Celebrate Teen Literature Day and Meet Our NEW Teen Librarian Kris!

April 17, 2025, is Celebrate Teen Literature Day, a day to promote the love of reading for teens! 

At the end of 2024, the Sandy and Hoodland Libraries welcomed a new teen librarian, Kris Ritchie, so we though Teen Literature Day was a perfect time to introduce you to Kris and his views and thoughts on teen literature! 

Did you always want to be a librarian? 

I actually thought I wanted to be an English teacher before I became a librarian. But then I thought back on how much of a smart aleck I was in school, and thought karma would get me back tenfold. Librarian then made the most sense to me, and I never looked back!

What made you choose teen literature in particular? 

Teens to me are where we are most likely to lose people's interest in the library. Children come to the library for storytime, and adults with new kids or elderly patrons also are regular patrons we can expect to see. However teens, who are at the age when you discover who you want to be and what to think of the world around you, are not given as high a priority in most community building endeavors. We, as librarians, have to make an effort to really show the teens that the library is still there and can provide resources and services catered to them. 

 

Why do you think adult readers are drawn to teen literature?

I think adults are drawn to teen lit for many different reasons, with some of the biggest being the same reasons teens read too. Teen lit is always in conversation with the real world, either in framing current events or comparing different eras/fantasy worlds to our own. Young adult books also are easily identifiable in genre by the way a cover is designed: two people holding hands and pastels? Slice-of-life romance, maybe a romcom. Dark, brooding colors with large letters or a single prominent object? Likely a thriller or dark fantasy. Finally, YA books in almost every genre are all about exploration and discovery. Even as adults, it's fun to read these books and discover another way of looking at the world or experience the viewpoint of someone radically different from yourself. 

What is your favorite YA book? 

At the moment, I really enjoyed H.E. Edgmon's The Witch King duology.

What is your favorite YA series?

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Celtic magic and lore meets Game of Thrones-esque levels of character drama.

Which books have the best YA cover art?

See above, Three Dark Crowns! Also, anything Victoria Schwab.

If you could drop into any YA fantasy world, which one would it be and why?

Oh dear, I read a lot of post-apocalyptic and dark fantasy so I don't really have a definitive answer for you. I would say the world of Tara Sims' Timekeeper trilogy only because it is not grim dark, and features a magic system in which clock towers running down and stopping can actually STOP time. It turns into this sprawling epic about enslaved clock spirits, eternal life, and trying to control what shouldn't be controlled.

Book or series coming out that you're most excited about? 

I am really enjoying the new Marvel Ultimate Universe comic line, so I am excited to keep reading Ultimate Spider-man, Avengers, Black Panther, and more. It twists and reimagines the marvel heroes and villains just enough to make it feel fresh.

Which teen book or series would you like to see be made into a movie? 

The Woods by James Tynion IV. A graphic novel about a group of high schoolers who explore the wilderness of an alien(?) planet after their entire high school of over 500 people is magically transported off Earth. 

What is your favorite piece of classic teen literature? 

Define "classic." To me that can be anything that is as old as a teen itself! Growing up, I really enjoyed the Cirque Du Freak books by Darren Shan exploring the dark fantasy world of a teen who became a vampire. At a time when not a lot of YA literature was of the dark urban fantasy type, Cirque really stood out to me.

We are thrilled that Kris has joined our team and can't wait to see what he brings to the Sandy Public Library for our teens!

Celebrating Teen Literature Day with Our Teen Librarian Rebecca Hanset

Every year, on April 18th, we recognize Celebrate Teen Literature Day. 

Beginning in 2007, Celebrate Teen Literature Day was created to encourage young people to read outside of their schoolwork more frequently. With the rise of the internet, and social media, less than 20% of teenagers report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure. 

So Celebrate Teen Literature Day was born. Not only to act as encouragement for teens to start reading more, but also to celebrate the growing genre of young adult literature, which often includes themes of identity, self-discovery, and the transition into adulthood. (No wonder it resonates with older audiences as well). 

In honor of Celebrate Teen Literature Day, we asked our Teen Librarian, Rebecca Hanset, a few questions about what drew her to the genre, and some of her favorite aspects of it. 

Did you always want to be a librarian? 

Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a librarian. I’ve worked in libraries since I was a teen and the librarians I worked with encouraged me to go to library school. Now I work with teens and encourage them to get involved, pursue education and achieve goals, whatever they may be.

What made you choose teen literature in particular? 

I am particularly interested in coming of age stories that highlight the unique experiences and challenges that adolescents face. I want teens to have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the literature they read.

Why do you think adult readers are drawn to teen literature?

I think adults find nostalgia in teen literature. I think we can connect to the coming of age stories because we are still coming of age to some degree. I think it’s fun to relive the intensity and brutality of “firsts,” like first love, first kiss, first heartbreak.

What is your favorite YA (Young Adult) book?

Oh, this is a hard one. 

Middle grade teen - Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech   -  I love anything by Sharon Creech

Young adult teen - Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer  - A dystopian, coming of age novel

Honorable mention: Anything by Ellen Hopkins - These books are gritty, mature-themed, and written in verse.

What is your favorite YA series?

The Selection by Cass Kiera - It’s like Cinderella meets The Bachelor. It’ a dystopian romance about being selected from 35 girls to move up the caste system and win the hand of a prince. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes -  Puzzles, riddles, and codes, oh my. 

Similar to the movie Knives Out or Glass Onion.

Which books have the best YA cover art?

I have two:

Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

If you could drop into any YA fantasy world, which one would it be and why?

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman -  How can you go wrong with armored polar bears? 

Book or series coming out that you're most excited about?

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

Which teen book or series would you like to see be made into a movie?

I’d really hope The Inheritance Games is made into a movie or television series. I think there is something in the works with Amazon and Sony.

What is your favorite piece of classic teen literature?

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - As libraries continue to face book challenges and bans, this book highlights the importance of democratizing information, literature, and knowledge in order to prevent a dystopian future.

Thank you Rebecca!