School's Out for Summer

“During the summer months it is critical for young people to continue to read and visit the library. Studies consistently show that teens who do not read over the summer lose important reading skills, beginning the next school year at a disadvantage,” said YALSA President Sarah Cornish Debraski.

Wise words as we embark upon days without the rigorous joy of teacher lectures and ensuing homework assignments. With that in mind, what books should you invest a hungry mind in until the classroom beckons once again? Having set off to research a host of reputable entertainment sources available (Goodreads, EW, Barnes & Noble), I bring to you…drumroll please…The Most Highly Sought After Young Adult Books (TMHSAYAB, for short) of 2017!

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

The tale of a girl protecting her sister by entering an ancient, mystical game where nothing is as it seems.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

From the author of the bestselling Divergent trilogy comes a new blend of science fiction and fantasy. Two teens must learn how to use their gifts and decide if they want to help, or hurt, one another.

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

Laughs and danger, surprises and delights, come your way in a mix of fairytale, fantasy, and frogs!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A teenager must figure out what she’s going to do after witnessing her best friend shockingly gunned down by police.

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Silvera examines the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past.

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones, and in her blood. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

An attempt to answer the age old question, is it really better to have loved and lost?

RoseBlood by A.G. Howard

A haunting take on The Phantom of the Opera.

Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

A popular actor takes a cross-country trip with four fans. New York Times #1 bestselling author spins a novel that combines humor, heartbreak, friendship, and fame.

You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando

Fighter. Faker. Student. Spy. And, of course, just the right dash of high school drama.


Don’t let the dog days bite you in the end. Reading will keep you covered!


This readers advisory brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Summer Reading Program

Sign-ups for SRP 2017 begin today for the Young Adult and Children’s Departments! Are you as excited as I am? What’s that…you’re more excited? Inconceivable! Although, with a full slate of fun-filled programs on the agenda there’s enough thrills to go around. So let me take a minute, just sit right there, and I’ll tell you about some of what’s in store.

Thursday, June 1 – 1:00 to 2:00 – Stack it Up!

Participants in Sport Stacking (AKA Cup Stacking) have long enjoyed building structures and towers. But this summer we will travel around the globe and recreate some of the world's greatest landmarks. Egyptian pyramids, castles of Europe, the Great Wall of China, India's Taj Majal, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and more! A magician, school speaker, entertainer and author, Mr. Jim has been hosting library programs for over 20 years! All ages welcome.

Tuesday, June 6 – 1:00 to 2:00 – Hands on Science

Become a WATER WARRIOR! Debbie Palmer of the Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District will present a hands-on interactive exploration regarding the different causes of water pollution. Learn about how your decisions and actions, as part of the larger community, can impact water quality. The Young Adult Summer Reading Club is for students entering grades 5-12.

Tuesday, June 13 – 1:00 to 2:00 – Photography Walk

Grab your favorite picture-taking device and venture out on this field trip to explore and photograph the architecture surrounding Bremen Public Library. Prize will be awarded for the most unique capturing! The Young Adult Summer Reading Club is for students entering grades 5-12.

Tuesday, June 20 – 1:00 to 2:30 – Adventures in Monopoly

If you enjoy Monopoly, you’ll love it with a twist. Editions such as National Parks, Disney, Jurassic World, M & M, and Dino-Opoly will all be on hand! Join us for this time of competitive fun. All ages invited.

Tuesday, June 27 – 1:00 to 2:30 – Brick Club: DC and Marvel

Join us for an extra-special superhero themed Brick Club. Kits featuring Batman, Spider-Man and The Avengers will be available for building and exploration! Young adults, children and families are encouraged to join us for this time of imagination. We will use LEGO bricks to study concepts via themes, develop math and science skills, work in teams and have fun! All ages invited.

Tuesday, July 11 – 1:00 to 2:30 – Wii Gaming

Show off your skills and get ready for some friendly competition as we gather to do some Wii gaming. As a bonus: New featured games will be on hand! All ages invited to participate.

Program highlights brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Author Visit

In case you haven’t heard (come out from that cave), let me use this platform to shout, “Tracy Korn is coming to YOUR Bremen Public Library!” 

Who is Tracy Korn? I’m delighted you asked.

In addition to 17 years of teaching high school English (no small feat), Tracy has authored the popular young adult Elements series. Years of experience in the classroom convinced her that teenagers are superheroes. Their resiliency, drive, and passion about making the world a better place were the inspiration in putting forth tales that are character driven and gripping with adventure.

Mrs. Korn will be joining us for a book talk during Teen Read Week in October. Libraries across the world celebrate TRW with a variety of special events and programs aimed at encouraging young people to embrace the joys of reading. Did you know research shows that teens who read for fun have better test scores and are more likely to succeed in the workforce? My goal in serving the Bremen community is to encourage residents to be regular readers and library users.

This year’s TRW theme is “Unleash Your Story.” I hope all of you will join me during this time to tell your own life story and share in the stories of others. Let us welcome Tracy Korn to our community and hearing hers.

AQUA: Elements Series - Book One

Being afraid of failure is normal, but no one fears success except eighteen-year-old Jazwyn Ripley, who has worked her entire life for a chance to become more than the scant apprenticeships in the Seaboard North stacks can offer. It's all too clear that at the bottom, there's nowhere to go but down. Only the best can begin career training at Gaia Sur, the elite academy on the ocean floor, but when Jazz begins receiving cryptic messages from past Gaia cadets originating from within the earth's core, she and her friends discover that the road to everything they've ever wanted now leads somewhere they never intended to go.  
Click here to see if AQUA is currently available for check-out. 

TERRA: Elements Series – Book Two

Getting out of Gaia Sur was almost as hard as getting in, but there's no going back now. Jazwyn Ripley and her friends have no choice but to venture into the caves and tunnels underneath the ocean floor as the messages they've been receiving get stronger. Tensions rise and loyalties are tested when another of their crew is captured along the way, and one critical choice means following unlikely allies down a path most would never dare – across the seven biomes of "The Rush" – which, if they survive, will either lead to freedom or imprison them forever.

Click here to see if TERRA is currently available for check-out. 

AER: Elements Series – Book Three

Coming Soon!

#TeenReadWeek #ElementsSeries #AuthorVisit

Printz Award

Looking for selections whose criteria meets, and exceeds, standards set by an esteemed panel of judges?

The Michael L. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for teens based entirely on its literary merit. Additionally, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, similarly exemplifying the highest in excellence. The awards announcement is made at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting as part of the Youth Media Awards.

The award's namesake was a school librarian in Topeka, Kansas, and an active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. Passionate about reading, he also appreciated the authors who wrote books for young adults and demonstrated this by initiating an author-in-residence program at his high school.

2017 Winner

March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell – 2017 Winner

This graphic novel is the conclusion of the March trilogy, a gripping auto biographical account of Congressman John Lewi’s experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. It follows Lewis’s involvement with the Mississippi Freedom Summer and the March on Selma, concluding with a call to action for today’s youth.

Asking for It by Louise O’Neill – 2017 Honor Book

After a party, Emma Donovan is found dumped outside her house with no recollection of the previous night. Pictures go viral showing her being raped. Lacking support from her small town, Emma becomes a shell of her previous self, struggling with the question of whether she asked for it.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman – 2017 Honor Book

In a future where death has been eradicated, scythes are selected to control overpopulation by “gleaning” random members of society. Citra and Rowan are selected as apprentices and are thrust into a world of political intrigue. Scythe is a powerful examination of ethics, humanity and the flaws of immortality.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon – 2017 Honor Book

Like sunlight through a prism, The Sun Is Also a Star is a singular love story told through numerous luminous voices. Skillfully examining ideas of coincidence and fate, the random connections and seemingly small moments that somehow determine our futures, this kaleidoscopic novel shifts and shimmers, until its brilliant and satisfying conclusion.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby – 2016 Winner

Told from alternating viewpoints, Bone Gap perfectly melds elements of fairy tales, myths, gothic romance, and magic realism into the story of Finn, who lives in a town with gaps in the very fabric of time and place.

The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick – 2016 Honor Book

Sedgwick connects four seemingly disparate stories, each of which feature a character haunted by the ever-present shape of a spiral. Spanning time, space, and genre, each story raises powerful questions about human nature.

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez – 2016 Honor Book

In 1937 East Texas, Naomi and Wash begin a bittersweet romance. Perez’s beautifully crafted novel is a moving portrayal of both powerful love and a period marked by oppressive, destructive racism.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson – 2015 Winner

Once inseparable, twins Noah and Jude are torn apart by a family tragedy that transforms their intense love for each other into anger. Timelines twist and turn around each other in majestically orchestrated stories of love and longing.

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard – 2015 Honor Book

Reeling from her boyfriend’s dramatic suicide, Emily hides her anguish at a new boarding school, where she finds healing through poetry. Hubbard’s gem-like prose masterfully balances Emily’s poetry.

The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley – 2015 Honor Book

Maggie is dismayed to leave Chicago and her beloved Uncle Kevin behind when she moves to a small Irish town. Yet, it is within this evocative setting that Foley unwinds Maggie’s exceptional coming-of-age tale, discovering music and forgiveness as antidotes for grief.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith – 2015 Honor Book

Austin is in love with his best girl friend, Shann. He is also in love with his best boy friend, Robby. Smith takes these tender facts and swirls them into a whirlwind of carnivorous praying mantises, the history of the world, and the end of all we know.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki – 2015 Honor Book

Adolescence in its first bloom is the subject of this graphic novel. A tale of one special summer in Rose’s life, in a brilliant flow of pictures and text.

Brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Getting to Know ... Grant

Grant in action on the Quidditch pitch.

Introducing Grant Kauffman! He has been a member of our YA Volunteer Team since May 2016 and has completed 12.25 volunteer hours to date.

Grant, age 14, attends eighth grade at Bremen Middle School. He plans to become President of the United States or a history professor. He is very passionate about history, especially WWII. An interesting fact about Grant is that he no longer dreams.

FAVORITE BOOK GENRES:  Non-Fiction
FAVORITE TV SHOWS:  Sherlock
AN INVENTION HE WOULD UNINVENT:  Rap Music (unless it's about history, such as Hamilton)
ROLE MODELS: Miguel Contreras (he's 6'2")
HAPPY PLACE: "I'm always happy."
SPIRIT ANIMAL: The Panda
DESERTED ISLAND COMPANION:  Bear Grylls
FAVORITE QUOTE:  "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why they call it the present."