Teens, could anything be better than a summer book club? How about a summer book club that offers free Young Adult (YA) books? How about a summer book club that offers THREE free YA books? Surely you are rubbing your eyes in disbelief. I assure you, you read that correctly, and I’m officially inviting you to join us for our 2025 “Color Our World” Teen Summer Reading Program Book Club here at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Before you fire off your confetti canon, let me tell you about the three books we’re reading…and in case you missed it, giving away FREE while supplies last. As a friendly reminder, we encourage you to talk to your parents about which books may be a good fit for you.
Angeline Boulley’s Young Adult (YA) thriller “Firekeeper’s Daughter” won the 2022 Printz Award for literary excellence in Young Adult literature, but great writing is not the only reason it’s one of our summer picks. After putting off her first year of college to help her ailing grandma, Daunis, who is half Ojibwe and half white, gets sucked into an undercover investigation of a spate of drug overdoses in her community, putting her in the dangerous cross hairs of a network that does not want to be uncovered. Themes of prejudice, belonging, and family take center stage while the book keeps you on the edge of your seat, knocks you off your seat, and then steals your seat and sits on you (in a good way).
“Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal and the Lost Dream of Jonestown” by Candace Fleming is a nonfiction title that takes readers back to the 1970s, when Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple, leverages his magnetism and manipulation to form a cult of personality that ultimately ends in tragedy. The books offers insights into Jones’ early days and the events that led to his rise to power and considers the allure— and ultimate danger—of forfeiting your personal agency to an unscrupulous leader.
I’ve written about Thien Pham’s YA graphic memoir “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” before, but if the title is new to you, it’s an account of Pham’s real-life experiences as a kid immigrating to the U.S. from his native Vietnam. The book, through Pham’s sensitive illustrations, provides an unfiltered glimpse at the life of an immigrant kid, from the strangeness of all the new, and weird (Salisbury steak!), and wonderful (chips!), American foods he’s bombarded with, to the small kindnesses of strangers, to the indignities of not understanding English, and more. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve read it, and resonates with anyone who has experienced a longing to belong.
If one or all of these books sounds like something you might like to read, stop by the Young Readers’ Room (or visit www.akspl.org/teens) and register for our Teen Summer Book Club, or any of the other interesting and creative (and free!) events for teens we have in the works this summer. Remember, these YA titles are free while supplies last, and content reviews are linked from our book club registration page, so be sure to check that out so you can make a decision that’s right for you.
And if you just want to read your own thing this summer, we will absolutely cheer you on. Come “Color Your World” with books! Okay…now fire the confetti canon! 🎉