Thank you for recognizing the gap and offering suggested books for young teens. We welcome younger YA books, especially murder mysteries, horror &humor! sites.prh.com/pyrmiddlesch... @penguinschoollib.bsky.social @penguinteen.bsky.social #youngteenlit #yalit #tlsky @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social

While we firmly believe that young teens deserve a publishing category of their own, we noticed @publisherswkly.bsky.social aimed the spotlight on MG publishing. The interviewees echoed what we have been saying ad nauseum since spring 2024 (see our articles and podcasts at www.youngteenlit.com). 🧵

My Smith MS 6th graders had to find the hidden “libubus” (i.e. library labubus) during our media orientation. Presentation made with Genial.ly and “libubus” made with Canva. #tlsky #skybrarians #schoollibrary #mischoollibrary #labubu

I’m looking forward to sharing information about #youngteenlit at my first ever @aaslala.bsky.social conference! #AASL25 #itstimeforyoungteenlit

The best thing about Greenwald's books is that ANY kid, whether they like sports or not, still enjoys them. If you're new to Tommy Greenwald, start with GAME CHANGER; his books take place in the same town but do not need to be read in order. #tlsky #skybrarians #skybrarian #itstimeforyoungteenlit

In terms of our six #youngteenlit criteria, Tommy Greenwald consistently knocks it out of the park: his newest THE RIGHT CALL is no exception. 15 yr old narrator, a compelling story about injuries in youth sports, less than 300 pages, eye-catching cover, multiple formats, and heavy on mass appeal.

We're summer dreaming about what we'd love to have written and published. MSers want to read the books below, but some may not be developmentally ready for the content (since it was written for an older audience). We would love to see #youngteenlit comparable to the following. #tlsky #skybrarians

This Judy Blume-inspired book about a 7th grader's first crush is both hilarious and wise and will be LOVED by young teens and by Gen X librarians and moms. It's on the younger end of #youngteenlit and recommended for collections serving middle schoolers. Thanks @kristinnilsen.bsky.social #tlsky

For your mature 14-16 yr olds: PROMISE BOYS and UP IN SMOKE by Nick Brooks. Short chapters, multiple voices. Page-turning whodunits with 16 yr olds trying to prove a friend's innocence in the death of their principal (PB)/a woman at a BLM rally (UiS). CW👇 #youngteenlit @henryholtbooks.bsky.social

My students love @rebeccaefbarone.bsky.social! We had a fantastic virtual visit with her in our 2024 Troybery Author Blitz.

Fabulous episode full of inspiration and ideas #itistimeforyoungteenlit and I am all in. PREACH!

@overbooked.bsky.social and I share how we started the Young Teen Lit movement in this podcast episode with @slupodcast.bsky.social. Tune in to learn how you can find #youngteenlit books and how you can support our movement. #itstimeforyoungteenlit #skybrarians #tlsky #skybrarian #mglit #yalit

Honored to be back on the podcast, this time with @overbooked.bsky.social to talk about our advocacy for #youngteenlit. 12-15 year olds deserve books, too! #itstimeforyoungteenlit #tlsky #skybrarians

Don’t miss this important conversation with #itstimeforyoungteenlit founding #librarians of @youngteenlit.bsky.social #youngteenlit

Can’t wait to share a conversation with @youngteenlit.bsky.social founders and #schoollibrarians @medialoguer.bsky.social and @overbooked.bsky.social #episode 330 Friday, July 25!!! #tlsky #tlskchat

@aprilhenry.bsky.social has been writing great books for young teens for years! Students and teachers love her books. Looking forward to book talking this one in the fall.

Read Jennifer’s post about how all the YA books are about 17-20 year olds! Publishers we are desperate for books featuring younger teens. We are super grumpy too. Please please help us out! #youngteenlit

At #alaac25 looking for #youngteenlit Especially looking for books about 14-15 year olds—here’s one that looks great for teens! It’s a graphic novel sports memoir by Amar Shah @amarshah.bsky.social

This! Kids are intimidated by a “wall of text” —Erin Becker at #alaac25 talking about how she integrates messaging into her novel to make it more accessible to young teens #youngteenlit #tlsky @erindaydreams.bsky.social

What to hand to the kid who finished the MILES MORALES books? Try BOY 2.0 by @traceybaptiste.bsky.social When 13 yr old Coal moves to a new foster home, a traumatic experience makes him realize...he can turn invisible! His quest for knowledge will keep readers on edge of seat. #youngteenlit

A fantastic day of learning at the AI Summer Institute sponsored by @michiganmasl.bsky.social and @michiganvirtual.bsky.social. Thanks to MV for hosting us and to @justinbruno.bsky.social for creating a full day of learning around AI in education. #MISchoolLibrary #skybrarians

ATTN MS LIBRARIANS: follow @youngteenlit.bsky.social and let’s band together to get a new #book category that’s for our upper MG and lower YA readers! #itstimeforyoungteenlit #tlsky #skybrarian #skybrarians #youngteenlit

Looking for something to recommend to your young teens after they've inhaled THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY? Hand them KAT'S GREEK SUMMER by Mima Tipper. Kat is forced to spend her summer before 9th grade in Greece with family, but things turn around when she meets Theofilus. #youngteenlit

It would be interesting to see a more in-depth discussion of what is appropriate for YTL horror, and how to keep it from falling into middle grade or older YA territory.

In our recent TLT article, we discuss THE TOWER by @davidanaxagoras.com, a spellbinding tale in the vein of MAZE RUNNER and LORD OF THE FLIES. To our chagrin, we found it's only available as audiobook (and a fantastic one, at that). No idea why a publisher hasn't grabbed this one! #youngteenlit

Check out our latest article, where we add one more criteria for #youngteenlit and highlight 5 new books we’re excited about. #itstimeforyoungteenlit #tlsky #skybrarians #edusky

19 of my top 20 checkouts are graphic novels (no surprise to me). Good Girl, Bad Blood (murder mystery) the only novel that broke through. Grade 6-8 Title I middle school with 1,000 students. Annual circulation 17,879 books #youngteenlit

What did your MS Ss check out? My results are skewed by my Troybery reading program and checkouts for ELA book clubs, but you can see that adventure and horror dominate at my 2 schools, with a few historical, sci-fi, realistic, & fantasy. Verse novels & graphic novel on the list. #tlsky #skybrarians

Dolores has a chronic bladder condition that makes her life miserable and she's been dumped by her best friend. She teams up with an autistic teen & they spend the summer scheming together to get what they both want. Funny, edgy & smart. A real winner! #youngteenlit @penguinschoollib.bsky.social

We completely agree, @lindsaycesari.bsky.social! Love how you mention that, as school librarians, we need books for EVERY kid, and many don’t have the stamina for the YA tomes that are being published. #youngteenlit #skybrarians #tlsky #yalit #itstimeforyoungteenlit www.tiktok.com/t/ZP86vhKjb/

Announcing the winners of the 25th Annual Troybery Award Program! This was the first time that nonfiction AND a graphic novel won! Students across TSD watched the video in their ELA classes and cheered as their favorites were announced. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gLV... #Troybery2025 #skybrarians

If we care about the future of our children, we need a library & a librarian in every school, to help every child find the books that will make them readers. Libraries & librarians change children's lives FOREVER - and they're more vital now than ever! #libraries #librarians #literacy

Looking for something to give teens aging out of SMILE? Try DREAMOVER by @memoryfuel.bsky.social. Starting summer after 8th thru 9th grade, this GN chronicles a b/g friendship turned romance and the ripple effects on their friend group. Thx to @topshelfcomix.bsky.social for publishing #youngteenlit.

I’ve been blogging about middle school books for a long long time. As a hall monitor for state testing this week I had time to get up to date with some great #youngteenlit that I’ve been reading omsbookblog.blogspot.com?m=1 @glma-inc.bsky.social

A Michael Printz winner for younger teens! This checks all of our boxes for #youngteenlit and middle school kids love it. Thank you @samuelteer.bsky.social and @marjulia.bsky.social for this gem of a graphic novel #tlsky #itstimeforyoungteenlit @versifybooks.bsky.social

Don't miss this #youngteenlit sci fi book by Ireland's Children's Literature Laureate. 14-year-old Aria is sent to earth with her dad to eradicate humanity. But Aria finds out humans aren't inferior as she was led to believe, and by eliminating humans she may be about to kill herself! #mglit #tlsky

Set in freshman year, ALL MY BESTS follows Immie & Jack, best friends since age 7 but now realizing they want more. Music fans will love the soundtracks to each chapter, and romance fans will be hooked. Immie narrates the 1st half, Jack the 2nd. Sweet PG romance and definitely #youngteenlit.

Smith and Boulan Media Centers hosted the Troy Public Library Bookmobile this week! Our MS students were very excited to visit it. 100+ items were checked out between the two schools, including books, video games, and board games. #MISchoolLibrary #aaslslm #tlsky

The votes are in! Announcing the Troybery Top 10+1! There was a tie for the 10th spot, so we decided to include both titles. It's our 25th anniversary, so we're going big! The final Troybery Voting is April 21-22. Who will win the Troybery Award? #Troybery2025 #tlsky #MISchoolLibrary #AASLslm

Tough, quick-witted male protagonist stuck on a decaying Martian planet, just trying to scrape by...when he falls into a secret research facility harboring the key to Mars' salvation: a fledgling dragon. Add cool tech, telepathy, and rollicking dragonship rides...this is #youngteenlit at its best!

For his Troybery Blitz video, Dave Eggers filmed it in the International Library of Youth Writing, calling on Troy MS students to send him their writing and answering students' questions about THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE. #Troybery2025 #MISchoolLibrary #AASLslm

TSD MS students enjoyed learning about Michigan WWII history as it related to ENEMIES IN THE ORCHARD from @danavanderlugt.bsky.social during the 4th Annual Troybery Author Blitz. We are grateful for the virtual visit that we were able to record and share with all! #Troybery2025 #MISchoolLibrary

During our last Troybery Author Blitz visit, @katherinemarsh.bsky.social talked about how she doesn't like the term writer's block: "Block sounds negative. It's actually thinking and trying to figure something out." Thanks for sharing about self-kindness and writing being a refuge. #Troybery2025

We were honored that author Christina Collins shared her middle school self with us as she talked about THE TOWN WITH NO MIRRORS. Her goal as a teen? Write and publish a book. "If there's something you really want to do, it could happen!" she told TSD students during the Troybery Author Blitz.

"The ability to experience someone else's life through books is a powerful, magical thing." "Reading gives me a lot of empathy. We have to understand each other, because we are all connected." Thank you @kellyyang.bsky.social for your inspiring, uplifting words during the Troybery Author Blitz.

We could have listened to @kielphegley.bsky.social talk for hours about the process of writing STRIKERS! Words of wisdom: "There is value in doing something besides winning." Thanks for sharing your childhood love of hockey and Flint, MI, with us during our Author Blitz. #Troybery2025

We loved learning about Gary D. Schmidt's origin story and meeting his dog on our virtual visit. Gary told us, "I wanted to capture that some moments we can be very sad or angry or upset, but they could also be moments when you're laughing." Glad you chose literature instead of the Navy. #Troybery

When asked during our Author Blitz about writing narrative nonfiction, Nicholas Day replied, "Real life is as weird and alive and suspenseful as things you can make up." We loved learning more about the "wonderful, hard to believe, bizarre stories" that led to THE MONA LISA VANISHES. #Troybery2025

"Never let yourself be the thing that stands in your way." Many thanks to @janetsumnerjohnson.bsky.social for joining our our 4th Annual Troybery Author Blitz and sharing your advice on becoming a writer, the story behind FINAL WORD, & reminding us to be courageous. #Troybery2025 #MISchoolLibrary

"We may be tiny, but we're not insignificant." "There was never a writer who wasn't a reader first." So many words of wisdom from @pforde123.bsky.social to kick off our 4th Annual Troybery Author Blitz! Thanks for joining and inspiring us. #Troybery2025 #MISchoolLibrary #AASLslm