DIY Air Plant Pods: Friday, September 9 at 4pm. Design a home for an air plant! We’ll decorate beautiful bell cups -- the perfect summer accessory! They make great gifts, too! This event will be in-person in the Teen Area. For grades 6-12.
Dungeons & Dragons: Sunday, September 11 at 2:30pm. D&D enthusiasts and newcomers unite for a new weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign! Feel free to either bring a premade Level 1 character, or choose from a sampling of provided premade character sheets. Brave ancient dungeons and face deadly foes, and unravel a plot which threatens existence itself. Join for fun and glory. This will be an 8-session campaign that will meet on the following Sundays: 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23 & 10/30. For grades 7 to 12.
Newton Youth Commission: The Newton Youth Commission is seeking interested youth in grades 8-12 to join the Youth Commission Advisory Board for the 2022-2023 school year. The Youth Commission is a volunteer body of youth and adults appointed by the Mayor to work on issues related to the Newton youth community. They meet monthly in the library. Interested in applying or learning more about the Youth Commission? Check out their website for more details.
Upcoming Clubs for Tweens & Teens
5th/6th Grade Book Club: Tuesday, September 13 at 7pm. Starting September 13, join us for a book club for tweens in grades 5-6 where we explore a new book each month! Participants are encouraged to bring their own questions and ideas when we meet for the discussion. The book for 9/13 is Inkling by Kenneth Oppel. We meet once a month on the following dates: 9/13, 10/11, 11/8, 12/13, 1/10, 2/14, 3/14, 4/11, 5/9 and 6/13. When you register (required), you register at the same time for ALL 10 sessions. For more information, please email ewainer@minlib.net or jcarlaw@minlib.net.
Anime/Manga Club: Wednesday, September 14 at 4:30pm. Meet and hang out with lovers of all things anime! Activities will range from anime screenings to discussion of our favorite series, manga share and swap, anime-themed crafts, cosplay workshops, art trades and more! We'll meet on the following dates in the Teen Area: 9/14, 10/12, 11/9, 12/14, 1/11, 2/8, 3/8, 4/12, 5/10 & 6/14. For ages 12+.
Overbooked: A Teen Book Club! Monday, September 19 at 7pm. Have too much to do? Want to add something else to your plate? Join our book club, directed at the overscheduled teen! We'll discuss the book while munching on snacks. This month we'll be discussing The Counselors by Jessica Goodman. Pick up the book at the Main Desk. Registration is required. We'll meet on the following Mondays each month in the Teen Area: 9/19, 10/17, 11/14, 12/19, 1/23, 2/13, 3/13, 4/24, 5/22 & 6/26. Please reach out to Megan for more information and/or questions.
7th/8th Book Group: Tuesday, September 20 at 7:30pm. Starting September 20, join us for a book club for teens in grades 7-8 where we explore a new book each month! Participants are encouraged to bring their own questions and ideas when we meet for the discussion. We will read Beasts Made Of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi for 9/20. We meet once a month on the following dates: 9/20, 10/18, 11/15, 12/20, 1/17, 3/21, 5/16 and 6/20. Registration (required) begins on Tuesday, September 6. When you register, you register at the same time for ALL 9 sessions. For more information, please email dzuckerman@minlib.net.
5th/6th Grade Writing Group: Wednesday, September 21 at 7pm. Does your 5th or 6th grader love to write? Do they have stories they want to tell? This new writing group might be the group for them! This group will meet to further develop writing skills, share in a supportive community and be a space and time to grow their love of writing. We meet once a month on the following dates: 9/21, 10/19, 11/16, 1/18, 3/15, 5/17 and 6/21. Registration (required) begins Wednesday, September 7. When you register, you register at the same time for ALL 7 months. For more information, please email either lnorcross@minlib.net or rsimon@minlib.net.
Queer Crafts: Friday, September 23 at 4pm. Join other LGBTQ+ teens to do arts and crafts, hang out and have fun in a welcoming space! This month we will be making pennants out of felt. We meet once a month on the following Friday afternoons: 9/23, 10/28, 12/2, 1/27, 2/24, 3/31, 4/28, 5/26 & 6/9. For more information, please email Courtenay (she/her) at cbarton@minlib.net.
Teen MTG: Saturday, September 24 at 2pm. Want to meet up and play some Magic: The Gathering on a Saturday? We've found just the place, our Teen Area! This event is an in-person meetup for people to play. At this time, we do not have someone to teach. Please bring cards if you have them! We will meet once a month on the following Saturdays: 9/24, 10/22, 11/19, 12/17, 1/21, 2/11, 3/25, 4/29, 5/20 & 6/17.
Teen Graphic Novel Book Club: Thursday, September 29 at 7pm. If you love comics and graphic novels, join us once a month as we discuss all things illustrated! Grades 8-12. Registration is required. This group will meet in the Teen Area. Books will be available for pick-up at the main circulation desk. Join us once a month on the following dates: 9/29, 10/27, 11/17, 12/15, 1/19, 2/16, 3/23, 4/27, 5/25 & 6/15. This month the group will discuss Messy Roots by Laura Gao.
Tween Graphic Novel Book Club: Tuesday, October 25 at 7pm. If you enjoy the pace, imagery and stories presented in graphic novels then this is the club for you! We’ll meet once a month on 10/25, 11/22, 12/27, 1/24, 2/28, 3/28, 4/25, 5/23 and 6/27. Registration (required) begins on Tuesday, October 11 and is for tweens in 5th to 7th grade only. When you register, you register for ALL 9 meetings. For more information contact Julia at jcarlaw@minlib.net.
Coming up for Teens and Tweens
Early Release Movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Thursday, September 29 at 2pm. Looking for a place to be after an early release from school? Join us to watch the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Rated PG-13. Runtime 117 minutes. Grades 5-12.
Tween
All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson - Homeschooled by Renaissance Fair enthusiasts, eleven-year-old Imogene has a hard time fitting in when her wish to enroll in public school is granted.
The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung - Best friends Matt and Eric are hatching a plan for one big final adventure together before Eric moves away: during the marching band competition at a Giant Amusement Park, they will sneak away to a nearby comics convention and meet their idol -- a famous comic creator. Without cell phones. Or transportation. Or permission.
Join the Club, Maggie Diaz by Nina Moreno - Maggie Diaz of Miami is excited to start seventh-grade with her best friends, Zoey and Julian, and finally getting a cellphone of her own; but after school her friends are wrapped up in their various clubs, her mother is attending college and her older sister Caro has her sports and tutoring. Maggie decides that she will find a club to join as well -- but trying out ALL the different clubs while still juggling school work is exhausting and confusing.
Teen
My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth - Basically forced to join the robotics club due to her talent for engineering, Bel must work side-by-side with Mateo Luna, and soon the two realize they've built much more than a robot for the national championship.
A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong - Ren meets Luna at a beachside basketball court and a friendship is born. But when Luna moves back to Oahu, Ren’s messages to her friend go unanswered. Years go by. Then Luna returns, hoping to rekindle their friendship. Ren is hesitant. She's dealing with a lot, including family troubles, dropping grades and the newly formed women's basketball team at their high school. With Ren’s new friends and Luna all on the basketball team, the lines between their lives on and off the court begin to blur.
The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian - Brought together through the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born and secrets are revealed, five students at an elite boarding school challenge the long-standing culture of abuse through their writing.
Check out our tween and teen pages for even more recommendations!
