YA Librarian
Teen Photo Challenge – September and October 2026
SEPTEMBER: Share an original photo (taken by you) that captures your return to school for a chance to win a gift card prize. A winner will be selected from the submissions received. Use the form below to submit/upload your photo entries. Entries for September must be received by September 30, 2026! For teens/grades 6-12. OCTOBER: Share an original photo (taken by you) of a house that looks haunted for a chance to win a gift … Read more
Art After Dark: Koi Pond Painting Art Gallery (August 2026)
These koi pond acrylic paintings were so much fun to make! We created an underwater background on our round cardboard canvases (recycle pizza or cake decorating rounds) using different blues, purples, and greens, then added lily pads by dipping balloons in paint and pressing them onto the background (this created a texture much like a lily pad leaf!). We made the koi fish by painting the sides of one hand, making a loose fist, and … Read more
Herbology Photo Gallery (July 2026)
We were all obsessed with these clay mandrakes and did not get photos of all the OTHER activities happening at our Herbology event (miniature plant/flower paintings, floral picture frames, mix your own tea, and several herbology quizzes). Please enjoy the mandrakes the teens made:
Painted Pots Photo Gallery (June 2026)
We used acrylic paint pens to decorate terra cotta pots at this fun teen event. Participants also picked out some seeds and potting soil to plant up their pots at home. They turned out great!
Garden Rocks Photo Gallery (July 2026)
Teens created some adorable garden rocks using acrylic paint and paint pens. Not sure if any of these will actually end up in a garden! Here’s what they made:
Henna Art Photo Gallery (June 2026)
Teens got the opportunity to make their own, temporary, henna body art AND received a design from artist, Rebecca Huston (Heathen Ink Tattoo). Henna paste is used to stain the skin and designs last a few days to a few weeks. Enjoy some of Rebecca’s and their artwork:
Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity – Read It and Rate It
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity manga series by Saka Mikami Manga Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) It opens up with introducing us to a very intimidating-looking but kindhearted boy by the name of Rintaro Tsumugi. He attends Chidori High – a school for good-for-nothing boys. Next to that school is the Kikyo Girls High, which is a prestigeous school for talented ladies. There, a very kind and open-minded … Read more
Breaking the Dark – Read It and Rate It
Breaking the Dark Marvel Crime series #1 by Lisa Jewell Adventure Mystery Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) If you like a great detective novel with many twists and turns, I would recommend Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell. The book revolves around a detective and her struggles with her personal and professional life. The antagonist in this story is a woman who is power-hungry and craves to remain in power … Read more
Schooled – Read It and Rate It
Schooled by Gordon Korman Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * Stars (Just ok) “Schooled” by Gordon Korman follows Capricorn Anderson, a 13-year-old boy raised on a secluded hippie farm by his grandmother, Rain. When Rain is injured and hospitalized after a tree-climbing accident, Cap is forced to leave their isolated community and attend a public middle school for the first time. He is placed in a foster home with the Donnelly family, where he struggles … Read more