MPL Teens

Announcements

MPL TEEN READING RECS: Muted, by Tami Charles

You could get a free copy of this week’s recommended book! Send an email to gracie.marsden@marshallpl.org with a teen book recommendation, a short summary, and a list of categories from the 2025 MPL teen reading challenge that your book could meet!

You can find the Teen reading challenge log & categories here: https://marshallpl.org/50-50-book-quest/

February Teen Night Registration open now

Teen Creative Writing Workshop: Susan Goslee

Mark your calendars!

New Teen Club: Pokemon TCG Club (open to ages 10-18)

New monthly teen club starting January: MAGIC, THE GATHERING

Teen Events & Clubs

January Teen Events Newsletter

Teen Night

Monthly, Marshall Public Library
Join us for Teen Night, where each month brings a new and exciting activity just for you! Whether it’s movie nights, creative crafting sessions, or hands-on STEM projects, there’s always something fun to do and new friends to meet. It’s the perfect way to unwind, get creative, and enjoy a night out with your peers. Come see what’s in store this month!

February Teen Night: DIY PHONE CHARM

Registration required. Register here: https://forms.gle/M6CHYdhHDktRNmrM7

Teen Yarn Club

Monthly, Marshall Public Library Exploration Room
Join us for our monthly Yarn Club, where you can come knit or crochet in a fun and supportive environment. Whether you’re a seasoned yarn enthusiast or a complete beginner, this club is perfect for everyone. Supplies are provided, so you only need to bring your creativity and enthusiasm. It’s a great opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends, and create something beautiful with your hands. So, grab your yarn and needles, and join us for a cozy and creative time at Yarn Club!

Teen Creative Writing Club

Every Thursday from 5-6 pm, Marshall Public Library Exploration Room

Get ready to unleash your imagination at our Creative Writing Club for an adventure in storytelling. In our first session of the month, dive deep into an intensive writing lesson where we’ll explore specific writing skills, from the intricacies of worldbuilding to crafting suspenseful narratives. It’s your chance to sharpen your writing prowess and add new tools to your literary toolbox. In the other sessions, it’s all about you! Bring your original pieces to share with the group for constructive feedback and encouragement. Whether you’re a budding novelist, poet, or short story enthusiast, our club offers a supportive space for honing your craft and connecting with fellow writers. Please email workshop pieces to gracie.marsden@marshallpl.org.

Teen Dungeons & Dragons Club

April 21; July 29; November 3

Join our D&D Club for Teens, where imagination meets adventure! Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, come together with fellow adventurers to explore epic worlds, craft unique characters, and embark on thrilling quests. This club is all about creativity, teamwork, and having fun in the fantastical realms of Dungeons & Dragons. Let the dice roll and the stories unfold!

YRCA Book Club

January 27; Intermediate division 5 pm, Senior division 6 pm. Marshall Public Library Exploration Center

Thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Friends of the Marshall Public Library, we now have funds to host our monthly teen book club! February’s registration closes 1/27.

The Young Readers Choice Awards is a voting system developed by the Board of the Pacific Northwest Library Association where teens vote on the best YA books. Nominations are released every year for an intermediate division (grades 7-9) and advanced division (graders 10-12). The YRCA is the only book award where teenagers get to choose the winner!

How does it work?

Every month, we will select one of the YRCA nominees to read. There will be one book for the intermediate division and one for the senior division. You may select the book the book that interests you, regardless of your age (so long as you are a teen). We will order the books and you will come pick it up at the library to take home and read. We then meet at the end of the month to discuss the book! You are welcome to join only on the months where there is a book that interests you. You are not required to participate every month if you do not want to. You are also welcome to use the books read for the book club in any other book reading challenges, such as 50/50 or the ITRC.

WHat is the banquet?

In March 2025, all participants of the YRCA book club are invited to celebrate all the books we’ve read and to cast votes on the book you believe ought to win the 2025 YRCA award.

What books are next?

Intermediate

Messy Roots by Laura Gao (Graphic Novel)

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

The Elephant Girl by James Patterson

Senior

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson (Canadian)

The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho

Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian

REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Gallery

Just some of our teens doing some pretty cool things!

About the teen librarian

Gracie graduated with an undergraduate degree in the Humanities from BYU-Idaho, and a master’s degree in teaching from Idaho State University. A proud Taiwanese-American, Gracie is OBSESSED with cats, enjoys knitting/crocheting, and going on hikes. Gracie is a writer and recently sold her first novel to Viking Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. She has two little kids and three cats, whose names are Totoro, Chewie, and Kikkoman Soy Sauce.

Gracie enjoys reading in various genres, but has an affinity for speculative fiction with a literary bent. Almost all of her favorite books have made her ugly cry at some point. She enjoys meeting new people and is always open to recommendations for new programs and activities for teens at the Marshall Public Library. Did she mention she is OBSESSED with cats?

Her favorite song on Taylor Swift’s TTPD album is “The Black Dog”. She may or may not regularly sing it in the shower while sobbing uncontrollably.

She can be reached at gracie.marsden@marshallpl.org, or by saying “meow” three times in a mirror.