Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 by Megan
We are excited to announce that we have the winners of this year’s Teen Photo Contest! We had 33 entries and they were all outstanding! The teens have submitted their photographic interpretations of this year’s Summer Reading theme “Oceans of Possibilities” and after much deliberation, we have selected this year’s winners. Below are the top three winners. Continue reading “Teen Photo Contest: 2022 Winners”
Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2022 by Brianna
How’s that To Be Read pile looking? Dangerously low? Now’s your chance to squeeze in as much reading as you can before school starts back up, but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Not gonna lie, most of my picks this month have some romance, but if that’s not your thing I’ve also got a thriller with an unreliable narrator.
“Into the Sublime” by Kate A. Boorman
In case you couldn’t guess from the cover, this is the thriller. The story begins at the ending, as three girls emerge from a cave. Two are immediately rushed to the hospital, one is covered in blood that isn’t hers, and begins to tell their story to the police. And one girl is missing. The four of them were part of a thrill-seeking group that was following local legends about an underground lake. Rumor says that anyone who faces their greatest fear at the lake will have something big changed for them. The story unravels as it unfolds, with an increasingly untrustworthy narrator and claustrophobic psychological and supernatural horror. Pair this book with a trip to the Devil’s Icebox trail and Connor’s Cave if you really want the full experience. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: July 2022”
Posted on Thursday, July 7, 2022 by Megan
Summer reading is in full swing and we are getting tons of recommendations from our teen readers! Here are a few books highlighting our teens’ favorite fantasy novels. Warning: Some of these books may be part of a series so you may need to do some catch-up reading before you dive into one of these recommended reads.
Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 by Megan
Summer Reading is upon us! With a theme like “Oceans of Possibilities,” how could we not think of merpeople?
We are so lucky to have our very own siren, Dana! She loves cosplay and makeup effects, so we wanted to share her talent with you in this video tutorial so you can play along at home.
Here is what you’ll need to get started.
If you feel like going all out, combine a costume and a watery location!
We would love to see your finished look! Snap a pic and send it to us at teen@dbrl.org.
Posted on Thursday, June 9, 2022 by Megan
Celebrate LGBTQAI+ Pride Month by making your own beautiful melted crayon art painting! Here’s everything you need to make your own queer-colored masterpiece. Continue reading “DIY Pride Rainbow Painting 🌈”
Posted on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 by Megan
Happy May the Fourth! I love just about everything Star Wars has to offer — from the amazingly independent Princess Leia to the fierce, but cuddly Chewbacca, to the adorable Porgs, and don’t get me started on my obsession with Grogu (aka The Child or Baby Yoda)! Here are some fun things you can do at home to celebrate May the Fourth and the Revenge of the Fifth.
We’d love to see what you make, so send us pictures or videos to teen@dbrl.org.
Posted on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 by Stellan Harris
January has almost come to a close, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start the new year off by taking your life in a new direction. The start of the year is the traditional time for making life changes, thought most of us aren’t always able to keep to these resolutions for the whole year, but you don’t have to commit to making massive life changes to shake up the coming year. Meet new people, try new music or foods, or even take up a hobby that you haven’t tried before (or even one you might have tried and fell off of for some reason!) We here at DBRL have come up with a list of some books covering a couple potential hobbies that you could look into for the new year, from hiking the great outdoors to taking up sewing, from gaining some skills in the kitchen to exploring boxing for fitness. You can find the list, both the fiction and non-fiction titles, at the link here. Don’t see something that interests you on that list? No problem! DBRL has plenty of other resources to check out. Want to learn a language or brush up on some skills? Check out Mango Languages for a free platform to learn a new language. Want to get into some more general crafting? Creativebug has video tutorials for a variety of projects. Is your family thinking about taking some trips in the coming year? Global Road Warrior has maps aimed specifically at travelers and students to help chart out your course. So start this year off with an exciting new direction! 
Posted on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 by Stellan Harris
It’s the time of year where the ovens are on, the smell of warm spices waft through the air, and many home kitchens will be buzzing with activity. Getting involved in the kitchen can be an intimidating prospect, though, especially if you don’t have too much experience cooking for yourself, let alone others. Well if you’ve ever thought about getting some more experience in the kitchen, I’ve collected a few cookbooks that are great resources to consult to get you started. The books range in difficulty, from books for those of us who are more familiar with a microwave than a pan on the stove, to books for those of use looking for the next fancy dish to post for your friends and followers, so wherever you land on the culinary spectrum you should find something for you on this list. Good luck, and happy cooking! Continue reading “New to the Kitchen? Check Out These Cookbooks!”
Posted on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 by Stellan Harris
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the primary application used by all colleges and universities to determine your eligibility for grants, loans, work-study and scholarships. More importantly, this form is mandatory for all those planning to attend college.
The Missouri Department of Higher Education has an assistance program called FAFSA Frenzy to help you and your family successfully complete this online application form. They will be hosting several free events at mid-Missouri high schools. If you are planning to attend college in the fall, mark your calendars now for one of these four sessions.
Get all your financial aid concerns out of the way so you can be all set for the 2022-2023 school year!
Continue reading “FAFSA Frenzy 2021”
Posted on Friday, October 1, 2021 by Stellan Harris
Happy TeenTober dear readers! TeenTober is a month-long celebration promoted by the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) that strives to bring attention to the ways that libraries can better serve their young adult readers with programs and services. Here at DBRL we thought we’d take this month as an opportunity to highlight the contributions the teens in our community make to our library by publishing some of the many book reviews we received from our teen users during Summer Reading. Every Friday we’ll showcase a few of the reviews, and the books that they examine, in an effort to highlight the voices of the teens in our community. Keep an eye on our Events page for other TeenTober programs and festivities, and sign up to our Teen Newsletter to stay up to date with all things YA at DBRL!
