Library Blog
Posted on Fri, March 25, 2022 - 08:00pm
To celebrate National Poetry Month this April, the Ames Free Library is cordially inviting you to participate in #PoemsBeforePhones!
#PoemsBeforePhones is a daily practice that encourages you to begin your day with a poem rather than doom-scrolling through social media. If you’re interested in…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Mon, December 20, 2021 - 07:00pm
Take a look at these sparkling standouts! Click to link below to learn about some of the best books AFL staff read in 2021. Click on any book cover and get directed to the AFL catalog to learn more or place a hold.
AFL 2021 Staff Favorites
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Tue, August 31, 2021 - 08:00pm
What I'm Reading
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
The golden days of the Golden Hotel are a thing of the past. Once the shining glory of the Catskills, the resort is slowly and steadily falling apart. Prompted by an offer to sell, three generations of the Goldman and Weingold…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Fri, July 16, 2021 - 08:00pm
Once your assigned summer reading is done, check out our NEW YA BOOKS for some fun summer reading. There's something for everyone!
An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi
In the wake of 9/11, Shadi, a child of Muslim immigrants, tries to navigate her crumbling world of death, heartbreak, and…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Sun, April 04, 2021 - 08:00pm
Becky Albertalli is an American author of young adult fiction, known for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was adapted into the 2018 film Love, Simon and inspired the spin-off television series Love, Victor.
We have many of her books available for checkout in the Teen Den, or you can…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, March 23, 2021 - 08:00pm
Time MARCHes on (haha, see what we did there?), and though you still can't get into the Teen Den, you can find great new reads on our temporary YA shelf in the corner of the Fiction Room on the first floor. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera
sequel to Infinity…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Sun, January 31, 2021 - 07:00pm
Have you been in to the library lately? We're open, and even though the Teen Den isn't open for browsing, we're still curating a great collection for you. Check out what's new below, then place a hold or come in to the library to pick it up!
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Every seven years there is a…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, October 20, 2020 - 08:00pm
I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
Available on Overdrive/Libby
A story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal told from different points in time, and in separate voices, by artists Jude and her twin brother Noah.
When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk
In New York City, follows the…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, October 06, 2020 - 08:00pm
Andrea Nicole Livingstone (born July 10, 1985), known as Nic Stone, is an American New York Times best-selling author of young adult fiction, best known for her debut novel Dear Martin.
Boston Public Library is holding a Zoom event for teens only with Ms. Stone on Monday October 19th at 12pm. If…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, September 22, 2020 - 08:00pm
Teen (YA) nonfiction books can be found shelved in the Barrel Vault Room at the Ames Free Library along with general adult nonfiction. This collection is currently open for browsing.
Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy Edited by Kelly Jensen
Thirty-seven contributors-including…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, September 08, 2020 - 08:00pm
Patrick Ness is a British-American author, journalist, lecturer and screenwriter. Born in the United States, Mr. Ness moved to London and holds dual citizenship. He is best known for his books for young adults, including the Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls. Read more about Mr. Ness and…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Thu, August 27, 2020 - 08:00pm
Terri Libenson is a comic-strip cartoonist turned middle grade author. Ms. Libenson’s graphic novels are perfect back-to-school reads! Each book features a girl facing a particular challenge at school. These lighthearted books feature friendships, school and extracurricular challenges, and the…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, August 25, 2020 - 08:00pm
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world's population. Seventeen-year-old Janelle "Ellie" Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, August 11, 2020 - 08:00pm
Sarah Dessen’s popular teen novels have won numerous awards and are continually popular! Some of her books have been among the ALA's "Best Fiction for Young Adults" selections, and she received ALA’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for her “outstanding contribution to young adult literature.” Ms. Dessen…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, August 04, 2020 - 08:00pm
You can’t come in to check out what’s new, so we’ll bring the browsing to you! All of these items are newly arrived in the Teen Den and are available for placing holds.
Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, July 21, 2020 - 08:00pm
The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook
When a seemingly harmless prank turns deadly, seventeen-year-old Skye Thorn realizes the people she's involved with are willing to kill to get what they want, she must discover their true identities before it's too late.
Available on Hoopla
The Disappearance…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, July 14, 2020 - 08:00pm
If you like this book...
...you might like this one!
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Also available on Overdrive
Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by MacKenzi Lee
Also available on Overdrive and as audio on Hoopla
Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, July 07, 2020 - 08:00pm
Stephenie Meyer is an American novelist. She is best known for her vampire romance series Twilight, which has sold over 100 million copies, with translations into 37 different languages. Read more about Ms. Meyer and her works on her website. She recently announced the upcoming publication of the…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, June 23, 2020 - 08:00pm
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans. Today, celebrations include…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, June 09, 2020 - 08:00pm
Adam Silvera was born and raised in the Bronx. He is one of YA’s best own-voices authors. (“Own-voices authors” means people who live the experience of the marginalized communities about which they write.) He currently has written five novels. The sequel to his fantasy novel Infinity Son is due…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, May 26, 2020 - 08:00pm
Need an escape from the real world? Check out these awesome YA Fantasy novels and travel to another world!
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy
King Arthur as you've never imagined! This bold, sizzling YA retells the popular legend with the Once and Future King as a teenage…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, May 12, 2020 - 08:00pm
Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.), is an American author and screenwriter, best known for the immensely popular The Hunger Games trilogy. A film adaptation of The Hunger Games - for which Collins wrote much of the screenplay - enjoyed enormous commercial success…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, April 21, 2020 - 08:00pm
Are you a comic lover? Check out these 19 webcomics that you can read right now!
A personal favorite from this list is Heartstopper by Alice Osman. This graphic novel is available in physical form, but for up to date chapters visit https://tapas.io/series/Heartstopper. A new chapter is published…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, April 07, 2020 - 08:00pm
Teen author Angie Thomas was born in Jackson, Mississippi. She is an American author, best known for writing the young adult novel The Hate U Give. This book was made into a feature film released in 2018, which made $34.9 million at the box office. Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Tue, March 24, 2020 - 08:00pm
We all need a little getaway about now, so try escaping with a Romance! You can find these titles in our Teen Den – although for now you’ll have to check our the ebook editions! Click here to find information on accessing these titles as ebooks, or email teens@amesfreelibrary.org for more book…
Category: Youth Services, Teen