Teens/Tweens

Resources for Students

Britannica Fundamentals

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Pre K - 2nd grade. Play and read to learn letters, numbers, shapes, animals, and more.

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Britannica School Elementary

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Grades 3-4. Find information on countries, animals, and people. Watch and learn with videos, games, and activities.

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Britannica School Middle

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Grades 5-7. Find maps, photos, articles, and famous people and places. Compare countries and tour the U.S.A. For homework help and your curiosity.

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Explora for High schools

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Give students, educators, and administrators on-the-go access to popular e-books. This robust collection includes a selection of classic literary works, important historical documents, and general reference materials.

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Explora for Middle schools

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This e-book collection supports a quality learning experience for 5th-8th grade students across all subject areas taught in elementary and middle schools.

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Explora for Primary schools

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Build strong literacy skills in students from pre-K to 8th grade by offering digital access to award-winning, short-form fiction and nonfiction titles.

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Book Recommendations for Tweens & Teens

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The Last Resort

The next evolution in storytelling from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal Winning author Erin Entrada Kelly!

 

 

 

Twelve-year-old Lila has two goals for the summer:

1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic"

2. Stop being so dramatic

But then Lila's estranged Grandpa Clem dies, throwing a wrench in her plans. Now she'll have to spend the summer in Ohio while her parents decide what to do with Grandpa Clem's creepy Victorian Inn. It's supremely unfair. How can she show off the "new and improved" Lila from so far away?

Even worse, strange things keep happening. En route to Ohio, the family gets into a scary car accident. No one's hurt, but the remainder of the trip is... odd. At every rest stop, Lila sees people in weird old-fashioned clothes. People no one else can see or hear...

Lila convinces herself it's just her overactive imagination until the day of the funeral when she spots an old man sitting in her grandfather's favorite chair. She does a double take -- it's him, Grandpa Clem. He tells Lila that he didn't die of a heart attack: he was murdered. Possibly by someone who wants to control the inn. Because it's not a normal bed & breakfast: it's a portal between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. A hotel for ghosts passing onto the afterlife.

With the help of her skeptical brother, Caleb, and their new ghost-obsessed neighbor, Teddy, Lila -- the girl who's vowed to be less dramatic -- must uncover her grandfather's killer AND stop the evil spirits desperate to make their way back into the human world.

 

Enter the world of The Last Resort! Ghosts from the story will emerge from the pages of the book, allowing readers to talk to spirits from the past and help solve the mystery!

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The Trouble with Heroes

An instant New York Times bestseller!

A USA Today bestseller!

Read with Jenna Jr. Summer Reading List Pick!

"Genuinely moving." --The New York Times Book Review

"Explores the healing power of hiking." --NPR's All Things Considered

The Week Jr.'s Book Club Pick 

Bestselling and award-winning author Kate Messner takes readers on a heart-filling journey as a boy finds his path to healing.

One summer.
46 mountain peaks.
A second chance to make things right.

Finn Connelly is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn is about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.

Caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery, he's in big trouble for knocking down some dead old lady's headstone. Turns out that grave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber, and her daughter makes Finn an unusual offer: she'll drop all the charges if he agrees to climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in a single summer. And there's just one more thing--he has to bring along the dead woman's dog.

In a wild three months of misadventures, mountain mud, and unexpected mentors, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak, he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don't care about any of that, and as the clock ticks down to September, they have more surprises in store. Finn's final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face.

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Windy Creek Stables: Presley and the Impossible Dream

"A sure-fire hit for horse lovers!" —Kirkus

Presley and the Impossible Dream is the first book in the middle grade Windy Creek Stables series set at a rural Virginia riding school — a 21st-century Saddle Club, full of authentic detail, realistic drama, and tons of heart.

Presley's life is pretty great - she has a loving family, friends at school, and plenty of rambunctious rescue pets. There's just one little problem . . . She's never gotten to ride a horse. And her mom has banned her from ever, ever, ever getting on one.

And sure, Presley knows riding can be a little dangerous, and a little expensive, but she’s loved horses for as long as she can remember. She’s read every book in the library about horses and horsemanship, she watches professional horse competitions on the internet, and she’s always dreamed about learning to ride. So when she gets the opportunity to tag along with her stepdad on a vet visit to Windy Creek Stables, she jumps at the chance.

And even after a surprise run in with Harper, a popular girl who's never given Presley a second glance, Windy Creek is everything she thought it would be . . . except, well, maybe it's a little messy? Clean and dirty saddle pads are all jumbled together, and there’s a tangle of bridles hanging on a hook in the corner. Which gives Presley the perfect idea: In exchange for cleaning stalls and helping around the barn after school, Tracie, the stable owner, will give her lessons—if she can get her mom to agree to the deal.

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Thorn Season Deluxe Limited Edition

Shadow and Bone meets The Selection in this first book in Kiera Azar's sharp, sexy, and twisty debut YA romantasy trilogy! This stunning deluxe limited edition features:

  • A unique alternate jacket design printed on shimmery paper
  • A pearly white case with rose gold stamp and embossed vine pattern
  • Gorgeous printed endpapers
  • Beautiful custom designed edges extending the endpaper design

Quantities are limited for this deluxe edition, so be sure to preorder now!

In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre-a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock . . . even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.

Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family . . . is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she's escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father.

Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal--and caught between two equally dangerous men: one a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth--and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.

With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner--and romance becoming an increasingly dangerous temptation--Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets. It's Rose Season at the palace, but to survive she'll need to become the most vicious of thorns. . . .

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The House of Quiet

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide comes a dark fantasy about a girl who will risk everything—posing as a maid, confronting powerful enemies, and unraveling deadly secrets—all to save her missing sister from the enigmatic House of Quiet.

“A brilliant, imaginative fantasy.” —Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Starlight

"A chilling, dystopic world enclosed in a locked-room mystery." —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights 

To save her sister, she must enter the House.

In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It’s a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with—their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they’re healed or where they go afterward.

Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with.

Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can’t help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere.

In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what’s lurking beneath . . . you lose everything.

Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion.

If You Like K-Pop Demon Hunters

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Gorgeous Gruesome Faces

A cutthroat K-pop competition leads to a dark obsession in this twisty sapphic horror-romance. Perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting and Yellowjackets.

"A perfect blend of folk horror and dazzling showbiz that will grip you from page one." ―Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She is a Haunting

"The sweetest spot between horror and romance." ―Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights

You’ll love them to death . . .

Two years have passed since Sunny Lee lost her best friend Mina in a mysterious death. With their other BFF, Candie, the trio had been the hottest up-and-coming teen pop group, until it all suddenly ended. And Sunny can't help but wonder if Candie had something to do with it.

Now, Sunny is still seeking answers. When she discovers that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop, Sunny follows, hoping to uncover the reason why Mina died... and why she died so violently. Sunny and Candie's reunion is haunted by more than Mina's death as the old spark between them returns, even stronger than before. But there's no time for romance when the lines between nightmare and reality start to blur, leaving their competitors' bodies bizarrely maimed and mutilated. To survive, Sunny must expose the dark secrets surrounding Candie and the workshop's twisted promise for fame. 

Stitched with cutting commentary on the ugly side of stardom and impossible beauty standards, Linda Cheng’s mind-bending, feminist thriller will have readers screaming and swooning for more.

*Don't miss the chilling companion novel, Beautiful Brutal Bodies, coming Fall 2025*

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Dreamslinger

Amari and the Night Brothers meets Pokémon in this thrilling start to Graci Kim's brand-new fantasy series where dragons and phoenixes roam the skies of Seoul; meals magically appear based on your mood; and dreams literally come to life

Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a safe haven for children born with a genetic mutation that transports them to a powerfully magical realm while they sleep. But this magic can be unpredictable--even deadly. After all, it was only ten years ago when members of the Royal League of Dreamslingers caused the Great Outburst--a tragedy that killed hundreds of people, including Aria's mom. 

Since then, Aria's dad has become leading expert on Dreamslinger Welfare, which means Aria knows better than most what it takes to keep society safe from her, and others like her: separation, identification, and most importantly, power suppression.

So when the Kingdom of Royal Hanguk--home of the Dreamslinger League--announces the first Dreamslinger trials where teenage slingers from around the world are invited to compete for a chance to join the League and learn how to use their powers, Aria knows what she must do: join the trials and take down the League from the inside. 

But the Trials introduce Aria to a world of wonderous magic and friendship, a world where she finally feels like she belongs. And as dark secrets from the past are revealed--ones that make Aria question her very identity--she becomes even more determined to discover the truth for herself. She just has to survive the trials first.

Image for "The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon (Standard Edition)"

The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon (Standard Edition)

A New York Times and IndieBound bestseller!



From award-winning and bestselling author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin comes a gorgeously full-color illustrated story about a lion cub and a girl who must open a portal for the spirits, based on Chinese folklore.



Jin is a Stone Lion--one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time.



What isn't a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world.



But when Jin's perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him.



Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate...or risk losing everything.



Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin returns with another gorgeously illustrated adventure story about duty, love, and balance--expertly written in the vein of the Newbery Honor winner and modern classic Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Based on Chinese Folklore, this beautiful novel features ten full-page pieces of stunning full-color art, as well as intricate chapter header illustrations.

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Beasts of a Little Land

"A spectacular debut filled with great characters and heart." --Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE · FINALIST FOR THE BALCONES FICTION PRIZE · LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD

An epic story of love, war, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Korean independence movement, following the intertwined fates of a young girl sold to a courtesan school and the penniless son of a hunter

In 1917, deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In an instant, their fates are connected--and from this encounter unfolds a saga that spans half a century.

In the aftermath, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver's courtesan school, an act of desperation that will cement her place in the lowest social status. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, who scrapes together a living begging on the streets of Seoul, they form a deep friendship. As they come of age, JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, and Jade becomes a sought-after performer with a new romantic prospect of noble birth. Soon Jade must decide whether she will risk everything for the one who would do the same for her.

From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim's unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation's. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes.

A Recommended Read from: USA Today · The Washington Post · Entertainment Weekly · The Today Show · Real Simple · Good Morning America · Harper's Bazaar · Buzzfeed · Fortune · Vulture · Goodreads · Lit Hub · Book Riot · PopSugar · E! Online · Ms. Magazine · Chicago Review of Books · Bustle · The Oregonian · The Millions

Visit the Teen Room

Collage of three different angles of the teen room showing desks, chairs, and fireplace

The Tamarack District Library has a room that is set aside just for teens and tweens to hang out and socialize. A tv is set up for Wii and Nintendo Switch gaming (see front desk for games and controllers) as well as DVD’s. We also provide a selection of table and card games for young people to play on site. You will frequently find our afterschool programs here, as well. All of our Tween/Teen books are now found in the main section of the library for easy access for everyone.