Content by Teens
Reading Recommendations
Click book covers below to find titles in the Troy Public Library catalog.
Articles
Click here to browse articles written by Troy teens.
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The Zine
Read the latest The Zine magazine issue written and published by the Troy Public Library Teen Advisory Board team.
Featured Artwork
by Angela
by Vaishnavi
by Madeline
by Aastha
Featured Book Reviews
The Sun is Also a Star
Reviewed By: Swathi
"The Sun is Also a Star is a young adult novel written by African American author Nicola Yoon. It is a great read for fans of YA fiction, and anyone looking for a story about love and the immigrant experience. The book tells the story of Natasha, a teenage girl who is undocumented, and Daniel, a first-generation Korean American who is struggling with parental expectations. The plot, similar to that of Romeo and Juliet, takes place over the course of a day, as they meet and fall in love. Their relationship faces complications, because Natasha’s family is supposed to be deported to Jamaica that same day. Yoon does an excellent job of creating characters with distinct voices and personalities. Natasha is smart and determined, but also skeptical and closed-off. Daniel is optimistic and charming, but also struggling with his identity and his family’s expectations. The novel explores themes of fate, love, family, and the immigrant experience. Yoon shows the complexity of the American Dream, and how it can be a source of hope but also a disillusionment for immigrants. Overall, "The Sun is Also a Star" is a beautifully written thought-provoking novel that will stay with readers long after they finish it."
Reviewed By: Aanvi
"In Five Years is the perfect book for those of us experiencing nervousness about the future and feeling stressed that we don’t have it all planned out. Its message is simple yet meaningful: we won’t know the future until the future arrives. No matter how hard we try to control or foresee it, things will never turn out exactly how we expected. This book taught me to accept that, even embrace it, and just let things be. This is the perfect novel to read in one sitting. While reading, you catch glimpses of the future, but you are not exactly sure where the story is going until the very end, similarly to life. Even after seeing the future, the main character had no idea what it really held. What it appeared to be was nothing like the reality. Seeing the future only added an additional weight. The main character, Dannie Kohan, seems to know exactly what she wants. She has a five year plan with every aspect of her life planned out, from relationship to career. She has a boyfriend with whom she is “perfectly compatible,” a stable job, and good friends. All her needs are fulfilled, and thus she believes that following this plan is what will ensure her happiness. What she learns along the way is that happiness can never be guaranteed or planned for. We experience it in temporary bursts alongside other emotions, and all we can do is enjoy it while we have it and accept its absence when we don’t. The ending of this book altered my perspective on how to approach life. The way the story ended for the main character gave me the much needed reminder that there’s no way of knowing how things will end for me either. I found several similarities between myself and the main character, and thus the main character’s journey impacted me greatly. There are common characteristics between almost all of us and Dannie Kohan, and although this story contains elements of fantasy, we all have something to learn from it."Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Reviewed By: Aanvi
"This book is the childhood memoir of Trevor Noah, comedian and host of The Daily Show. It provides a deep look into a lesser known aspect of his life: growing up as a biracial kid during South African apartheid. In apartheid South Africa, Black and White people were banned from having children together. Thus, Trevor Noah—with a Black mother and White father—was “born a crime.” From the moment he was born, society had already rejected him. Noah discusses many significant issues, including racial injustice, poverty, domestic violence and abuse, and alcoholism, all while maintaining the light and humorous tone he is known for. He makes heavy topics much easier to read, incorporating humor into nearly every chapter and including many entertaining anecdotes, reflecting his ability to see the light even in the darkest of times. The book stays true to Noah’s comedic personality, yet at the same time there is gravity to each of his words. Born a Crime is dedicated to Trevor’s mother, and she is just as prominent of a figure in the book as he is. The lessons she taught Trevor are lessons we all could use. The book is extremely well-written, meaningful, and leaves the reader with a message incredibly relevant to today’s times."