Starting THE MISFITS: A SEA MONSTER CONUNDRUM.

Reading NADIA ISLAM, ON THE RECORD.

Starting SERENDIPITY. Between the snowstorm and still not feeling great, it’s a good day to stay in bed with dogs and books.

Reading KOROBÁ: THE CASE OF THE MISSING KOLO.

Pretty psyched to be upright and among the living after a week in bed with The Crud. I was worried my entire winter break would be eaten up with illness. Still exhausted, but done coughing and antibiotics finally making progress with the sinus junk.

Starting DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD?

Book mail: BASKETBALL: THE STORY OF THE ALL-AMERICAN GAME by Kadir Nelson. Thanks, Little, Brown Young Readers!

Book mail: THE AFTERMYTH by Tracy Wolff. Thanks, Simon Kids!

Book mail: I DREAM OF NOISE by Patrick Ness and MY WONDERFUL DISGRACE by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice. Thanks, Candlewick!

Book mail: THE ASSASSIN’S GUIDE TO DATING by Natalie C. Parker and JUST ANOTHER DEAD BOY by Kelly McCaughrain. Thanks, Candlewick!

Book mail: BRADY MASON’S PERFECT FIT by Nicole Melleby. Thanks, Little, Brown Young Readers!

Book mail: THE ROSE BARGAIN by Sasha Peyton Smith. Thanks, @epicreads.bsky.social!

Book mail: THE SNIPS ENTER THE WIGMASTER! by Raúl the Third, THE BIZARRE BAZAAR DOWN A DARK PATH by Daniel Nayeri and Lesley Vamos, and LOVE ME TO DEATH volume 1 by Toonimated. Thanks, Little, Brown Ink!

Reading WRECK.

Reading SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES.

Reading ANYBODY HERE SEEN FRENCHIE?

Reading BOTTICELLI’S APPRENTICE.

The Bookshelf of a Showgirl Teen Librarian Karen Jensen shares a Taylor Swift inspired book shelf highlighting some YA books that fans of Taylor Swift might like to read according to tropes Swift says she likes. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/22/t... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Reading WAYWARD CREATURES.

Reading JUST KEEP WALKING.

Book mail: THE GREAT DISILLUSIONMENT OF NICK AND JAY by Ryan Douglass, 16 FOREVER by Lance Rubin, and THE THORN QUEEN by Sasha Peyton Smith. Thanks, HarperCollins!

Book mail: NADIA ISLAM, ON THE RECORD by Adiba Jaigirdar with art by Avani Dwivedi and SOME OF US ARE BRAVE by Saadia Faruqi. Thanks, Quill Tree/HarperCollins!

Book mail: CARNIVAL FANTÁSTICO by Angela Montoya. Thanks, Joy Revolution/Random House!

Book mail: LIMELIGHT by Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Thanks, Penguin Teen!

Book mail: IN THE COUNTRY I LOVE by Alaa Al-Barkawi. Thanks, Peachtree Teen!

Book mail: DOG DAYS: THE OLD DOGS’ CLUB by Dori Hillestad Butler with illustrations by Genevieve Kote. Thanks, Peachtree Publishing.

Book mail: BETH IS DEAD by Katie Bernet. Thanks, Simon Teen!

Reading LEGENDS OF LOTUS ISLAND: THE GUARDIAN TEST.

Take Five: My favorite grown-up books this year While I read a super ton of books for kids, I do still also read books written for adults. Here are my favs of the year! teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/19/t... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Book Mail: 29 New and Forthcoming Books to Check Out I'd say 29 books is a pretty good haul for a month that's usually rather slow for book mail. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/18/b... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Amanda’s Favorite Reads of 2025 15 favorites from this year. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/16/a... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Reclaiming My Korean-American Identity: One Recipe at a Time, a guest post by Lydia Kang Without effort, our culture will inevitably dissipate over generations. It takes intention to keep the stove on. To keep the recipes alive. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/16/r... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Reading ONE GOLDEN SUMMER.

Are Kids Just Miniature Adults? A guest post by Simon Stephenson The best storytellers I know put their emotions on the page or screen and don't seem to make a distinction between children and adults. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/15/a... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Book mail: THE ESCAPE GAME by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss. Thanks, Penguin Teen!

Book mail: YOU ARE NOW OLD ENOUGH TO HEAR THIS by Aaron Starmer. Thanks, Penguin Kids!

Book mail: THE MISFITS: A SEA MONSTER CONUNDRUM by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat. Thanks, Random House Kids!

Starting THE HEADACHE.

Reading THE LOST LIBRARY.

Reading THE AMAZING GENERATION.

Reading I SURVIVED THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD, 1919.

Take Five: Books with the most holds at my school this school year teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/12/t... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Starting ABBY IN BETWEEN: FACE FORWARD.

“Slasher Movies Taught me to Save Myself”: An Ode to the Final Girl’s Survival in LOST GIRLS OF HOLLOW LAKE, a guest post by Rebekah Faubion teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/11/s... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Where Recipe Meets Magic, a guest post by Marisa Churchill In the kitchen, you’re a team. You have each other’s backs. No matter what happens, keep going. Knives out. Flames blazing. You are a band of wild pirates. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/10/w... @tltkaren.bsky.social

Book mail: THE SIX QUEENS OF HENRY VIII by Honor Cargill-Martin and Jaimee Andrews. Thanks, Sourcebooks Explore.

Book mail: WHY SPACE WILL FREAK YOU OUT by Dr. Kimberly K. Arcand and Megan Watzke with illustrations by Robert Ball. Thanks, Sourcebooks Explore.

Book mail: A YEAR WITHOUT HOME by V. T. Vidania. Thanks, Penguin Kids!

Starting ABBY IN BETWEEN: READY OR NOT!

Writing hard history I fear the question: Is it my fault? A guest post by Candy Gourlay I’d like to think that history is not a moral judgment on the contemporary individual but a record of human choices and their consequences. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2025/12/09/w... @tltkaren.bsky.social