Teens Archives - IndyPL Blog

Are you looking for reading recommendations for teens? We can help! Visit us in person or online to get great ideas for your next great read. For one-on-one help call or ask a Library staff member at any of our locations. You can also call, text, or email ask-a- librarian! Here are some more ideas to help you find what to read next.

Follow our staff’s most recently published book lists on the library catalog home page.
Don’t miss our If You Like… suggestions that cover all the favorite genres like science fiction, graphic novels, romance, and more.
Join us Sunday nights at 8:30 p.m. on Facebook for Currently Reading where book enthusiasts offer their suggestions.
Catch book recommendations and IndyPL program highlights from your own local librarians once a month on the Indy Now Morning Show with Ryan and Jillian on Fox59. The show airs at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. Browse our past appearances.
You can also get reading recommendations online from NovelList or Book Connections. Read book reviews, see “read alike” lists, browse starred reviews, and more.

Make a selection from one of the book lists below created by our staff of avid readers whose reading experiences and tastes cover about any interest you can think of!

Time Travel // Prehistoric Times Edition

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to come face to face with a dinosaur? Maybe your excitement would change depending on the dinosaur! These titles feature characters traveling to prehistoric eras — to a time before written historical records, anywhere from 2.5 million years ago to around 5,600 years ago. On the flip side, some of these titles feature creatures being transported from their distant time period to modern day, with many a shenanigan or two to be had.

Title - The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs

Title - The Dinosaur That Pooped the Past

Star Wars and Star Wars Adjacent Books for Teens!

May the fourth (the unofficial holiday celebrating the Star Wars movie franchise) is right around the corner and to celebrate we have curated a list of Star Wars and Star Wars adjacent books just for you! We hope you enjoy these books and may the force be with you.

Teen Snow White Retellings

New perspectives on familiar princess stories are always fun reads! Maybe the princess is actually from space or maybe the evil queen is actually the main character – there’s endless possibilities. Celebrate the release of Disney’s live-action Snow White with these literary retellings of the classic Grimm Brothers tale.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Editions

The hardcover Fullmetal Editions, include 5-7 chapters each instead of the 3-5 the original volumes did, causing there to be 18 volumes of the Fullmetal Editions compared to the original 27 volumes.

2024 in Fifteen Teen and Children’s Titles

Here are my top reads for 2024 that are in the Young Adult and Children’s collections at IndyPL. You’ll find spooky schools, polluted worlds, and bakeries full of light. Stories of being torn between two worlds, finding yourself amidst great change, and making your own way home. I hope you find something new to love.

Blushes and Butterflies

Experience heart-wrenching crushes, first loves, the drama of adolescent friendships, and plenty of innocent fluff with these romance and friendship focused manga, set in high school, for teens.

Title - The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn

Staff Picks 2024- Best of Teen

Enjoy this list of our favorite YA reads of 2024, which spans genres. Enjoy dark academia, fake dating, poetry, comic adventures, subverted fantasy tropes, heists, D&D, and more!

Don’t forget that this year, we’ve included our favorite selections from the back catalog, in the hopes you can get your hands on a book you’ll love right now.

A Bit of Funny With Your Fantasy – Youg Adult Picks

Whether it’s dark humor, whimsy, sarcasm, or banter, these young adult fantasy picks have a sense of humor.

Teen Books Featuring Podcasts

Podcasts keep getting more popular! According to statistics by Infinite Dial, almost half of Americans 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the last month. From True Crime to Politics to Entertainment to History, almost any topic is fair game for podcasting. It’s only natural that this popularity would affect the world of books too! These teen books feature podcasts. The main character is the podcaster or a podcast is produced by someone else and affects the main character in some crucial way.

Teen Fiction without Romance

Sometimes I find myself just wanting to read some dramatic, adventurous teen fiction… without the characters trying to get all in each other’s business all the time. Here are some titles for if you can relate to that sentiment.

100 Books Before Graduation

Read 100 books before graduating from high school and receive prizes as you work toward your goal. Prizes will be awarded after reading 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 books! Most importantly, students will expand their mind, vocabulary, critical thinking, and test scores! This program is for students in grades 7-12. Learn more about 100 Books Before Graduation and register.

Dungeon and Dragons Stories

This list is a look at some stories of dungeon divers, dungeon clubs, dungeon trainers and dungeons in general. Enjoy! See our full listing of Dugneon and Dragon upcoming programs.

Tags What We're Reading

If you enjoy board, card, and dice games, you are in luck! The Library has books, programs, and gaming recommendations for tabletop gamers of all ages – explore them all!

1. New York Times Crossword & Games

Did you know that your library card gives you free 24-hour access to the New York Times crossword puzzle and other games? You must first create a New York Times account if you don’t already have one.

Visit The New York Times: Crossword & Games..
Enter your library card barcode number and click “Get Code.”
Click “Redeem” to submit your randomly generated access code.
Since you need to have a New York Times online account to use the code, the next step prompts you to create an account (which is free) or to log in to your existing account.
You now have access to The New York Times for 24 hours. After the 24 hours are up redeem another code for another 24-hours of access. Enjoy!

2. Gaming Programs

Event: Block Party
Date & Time: Saturday, May 17, 10:00am
Location: Central Library
Description: Kids are invited to flex their creative muscles and building skills at our Block Party! Stop by the 2nd floor to create with LEGOs, blocks, and other kid-friendly building materials.
No Registration Required.

Event: Dungeons & Dragons at Southport
Date & Time: Saturday, May 17, 1:00pm
Location: Online
Description: First time players or experienced adventurers, join us to explore Dungeons and Dragons. Game materials and dice provided, just bring your imagination! Ages 12 and up.
Register Here

Event: Dungeons & Dragons at Southport
Date & Time: Saturday, May 17, 1:00pm
Location: Southport Branch
Description: First time players or experienced adventurers, join us to explore Dungeons and Dragons. Game materials and dice provided, just bring your imagination! Ages 12 and up.
Register Here

3. e-Books & Streaming

Browse a wide selection of e-books, downloadable audiobooks, and e-magazines about gaming from OverDrive. If you have never borrowed from OverDrive before both app directions and browser directions are available as well as a video tutorial and Overdrive Support.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

4. Reading Recommendations from IndyPL Staff

Click on a featured booklist to get gaming recommendations or see all our staff gaming lists.

5. Six Game Night Favorites from IndyPL Staff

Hoot Owl Hoot!

Recommended ages: 4+
Do you love Candyland? Or…are you tired of playing Candyland?! While Candyland is a classic which is available to play, you may also enjoy this colorful game. All players on one team work together to help baby owls return to their nest before the sun comes up.

Dr. Eureka

Recommended ages: 6+
This fast-paced puzzle game has players racing to pour colorful balls back-and-forth between plastic test tubes to recreate specific patterns! If you can mix and match the contents of your test tubes the fastest, you can score points by winning cards!

Pentago

Recommended ages: 7+
Are you a master of tic-tac-toe? You are ready to level up to Pentago! In this two-player game, you compete to get five marbles in a row—with a twist! After placing a marble, you must rotate one quadrant of the game board ninety degrees. You can only win if you have five-in-a-row, after the twist!

Battle Sheep

Recommended ages: 7+
If you like a little strategy, a fun challenge can be had with Battle Sheep! In this game, you start with one stack of sheep in the pasture, and each turn you split a stack and slide some sheep to a new position. If you can spread your flock out across the pasture the most, you will be the winner!

Forbidden Island

Recommended ages: 8+
Work together to find clues, discover ancient treasures, and make it back to your team helicopter–all before the island sinks below the waves forever! With multiple ways to lose and only one way to win, it will take clever teamwork and a little luck to succeed at this mission!

Ascension

Recommended ages: 10+
In many card games, everyone shares the same deck of cards. In Ascension, each player has their own small deck. By playing your starting cards carefully, you can add powerful new cards to your deck that you shuffle in and play on later turns! This fun game has a light fantasy theme, but your real goal will quickly become to collect as many of the shiny red gems as possible!

These game recommendations were contributed by Christopher Brozo, a Youth Multimedia Learning Specialist in the Learning Curve at Central Library. He loves tabletop games of all kinds, especially strategy and cooperative games! He co-hosts Family Game Night at Central, a weekly program for kids, families, and friends. Do you have a favorite game? Be sure to tell the guy who is wearing a black Learning Curve lab coat and practicing yo-yo tricks.

Need help?

Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Tags Gaming