you in Teen Underground at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Come check them out…no need to cover your tracks. And it’s not too late to get in on our Teen “All Together Now” Summer Reading Program…we’d love to have you join us for our free Teen Makers Open Hours event Wednesday, July 26, from 3-5 p.m. in the Assembly Room at A.K. Smiley Public Library. The event features a teen-led discussion on representation in YA Lit, bracelet-making, button-making, other-stuff-making, and more. Visit www.akspl.org/teens for more details and drop in if you’re interested!

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where her book selections often give her uncomfortable pits in her stomach, leading to a longing for a literary future filled with cotton candy instead of crime scenes.

Teens, TGIMWTWTA. Do you need help decoding that acronym? Here’s the translation: Thank Goodness It’s My Week to Write This Article. It’s kind of like TGIF, but catchier and obviously a thousand times more thrilling. Back to my point…TGIMWTWTA! I have so much to tell you!  

First, our 2023 “All Together Now” Teen Summer Reading Program at A.K. Smiley Public Library is right around the corner, and guess who’s invited? Little old you! Tied into our “All Together Now” theme of unity, friendship, and inclusion, we have an exciting line-up of free, in-person events for teens, including a book club (you’ll get a free copy of Sabaa Tahir’s Printz Award winner “All My Rage”), a teen test kitchen cookie-making experience, a teen-makers’ crafting/musical potluck gathering (with a free photo booth sponsored by Elevate the Night Photo Booths!), a teen-led conversation about representation in Young Adult literature, and more. And if you feel like burying yourself in books all summer, we’ve got you covered. Join our “All Together Now” summer reading challenge where you’ll have the chance to win excellent prizes based on the number of minutes you read…and we’ll be happy to pile on the books. 

The action officially begins June 22nd and continues through August 3rd. Bring a friend or come solo and make a friend…you’ll find our full calendar of events, including registration links, at www.akspl.org/teens. 

I have more good news. If you are at least sixteen years old, you could also apply to be a Summer Reading Program Teen Volunteer with us this summer, and earn community service hours while having fun and being awesome (a teen volunteer prerequisite). Find all the details and a link to an online application at www.akspl.org/teens, so just go ahead and bookmark this webpage already. 

You didn’t think I was going to leave you without offering a YA book recommendation, did you? Never! Once again, I read a book about murder. Let’s not psychoanalyze the number of books I read about murder…I really am an extremely law-abiding, nonviolent, peace-loving person. I even catch and release bugs. In real life, I abhor homicides, I promise. Ahem…okay, let’s just talk about the book.  

In Nick Brooks’ “Promise Boys,” high school students Trey, J.B., and Ramón attend The Urban Promise Prep School…a Washington D.C. private boys’ school designed to help “urban” youth transcend their challenging circumstances. The school is the brainchild of Principal Kenneth Moore, and what started out as an innovative program to support inner-city young men on their path to college, has quickly turned into a hyper-disciplined, educational dystopia, where laughing in the lunch line lands you an immediate detention.  

Trey, J.B., and Ramón aren’t really friends, but they do have something in common; they each had a major blow-up with Principal Moore on the day he was found shot to death in the school hallway. All evidence points to one of them as the killer, but which one pulled the trigger? And if it wasn’t one of them, will they be able to piece together their stories to expose who did? Your crime-solving instincts will be sent into overdrive by this cagey mystery. 

Of course, we have plenty of non-murder-y YA books to choose from too, so whatever you’re into (or not into, but inexplicably read a lot of books about), definitely put A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Summer Reading Program on your summer to-do list (I’m sure you have one). We can’t read “All Together Now” without you. 

Teens, I finished Sabaa Tahir’s young adult novel “All My Rage” last night…at midnight. You should know that my usual bedtime is like, the minute the sun goes down, so it’s saying something that “All My Rage” crawled into my lap and held my eyes open way past my usual tuck-in hour. It then slinked into my heart and left me in a puddle, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind.

In January, the American Library Association (ALA) announced its 2023 Youth Media Award Winners. Some of these awards you’ve probably already heard of, like the John Newbery Medal for outstanding contributions to children’s literature, and the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, but those two are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature for young adults is basically the “Album of the Year” Grammy in the teen book world. And as you may have guessed, the 2023 Printz Award went to (drumroll) “All My Rage” by Sabaa Tahir. Now I don’t always love award-winners. Sometimes I read them and think to myself, “Yes, I can see why an adult would give this book an award, but would a real, live teen like it?” Teens, it is my hypothesis that you—a real, live teen—might love this book. Let me tell you why.

This book is deep. It’s real. It doesn’t shy away from difficult issues. The characters are flawed but likable and relatable. The book follows the stories of Pakistani American teens Sal and Noor, bouncing around in time and perspective (but not so much that it gets annoying), and details the ways they deal with some majorly distressing issues (think parents dying, addiction, racism, poverty, and so much more that would be terrible of me to give away). There are many surprises in this book, things that I probably should have seen coming, but didn’t, that make it totally satisfying, even though in many ways it’s a real modern tragedy. It’s also written beautifully if you’re into good writing. And you might cry if you’re into crying.

If you’re not convinced by the 2023 Printz Award winner, no problem…I have another option for you up my pajama sleeve, and it also won an ALA Youth Media award! This next category is an interesting one: The Alex Award. The Alex Award is given to the ten best adult books that appeal to teen audiences. Yes, there are ten winners, but I’m just going to tell you about one: “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy. “What a dreadful title,” you might be thinking to yourself. But you also might be thinking, “I’m weirdly interested.” You should follow that instinct.

“I’m Glad My Mom Died” is a memoir by McCurdy, whom you may recognize from her roles on the Nickelodeon sitcoms “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat.” There are many ways a memoir written by a younger person could go wrong, but this one doesn’t. McCurdy is so skilled at telling her story—offering honest glimpses at scenes from her life that are sometimes funny, often times heartbreaking—that we feel like we’re right there with her as she deals with an eating disorder, a narcissistic mom, dysfunctional relationships, and a Hollywood industry that happily makes money off her while turning a blind eye to her real-life suffering. It’s another one of those books that refuses to be put down and is authentic in a way that resonates—even if you might not be glad if your own mom died. Remember, this book was written for adults, so be sure to check in with your families to see if this might be a good fit for you.

Teens, if you choose to read either of these titles, please come find me in the library (I promise I’ll be awake) and let me know if you think the awards committees—and my hypothesis—got it right. And if you’re interested in discovering more young adult award winners, visit www.akspl.org/teens, where we link to these and many more teen literature award lists…trust me when I say we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where one of the only things she likes better than falling asleep at the crack of sunset is crying her eyes out over a good book.