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.