This summer, teens at Morris Park Library have had an eventful season. The theme of One World, Many Stories has never resonated more than during this particular summer. The teens in my summer reading club have roots back to more than 10 countries. Among our specific ports of call are Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Haiti, Italy, Albania, Russia, Africa, Puerto Rico, and Bulgaria!

One teen, Simona, actually lives in Bulgaria and was visiting for the summer. She was part of the "We Are New York" English Conversation course being offered at Morris Park Library. Through the instructor's help and conversing with other teens, Simone learned much about American teen culture, and she become fairly proficient in getting her point across in English as well.

We also had the pleasure of participating in an acting workshop conducted by another teen, Sabrina, a student at Talent Unlimited High School in Manhattan. Through her instruction, teens learned about improvisation and theatrical terms, as well as how to prepare and act out their own monologues. In between all of the other activities, such as learning about Mehndi henna and its roots in the Middle East, and creating bracelets using letter beads to spell out hello in different languages, we read lots of books. 

Which brings me to several books that my teen Summer Reading participants and I would like to recommend:

My Life, The Theater, And Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff.  
I read this book in the early summer while Sabrina was passing around the "acting bug." The main character, Z, short for Adam Ziegler, is a "Techie" — short for play technician, lighting, stage sets, and all that jazz. Anyhow, he is not so sure of himself when it comes to girls until an actress, Summer, takes an interest in him. Will he break the golden rule that states that techies and actors don't mix? Find out when you read this book full of romance, humor and teen angst. This was a great read.

Alice enjoyed The Lizard Prince by Asuka Izumi.
This is a manga about a princess that is forced into an arranged marriage by her father to a local prince. The only problem is that the prince has a reputation for gambling and beng a player. When the princess goes to meet him, the prince refuses and sends his pet lizard in his place. The lizard ends up falling in love with the princess. Later on, a big secret is revealed about this lizard. Read it and find out!

Forhad recommends Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern.
Written by a man in his late 20s who moves in with his parents after his girlfriend dumps him, it's a follow-up to a Twitter account he made. In this book Justin reflects on his childhood with his dad, whose funny and prophetic quotes led to Justin's highly successful Twitter account. Ridiculously funny and somewhat heartwarming, this bestseller explores another piece of the author's life.

Lorena recommends Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen.
Auden went to live with her dad, his new wife, and their daughter for the summer. She was tired of spending all of her days studying and listening to her mom. Auden also has another problem — she has insomnia. However, when she visits her dad for the summer, she meets someone else who has trouble sleeping. Now she spends her nights exploring the town with him.

As you can see, teens have been busy at Morris Park Library this summer. Check out the Library's website to view upcoming fall events, and don't forget to visit your local library! We're here to help you.