News & Updates
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Looking for new audiobooks? Here's Hoopla!
Do you Hoopla? If not, it's the perfect time to start! Late last year, all of our digital audiobooks made the move from Libby to Hoopla. Now, in addition to your 10 monthly instant borrows, Bay County resident cardholders have access to Flex audiobook titles. In addition to the ...
Read More![Stand Alone Teen Reads](/sites/default/files/2024-04/Stand%20Alone%20Teen%20Reads%20Logo.png)
All By Myself...Stand Alone Teen Reads
In a world that is dominated by series, you may not be looking for that kind of commitment. Instead you may be looking for the satisfying feeling of reading a story with a set beginning, middle, and end, with no cliffhangers or set-ups for the book. Stand alone stories sometimes feel hidden in the t...
Read MoreUpcoming Events
**Please indicate grade in FALL when registering.
**Due to the high demand of this special collection/program it is available exclusively to Bay County resident cardholders.
Disclaimer(s)
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Bay County Residents Only
This high demand special collection/program is limited exclusively to Bay County resident cardholders only.
Please alert staff to any food allergies.
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Meet Up, Eat Up, and READ Up at your library! Kids and teens ages 0-18 can enjoy a free lunch on the lawn along with a free book!
*Please indicate grade in the fall when registering.
*Due to the high demand of this program, please only register at one BCLS location – thank you!
Disclaimer(s)
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Participant must be in grades sixth through twelfth (6-12) to register for this program
Due to the high demand of this program, please only register at one BCLS location – thank you!
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Meet Up, Eat Up, and READ Up at your library! Kids and teens ages 0-18 can enjoy a free lunch on the lawn along with a free book!
Disclaimer(s)
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Children ages 12 and under with their families!
Join us at the Sage Branch Library on Wednesday, July 17 @ 12:30 pm for Rock Painting!
Disclaimer(s)
Please register each person individually, including adults.
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Bring your knitting and crochet projects and join us while we work on our projects. Other handwork is welcomed.
Meet Up, Eat Up, and READ Up at your library! Kids and teens ages 0-18 can enjoy a free lunch on the lawn along with a free book!
*Please register using the name of the teen that will be participating.
*Please indicate grade in the fall when registering.
Disclaimer(s)
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Participant must be in grades sixth through twelfth (6-12) to register for this program
Please alert staff to any food allergies.
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
New Teen Reads
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The Unfinished
In her stunning debut, Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk) pulls the reader into an unsettling tale of monsters, mystery, and secrets that refuse to stay submerged.
When small-town athlete Avery's morning run leads her to a strange pond in the middle of the forest, she awakens a horror the townspeople of Crook's Falls have long forgotten.
The black water has been waiting. Watching. Hungry for the souls it needs to survive.
Avery can smell the water, see it flooding everywhere; she thinks she's losing her mind. And as the black water haunts Avery--taking a new form each time--people in town begin to go missing.
Though Avery had heard whispers of monsters from her Kanien'kéha: ka (Mohawk) relatives, she has never really connected to her Indigenous culture or understood the stories. But the Elders she has distanced herself from now may have the answers she needs.
When Key, her best friend and longtime crush, is the next to disappear, Avery is faced with a choice: listen to the Kanien'kéha: ka and save the town but lose her friend forever...or listen to her heart and risk everything to get Key back.
An unmissable horror novel for readers who devoured Trang Thanh Tran's She Is a Haunting or Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls!
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One Last Chance to Live
What would you do if you had one last summer to live?
Nico has always believed in his dreams. Especially the dream he has of becoming a writer; it's the reason why he started taking a creative writing class his senior year of high school. But then Nico has a dream about his own funeral. A dream that feels too real to ignore.
In it, Rosario is beckoning to him. Rosario was Nico's neighbor, his best friend's girlfriend, and his inspiration. She was also the girl that Nico was in love with. And Rosario died last year.
Nico becomes obsessed with figuring out what Rosario was trying to say to him, and how she died. Surely if he can make sense of her death, he can find a way to prevent his own?
But at the same time, Nico's mom is sick, and his brother is falling down a bad path with a local gang. Nico knows it's on him to step up and take care of his family -- but how can he keep it together when, like Rosario, he sees how easy it might be to just let go of it all.
This searingly beautiful and hopeful novel is about the search for a life of meaning and creativity, while also accepting the flawed life that we're given. It's a love story between a teen boy and the girl who still haunts his dreams.
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Where Wolves Don't Die
Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty, polluted snow around them. He hates being away from the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation. And he hates the local bully in his neighborhood, Matt Schroeder, who terrorizes Ezra and his friend Nora George.
Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt''s house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won''t get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra''s family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But the Schroeders are looking for him...
From acclaimed author Anton Treuer comes a novel that''s both taut thriller and a raw, tender coming-of-age story, about one Ojibwe boy learning to love himself through the love of his family around him.
P R A I S E
"Where Wolves Don''t Die will lift you up and not let you down. Anton Treuer knows how to tell a gripping story and the suspense doesn''t let up for a single page. Along the way you''ll learn about Ojibwe lifeways, languages, sharp jokes, gentle humor, and how to keep romantic love alive from youth to old age. I couldn''t put this book down until I''d finished it, and then, I could not forget it."
--Louise Erdrich, Pulitzer Prize Winner and owner of Birchbark Books
"I am in awe, crying and smiling at the same time. Where Wolves Don''t Die is a love letter to our Ancestors. This beautiful story is full of cultural teachings and characters so familiar that I''m pretty sure we''re related."
--Angeline Boulley, #1 NYT bestselling author of Firekeeper''s Daughter
"It is quite likely that I will never stop reading Where Wolves Don''t Die. First of all, it''s an excellent piece of writing, and second of all, each time that I would read through one section I would want to go back and read that section or another one over again. I enjoyed the writing so much because the author''s thoughts reflected mine in terms of what I knew my life to be and what I had hoped could have been. I think it is one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read."
--The Hon. Senator Murray Sinclair, Chair of Canada''s Truth and Reconciliation Commission
"A nuanced adventure centering family and growth."
--Kirkus
"Where Wolves Don''t Die gives voice to all of us who survived residential boarding school, visibility to all of us who love and live our language and culture, and hope to all good humans who quest for healing, connection, and love. Everyone should read this."
--Dennis Jones, Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation Elder and Retired Instructor of Ojibwe, University of Minnesota and residential school survivor
"Where Wolves Don''t Die will immerse you in the northern wilderness more completely than Hatchet, rivet you to a storyline faster than a Harry Potter book, and transport you into Indigenous culture more authentically and compellingly than anything in print. This is the best book I have ever read."
--Charles Grolla, author of Binesi-dibaajimowinan: Ojibwe Bird Stories and Makazinataagewin: Ojibwe Style Moccasin Game
"I have never read a book that so authentically portrayed the yearning we all feel for our culture, ancestors, families, and communities. Where Wolves Don''t Die had me laughing out loud, staying up late to absorb one chapter after another, and crying buckets of unrestrained joy. It left me proud to be Indian and so happy to be alive."
--Chrissy Downwind, Vice President of American Indian Student Success & Campus Diversity Officer, American Indian Resource Center, Bemidji State University -
Of Princes and Poisons
Once there were ten.
Ten goddess-touched girls were born. Each was blessed—or cursed—with a unique power that set them apart. As part of an ancient ritual called the Culling, they were supposed to fight to the death in the arena until only one survived. That girl would marry the prince and ascend to the throne. Now only four girls remain.
Power in her blood.
Monroe Benson is one of the lucky ones. With fire at her fingertips, she survived the arena and the intrigues of the palace. Now she’s turned her back on her destiny, choosing to throw in her lot with the rebellion seeking to overturn the Erydian rulers. Monroe has never wanted the throne. She knows that her future lies elsewhere, but first she’ll have to convince the rebels to believe her.
A traitorous heart.
Monroe thought Cohen was one of the few good things about the Culling. She believed that he would have made a good ruler, but that doesn’t mean that she wanted to sit beside him on the throne. And now, she finds herself drawn to a rebel leader. A man with secrets of his own. In the end, Monroe will have to trust in more than her power or even her heart if she’s to forge her own path and find her freedom. -
Everything Glittered
Society girls try to find a murderer in a city filled with secrets and stunted by shame, in this queer historical thriller by award-winning author Robin Talley, perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club.
It's 1927 and the strict laws of prohibition have done little to temper the roaring 20s nightlife, even in the nation's capitol. Everyone knows the booze has never stopped flowing, especially amongst the rich and powerful, and seventeen-year-old Gertrude and her best friends Clara and Milly are determined to get a taste of freedom and liquor, propriety be damned.
But after sneaking out of the Washington Female Seminary to visit a speakeasy, they return to discover that their controversial young headmistress, Mrs. Rose, has been murdered.
Reeling from the death of her beloved mentor, Gertrude enlists her friends in her quest to clear Mrs. Rose's reputation, while trying to keep her own intact. But in Prohibition Washington, it's difficult to sidestep grifters, bootleggers, and shady federal agents when investigating a murder. And with all the secrets being uncovered, Gertrude is finding it harder and harder to keep her attraction to her best friends hidden.
A proper, upscale life is all Gertrude has ever known, but murder sure makes a gal wonder: is all that glitters really gold? -
The Heart of the World
Magic and sacrifice will collide as lovers and gods, enemies and allies vie for the fate of the world in this heart-pounding sequel to THE ISLES OF THE GODS, which Stephanie Garber called "deliciously diabolical and full of heart."
When Selly and Leander began their treacherous voyage to the Isles of the Gods, the captain’s daughter and the playboy prince were strangers. But amid talk of war and a deadly attack on their ship, the unthinkable happened.
They fell in love.
Leander’s ritual at the island temple was meant to prevent a war between the gods. Instead, it nearly cost him his life, and drew the goddess Barrica back from exile. Now, as her Messenger, Leander is imbued with her deadly magic, and only Selly’s presence can stop it from consuming him.
But Barrica wasn’t the only immortal roused from sleep. The God of Risk, Macean, was awakened by an enemy all thought dead, and across the sea he’s calling for war.
The fight to save their world will take Selly and Leander from the gilded ballroom of the royal palace to the hallowed halls of an ancient library. Battle lines will be drawn, and bonds will break.
With the wrath of gods and the machinations of power-hungry rulers straining their loyalties, can their love withstand the trials that await them? -
Zombie Apocalypse Running Club
When twins Eira and Soren escape from their survivalist home into a world overcome by zombies, there's only one way to stay alive: run!
Eira and Soren are queer twins living with their survivalist parents when a plague starts spreading that turns people into zombie-like monsters. They disagree with their parents about a lot, but they can't deny that their way of life keeps them safe while much of the world perishes--for now. When it becomes clear that their safety won't last, the twins decide to strike out on their own.
They don't get far before encountering the one remaining person in the closest town: their friend Racer, a gold medal-winning Special Olympics champion. Racer is appalled at the twins’ slow speed and tells them that their survivalist skills aren't worth anything if they can't outrun the monsters. He sets them on a training regimen that comes in handy when they embark on the bigger journey ahead of them.
On their trek they find friends, enemies, and even love. But with zombies on their heels at every turn, will they ever be able to slow down? -
Flash Flood
When a flash flood leaves Zack and his younger foster brother stranded at home, it's up to Zack to make sure they survive.
Seventeen-year-old Zack has been living with his foster parents, the Tates, for three years. He used to be an angry mess with a broken heart, but with their love and support he's doing better now--and managing his ADHD. His foster brother, troubled fourteen-year-old Peter, arrived three months ago. Struggling with ADHD and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, Peter reminds Zach of himself before the Tates took him in.
During a massive rainstorm, Peter runs away. While the Tates are out searching for him, the town announces a mandatory emergency evacuation. The river is flooding! Peter finally shows up and Zack takes charge, gathering supplies and trying to make sure Peter is okay. As the water rises, Zack and Peter have to figure out whether to sit tight and wait or try to escape...before they get washed away.
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House of Roots and Ruin
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.
In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.
Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.
When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.
Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.
But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet facade. . . . -
Ready Or Not
An anxious teen hopes that a summer of adventure and offbeat dares will keep her friend group together after graduation in this luminous coming-of-age graphic novel with the feel-good vibes of Booksmart and Morgan Matson’s Since You’ve Been Gone.
With senior year finally behind them, Cassie and her three best friends are on their way to what’s next. Like their parents, the crew has always been inseparable: there’s Marcy, the artist, for whom style is self-expression and sarcasm is a love language; Aaron, the future lawyer, whose good humor balances out his competitive streak; Nico, the musician, whose flirtatiousness, obliviousness, and recent interest in a rising senior are becoming increasingly unbearable to Cassie; and of course, Cassie herself, the only one who doesn’t have her future all figured out.
This summer is their last chance to make memories together in New York City before everyone but Cassie scatters across the globe for college—and she’s determined to make the most of it. Her plan? They’ll spend August playing the game of dares and risks they invented as kids! From adventurous to outrageous, these dares will definitely make for an unforgettable summer. Even better, Cassie is hopeful they’ll help the group stay friends no matter what…because she is not ready for a future without them. -
Our Shouts Echo
From the author of There Goes the Neighborhood, winner of the 2024 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award, comes an unforgettably powerful coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old LA transplant whose plans to build a doomsday shelter in her backyard collide with an unexpected summer romance.
Survival Tip #1: The world is going to shit. Whatever you do, don't fall in love.
Sixteen-year old Niarah Holloway's only goal in life is to get through it unnoticed. That, and to spend her first summer in LA building a doomsday bunker in her backyard. Because if the past few years have taught Niarah anything, it's that the ocean levels are rising, minimum wage is a scam, and the people who are supposed to protect you will hurt you. Now the only thing that helps Niarah stay afloat amidst the constant waves of anxiety and dread that threaten to drag her under is her new mantra: Be prepared.
But Niarah wasn't prepared for Mac Torres. Not for his disarmingly cute face, or for his surfer lifestyle, or for the way his smile resuscitates her heart. Mac is a bomb that blows Niarah's world to pieces, but instead of disaster, he fills it with sunset bonfires, breakfast burritos, and new friends.
For years, Niarah's life has revolved around ignoring the demons of her past, avoiding the problems of her present, and preparing for the catastrophes of the future. Now Mac--with his sunshine laugh and infectious optimism-- is determined to show her another way to be. But in a world where the worst feels inevitable, can one summer be enough to light the way to a hopeful future? Can one summer be enough to fall in love? -
One House Left
R.L. Stine meets Urban Legend in the next twisty horror novel by New York Times bestselling author Vincent Ralph.
“Ready or not. Whatever you do. The Hiding Boy is coming for you.”
Sixteen-year-old Nate Campbell grew up in the shadow of Murder Road – a street cursed by the vengeful spirit of the Hiding Boy.
Every few years, for nearly six decades, a different house on that street has been the scene of a tragedy.
Nate and his family move to a new town as they try to outrun the curse once and for all. But, when he is pulled into his new friends’ urban legend club, new ghost stories merge with old until there is nowhere left to run. -
Mysterious Ways
From acclaimed author Wendy Wunder comes a sharp and hilarious coming-of-age novel for fans of John Green and Nicola Yoon about an omniscient teenage girl who must grapple with whether there’s such a thing as knowing too much...
Seventeen-year-old Maya knows everything. When she looks at someone, she instantly knows their history, their private thoughts, their secret desires, their most tragic failures. Combine these private miseries with the general state of the world, and it's easy to see why Maya's power starts to get her down...
Which is why she was sent to the Whispering Pines Psychiatric Facility, and also why starting at a new school is going to be such a challenge. Now, faced with Tyler, a cute guy she actually wants to know everything about, Maya realizes that maybe her power isn't so horrible after all. Maybe she can use it for good. Maybe she can even get the guy. Or maybe there really is such a thing as knowing too much. -
House of Thorns
In the vein of The Haunting of Hill House, a teen returns to the mysterious house from her past to search for her missing sister and uncover the truth of Brier Hall in this atmospheric and eerie modern gothic novel.
Lia Peartree is haunted—by memories, by her past, by secrets, by the ones she left behind. Five years ago, the Peartrees fled their home—the infamous ancestral Brier Hall—and never looked back. But her oldest sister went missing that night, and there’s been no sign of her since.
In the aftermath, the Peartrees are traumatized and get by however they can. Lia’s remaining sister Ali says yes to any bad idea, and Lia tries so desperately to be the perfect daughter that it’s tearing her apart. But as the five year anniversary of the night they left nears, Lia begins seeing her missing sister everywhere, and memories of Brier Hall won’t leave her alone.
When Ali disappears with no warning except a cryptic phone call—“don’t follow me when I’m gone”—Lia is sure she’s gone back to Brier Hall. Lia must go home one final time and face what haunts her in an effort to find her sisters and uncover the truth of her past. -
Six of Sorrow
Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day—and now, on their birthday, one of them is missing. From the author of Starlings comes a story about small-towns, friendships, and the terrifying things your parents don't tell you, that's perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.
For most of her life, Isabeau and her five best friends were inseparable—amazingly enough, the six girls even shared a birthday. Then a rift caused their friendships to fracture, and Iz lost everyone except Reuel, the only one who didn’t abandon her.
Until now. The night of their sixteenth birthday, Isabeau leaves Reuel sitting on her front porch and heads home—and in the morning, Reuel is missing. She’s gone for two days, and when she reappears, there’s something wrong with her. She’s sick. Really sick. And she doesn’t remember anything that happened while she was gone.
If there’s any bright side to the situation, it’s that Reuel’s peculiar disappearance brings the six girls back together. Their sisterhood feels as strong as it was years ago, but when another one of them disappears, they all agree that they must have more in common than simply their birthday. They all feel it. Something’s been waiting for them, and that something has come to claim them one by one.
Deep in their bones, they know—it’s just a matter of time until they they’re all taken. And if they don’t save themselves, no one will.