Young Adult

For ages 12 and up

Inventions

Inventions Create, innovate, design something new–that’s what invention is all about. Invention’s foundation is imagination, coupled with resourcefulness and persistence. While an invention is typically a device, method, or process, one could argue authors also invent. The books on this list explore all types of inventive people and ideas. Web links to additional information and […]

Women’s History

Women’s History What started as a weeklong celebration in a California School District in 1978 became National Women’s History Month by a Congressional resolution in 1987. Today there are a multitude of activities and celebrations to highlight the ways women have overcome trials and shaped our world. We’ve chosen some insightful, and immensely readable, fiction […]

Passover

Passover Passover celebrates the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt over 3200 years ago. It begins in March or April, on the 15th day of the Hebrew month, Nisan. Marked by synagogue services and the Seder feast celebrated at home, the story of the Passover, read from the Haggadah, is interspersed with […]

Christmas

Celebrate Christmas, a holiday that is now religious, cultural, and commercial, the history of Christmas celebrations is fascinating. If you were in the Middle Ages you might mistake Christmas for Mardi Gras as celebrations were boisterous and unruly. If you lived in Boston during the mid-1600s you would not have celebrated at all—the holiday was […]

Folk Tales

Folk Tales The term folklore generally refers to traditional beliefs, myths, legends, and tall tales. Folklore from North America has a long and proud history. Native American folk tales and myths are as numerous and diverse as they many tribes they originate from. Often they explain natural phenomena or the relationship between people and the […]

Veterans Day

On November 11, 1918 an armistice between Allied Forces and Germany was signed, ending World War I after four years of fighting. The armistice ended hostilities at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The following year U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issued the first Armistice Day proclamation: To us […]

Halloween

It is hard to imagine Halloween without activities like trick-or-treating or carving pumpkins but did you know Jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland and Scotland and were made out of turnips? Doesn’t sound quite as fun. Today for young children, Halloween typically means costumes, parades, class parties, and walking around their neighborhoods trick-or-treating. But Halloween-or All Hallows […]

Teen Read Week

Look out! YALSA is daring teens to read for the fun of it! October 14th – 20th is Teen Read Week. We hope the list below helps you plan your Teen Read Week celebrations. The books highlighted below feature strong characters, thrilling adventures, humor, plenty of heart, and several perfect for the spooky “it came […]

Back to School

Heading back to school, or going for the first time, can bring a range of emotions in children and teens. We have broken up the titles in this feature into three age groups: 4 to 8, for the littlest students; 8 to 12, for late elementary and middle school; and older students, ages […]

Ramadan

The Muslim period of prayer, fasting, and charity, known as Ramadan, began on July 20th, 2012 and continues until the evening of August 19th. The Islamic Holy Month, this holiday is celebrated around the world by an estimated 1 billion Muslims. The Islamic Lunar calendar decides what dates on which the month-long Ramadan […]

The Beach

A beach is found along the shoreline of a body of water. Most often, we think of beaches along an ocean or lake. The land material is often composed of tiny loose rocks known as sand, or larger pebbles and rocks. The waves and currents deposit and transform the sand and sediment, shaping the beach. […]

Summer Fun

When I think of summer my mind immediately thinks of long, hot, sunny days. I hear cicadas chirping, I picture barbeques, swimming pools, fireflies, and ice cream, and I imagine being outside as much as possible. For many students, summer is also the promise of more freedom. Having more free time than during the school […]

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