Am I mistaken, or was Earth Day even a thing back when I was a kid?  I kind of think not.  I guess I was a kid a really long time ago though I did a little checking on it, and it turns out that it was first celebrated in San Francisco (named after St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology) on March 21^st, 1970. It is now celebrated in over 175 countries around the world, with the intention of increasing awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment and resources. I give a big thumbs up for anything that gives our younger generation an opportunity to think about what the Earth has to offer, and how to make it last for generations yet-to-come. So in the spirit of Earth Day this week, StorySnoops has created a list of books for teens and tweens that have environmental themes or environmentally conscious characters—just a little something to reinforce what they’ll be hearing about in school this week. Enjoy!

-Eden, StorySnoop

Most likely, you’re already aware that October is National Bullying Prevention Month.  This is an important annual event that helps raise awareness of bullying prevention across the country.  The event was created by PACER in 2006 to encourage people to take an active role in the bullying prevention movement.

Simlilarly, on October 19th, millions of people wore purple for Spirit Day to speak out against bullying and show support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths. Spirit Day was started in 2010 to promote tolerance after LGBT youths took their own lives.

Those who are targets of bullying and intolerant behavior can truly suffer, and sometimes it can be difficult for a child or teen to vocalize their experiences and feelings. We have compiled a list of books in the hope that the right book in the right hands may spark a conversation or help a reader feel like they are not alone. The first group of books have strong anti-bullying messages and the second group feature LGBT characters and messages about acceptance. Click on the book covers to get the full scoop. And let us know if we should add any other books to these important lists. We’d love to hear from you!

Anti-bullying Books

LGBT Books:

‘Tis the season for all things spooky! If you or your teen wants to celebrate October with a great read that has a little something to do with the supernatural, look no further. We have a set of books today that aren’t necessarily Halloween-themed, but they do have everything to do with ghosts and spirits and the paranormal. And there may even be a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. These may be just what you need to curl up with on a chilly fall evening. Just so long as you aren’t afraid of things that go bump in the night!

Enjoy!

-Eden, StorySnoop

As I sit and watch my teenaged daughter working hard at doing her homework every night, it occurs to me that she is a smart girl. I’m proud of her, as I’m sure you are of the smart girls you have in your house, or elsewhere in your life. The way the social culture works these days, it’s unfortunately not the first quality that most girls will say they want to have though. One not-so-subtle way that I know of to show my daughter how much I value this quality (because God forbid, if I just come right out and say it, I’m SO uncool) is to suggest books to her that feature smart girls. I love a main character who wins by using her brain. I hope you do too!

Enjoy!

-Eden, StorySnoop

When we ran our blog about the Top Ten Most Popular Books in the Library for Middle School and Teens a few years back, it was one of our most popular blogs of all time. We’ve recently checked back in with some of our favorite children’s and teen’s librarians to see what it is flying off the bookshelves across America. Today, let’s start with the the Top Ten Most Popular Books in the Library for Teens, shall we?

Jennifer Laredo, Young Adult Librarian

To see what the teens are reading these days, we love checking in with our own beloved local teen librarian, Jennifer Laredo. Jennifer works in the newly remodeled big and beautiful Los Gatos Public Library, a place we Snoops frequent quite a bit. Here is what Jennifer says are the top teen books from the last six months:

1.       The Hunger Games –  Suzanne Collins

2.       Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins

3.       Mockingjay – Suzane Collins

4.       Matched – Ally Condie

5.       Divergent – Veronica Roth

6.       The Maze Runner – James Dashner

7.       The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

8.       Crossed – Ally Condie

9.       The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

10.     I Am Number Four – Pittacus Lore

Jennifer and I are delighted to see The Fault in our Stars on this list. In our opinion, it was the best book from 2012. I also am thrilled to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower on there, too. I wonder if the movie trailers are getting people interested in reading it? Whatever the reason, I am very happy that this book is getting some of the attention it has long deserved.

Tune in next Tuesday when we bring the Top Ten lists of two middle school librarians.

-Shannon, StorySnoop

We’ve said it before and we will say it again: at StorySnoops, one of the things we love about books is that they teach empathy.  And one thing that every kid feels at one time or another is that he or she doesn’t fit in.

In our book selection below, the characters in these books REALLY don’t fit in. It is not always easy to be different, especially when you are a child. However, the super characters in these books come to learn that it is their own distinctive qualities that eventually make them special – and eventually maybe even cool with the “in” crowd.

Enjoy!

–Shannon, StorySnoop

As we mentioned earlier this week, we’ve been working hard here at StorySnoops, reading everything we can get our hands on, so that we can bring you our favorite books that we think are must-haves for the classroom this year. Tuesday we published our lists of books that would be great for book reports for elementary, middle and high school students, and today we bring you some good choices for outside reading–maybe a bit lighter, or more enticing for a reluctant reader–in other words, something to make it easy to fill up that nightly reading log!

Great Outside Reading for Elementary Students:

See the complete list here.

Great outside reading for middle schoolers:

See the complete list here.

Great outside reading for teens:

See the complete list here.

There are so many great titles in the “Outside Reading” category, that it was next to impossible to pick just four books to show here, so be sure to check out the complete lists, and do let us know what we may have missed! As ever, happy reading!

–The Snoops

When it comes to special requests that we get here at StorySnoops, “books for boys” is without a doubt at the top of the list. The most common request is for reluctant younger readers, but coming in a close second is that infinitely hard-to-pin-down creature–the high school boy. Today, we’re featuring the Snoops’ favorite reads for high school boys who have a preference for realistic fiction. If you have a high schooler who’d rather pick up Sci Fi, Mystery or Dystopian fiction, by all means, let us know. We love nothing better than giving out our collective opinion on good books!

Check these out, and we promise you’ll find a great read for your teen.

Enjoy!

-Eden, StorySnoop

Am I mistaken, or was Earth Day even a thing back when I was a kid?  I kind of think not.  I guess I was a kid a really long time ago though I did a little checking on it, and it turns out that it was first celebrated in San Francisco (named after St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology) on March 21^st, 1970. It is now celebrated in over 175 countries around the world, with the intention of increasing awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment and resources. I give a big thumbs up for anything that gives our younger generation an opportunity to think about what the Earth has to offer, and how to make it last for generations yet-to-come. So in the spirit of Earth Day on April 22, StorySnoops has created a list of books for teens and tweens that have environmental themes or environmentally conscious characters—just a little something to reinforce what they’ll be hearing about in school this week. Enjoy!

-Eden, StorySnoop

Vampires may have lost some momentum in the world of young adult literature, but one element of the Twilight saga legacy carries on in the form of the love triangle.  Why is a love triangle so compelling?  Perhaps it’s because the reader can’t help choosing sides and becomes more invested in the story as a result.  Or maybe it’s the tension and suspense created as the protagonist contemplates the relative merits of her options.  It’s probably a little bit of both.  So if you have a soft spot for the ever-so-frustrating love triangle, here are a few more to try.

–Enjoy!

-Jen, StorySnoop