In honor of the United State’s twentieth-anniversary publishing of Harry Potter, I will be sharing a book list once a month to highlight books tweens should read based on their Harry Potter House. In April I highlighted books every Slytherin should read and in July I highlighted books every Gryffindor should read. This month I am highlighting books every Ravenclaw should read. Ravenclaws are often categorized as the smartest house, but this doesn’t mean that people in other houses are less intelligent. Like all houses, there are a diverse group of people that make up the house. Perhaps the most distinguishing quality of Ravenclaw is their love of learning. This often makes Ravenclaws possess intelligence, creativity, individuality, and wit. When it comes to reading, they often want to be challenged and learn something new. This results in Ravenclaws reading a wide range of literature. They especially love mystery or puzzle…
Category: Blogger Pamela Groseclose
A Hogwarts Reading List : Gryffindor
In honor of the United State’s twentieth-anniversary publishing of Harry Potter, I will be sharing a book list once a month to highlight books tweens should read based on their Harry Potter House. In April, I highlighted books every Slytherin should read and this month I will be highlighting books every Gryffindor should read. Gryffindor Reading List Unlike Slytherin, Gryffindors have always had a great reputation. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are all in this house. Need I say more? Gryffindors are known to be courageous, honest, and brave. They are daring and tend to root for the underdog who bravely does what they need to do. People in this house tend to enjoy reading books with characters who have the same qualities and usually enjoy plot-driven page-turners that center around the hero’s tale or survival stories. They tend to gravitate toward books that are a series so they can watch…
A Hogwarts Reading List : Slytherin
For the past few days, I feel like I have gotten asked when my library’s summer reading program will begin nonstop. I know that summer is on all of our patron’s minds, but I have found myself knee deep in outreach visits, program prep, and preparing the department with new displays and passive programs. One passive program and display I am particularly excited about is a Harry Potter display to celebrate the United State’s twentieth-anniversary publishing of Harry Potter. As I poured over Pinterest and blogs for ideas, I was excited to find an adult reading list that Harry Potter fans should read based on their house. Then I started to wonder, why isn’t there a list for tweens and teens? So in honor of the twentieth anniversary, I will be sharing a list once a month to highlight books tweens should read based on their Harry Potter House. First…
Tween Books that Touch on Anxiety
While working the reference desk one evening a mom approached me and asked for middle-grade books with characters who struggle with anxiety. She explained that her daughter has all of sudden has been exhibiting anxiety doing routine activities such as traveling in a car.The patron wanted a book with a character who was going through something similar. Before I even got a chance to begin my search, two other parents standing nearby said, “I need that too!” In a world of uncertainty, sometimes we just need to know that we are not alone with our fears. This is especially true for tweens who are already in a scary time of transition. Librarians can help by providing families with resources and books to encourage them to discuss the feeling of anxiety and how to deal with it. If needed, librarians can also provide resources to refer families to get additional help….
How Can Libraries Connect with Tweens?
How do you build connections with tweens that motivates them to come to programming? Recently, my library started a monthly tween program. Every month, we highlight a program that the tweens request. We collaborate with them to offer programs like Percy Jackson book club, a Descendants sing along, and animal STEAM events. These programs are targeted and planned by their peers, but attendance is low. This year, I have been on a mission to up attendance and help my library’s tweens transition into our teen programs and events. I’ve tried fliers, outreach, and word of mouth. These things did help, but the biggest thing I have found that helps the most is to build relationships with tweens through reference interviews. Reader’s advisory is key. Not everyone that comes into our branches knows about our programs, but they usually come to the library for books. As a librarian this is…
Creating Relevant Programs with Tween Interests
On Tuesdays, I get to spend time with my regular teens. As I walked over to the teen department, I stumbled into an interesting discussion. In the midst of homework and computer games, my teens discussed the library. One mentioned that she started to come to the library regularly when she was a tween. She appreciated that the library had a variety of materials for her to checkout. Another teen talked about how awesome the programming was and how much she appreciated the staff. One of our newest teens surprised me the most. She just moved to my library from out of state and shared her own experience. After she agreed with the previous comments, she shared that her previous library only offered duct tape crafts, book discussions, and anime nights for teens. She felt like the programs were okay, but the library wasn’t in tune with her and peer’s needs….
What Do Tween Library Users Want?
Have you ever had a moment where a patron recognizes you, but you can’t identify who they are? One day while I was walking between library departments, a young teen called out my name and stopped me in my tracks. She started asking me personal questions. I politely answered her, but I couldn’t figure out how this teen knew so much about me.
Falling for the Season : Fall Books and Programs for Tweens
For months, my library’s regular tweens have been talking about Halloween costumes, sports games, and a countdown till holiday break. While we talked about these things, it always felt so far away. It wasn’t until I was walking my family’s dog that the fall season came alive for me. Even though it was nearly 80 degrees, I looked up and saw that the trees had changed colors. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and it is a great reminder that we should appreciate change and transition. When it comes to tweens, this is especially true. Much like the season, they are in transition too. To help tweens deal with this transition, it can be helpful to celebrate what they are excited about with them. This helps them feel grounded and supported. Since my tweens were excited about fall, I needed to quickly come up with some fall programs.