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33 items

• Education Today - June 25, 2025 | KPFA

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  Listen to the show here!

• Parachute Kids

  Tang, Betty C.

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  Great for older elementary through middle school, but with themes and characters even older, so with appeal to some teens as well. Graphic novel featuring 3 siblings who come to California from Taiwan on a family vacation only to find that they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Outsider Kids

  Tang, Betty C.,

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  The second book featuring the Parachute Kids characters, with the addition of a cousin the same age as our protagonist (11) who suddenly joins their adultless home.

• Are You Afraid of the Dark?

  the Witch's Wings and Other Terrifying Tales

  Mejia, Tehlor Kay

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  Graphic novel series based on the 1990s Nickelodean show of the same name. A group of kids gather around a campfire to tell spooky stories, presented here with amazing art. A step up from the Goosebumps books in terms of scariness! The three…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Are You Afraid of the Dark?

  the Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales

  Brown, Roseanne A.,

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  The second in the Are You Afraid of the Dark? graphic novel series features 3 more creepy stories, this time based on folklore and legends from Ghana and penned by a Ghanaian American author.

• Shut Up, This Is Serious

  Ixta, Carolina,

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  Oakland author tells an Oakland story for teens, set in Fruitvale. Will appeal to middle and high schoolers interested in realistic fiction. Especially exciting to recognize local places in the story. The protagonist is hoping to find a boyfriend…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lunar New Year Love Story

  Yang, Gene Luen,

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  Another story set in Oakland, this time a graphic novel for teens (with appeal as young as 5th or 6th grade). Notable for being a long book that is an easy and delightful read with illustrations as integral to the storytelling as the words and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dropping Beats

  Lessore, Nathanael,

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  A great book for teens that are more reluctant or less skilled or confident readers. Notable for featuring a teenage male protagonist dealing with some serious issues without feeling like an "issues" book. It is also laugh-out-loud funny. Our main…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Chalice of the Gods

  Riordan, Rick

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  Demi-God Percy Jackson's enduring popularity continues with this new addition of a three-book arc featuring Percy in his senior year of high school (third book not yet published). Percy has grown up with his original audience, so while the books…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wrath of the Triple Goddess

  Riordan, Rick,

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  In the second of the Senior Year Adventures of Percy Jackson, Percy and ihs friends must pet-sit for Hecate's polecat and mastiff over Halloween week and it doesn't exactly go smoothly.

• The Lightning Thief

  Riordan, Rick

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  For those new to Percy Jackson, here is where it all began, 20 years ago, with a 12-year-old Percy discovering he is a Demi-God and being sent on a quest to find Zeus's master bolt. Great fun for middle grade readers. and a good family read-aloud!

• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

  a Novel

  Green, Hank

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  An adult book with huge teen appeal! 23-year-old April May goes viral when she vlogs her 3am discovery of a giant sculpture that has appeared suddenly. It turns out the sculptures, dubbed "Carls" because of her video, have appeared spontaneously…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Class Visits at Oakland Public Library

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  Interested in bringing your class to the library, or the library (a librarian) to your class? Find the form for that here!

• OPL's 2024 Teen Reading List

  View on bibliocommons.com

  Announcing our 2024 Teen Reading List picks! These are books from 2023 and the first half of 2024 that we recommend for teens and those that love to read teen books. Stop by any OPL branch to pick up a printed version of the list. Enjoy!

• Staff Recommendations

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  Explore other book lists put together by OPL staff!

• Book Me!

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  Get your own personalized list of recommendations from an OPL librarian!

• How to Raise a Reader

  Paul, Pamela,

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  Written by NY Times book review editors, this is such a delightful book for any adult who wants to support the reading habits of young people, especially those they live with! It covers every age from babies to teenagers and has a great focus on…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• NoveList K-8 Plus

  Your Guide to Reading

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  Need help finding good books to read? NoveList K-8 Plus helps kids and young teens do just that! Use your favorite books and authors to find new adventures! If you can't think of a book you've liked in the past, simply choose a topic of interest and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• NoveList Plus

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  NoveList gives book recommendations for favorite authors, titles and series. Search by title, plot, or writing style to find read-alikes. Find reading lists for popular genres and non-fiction, or browse reviews and discussion guides.

• TeachingBooks

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  An engaging collection of resources that brings books to life. TeachingBooks strives to enrich everyone's experience reading children's and young adult books.