One of the most highly anticipated teen books this year is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It’s due out on May 19th and the Livingston Public Library has 10 copies on order. This makes it a great time to read, or reread, the original trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

The Hunger Games trilogy is dystopian fiction recommended for grades 7 and above. It is available in OverDrive, both as an ebook and audiobook.  

You might have to reserve an ebook copy of Chain of Gold, the first book in a new Shadowhunters series by Cassandra Clare which is #1 on the New York Times YA Bestseller List this week. Clare writes Urban Fantasy for older teens that is packed with magical beings, action, and romance.  (Urban Fantasy is fiction that combines supernatural characters and elements with today’s urban world.) The first Shadowhunters series, The Mortal Instruments contains 6 books:

1. City of Bone
2. City of Ashes
3. City of Glass
4. City of Fallen Angels
5. City of Lost Souls
6. City of Heavenly Fire

All are available as ebooks in Overdrive. City of Bone is also available as an audiobook in Hoopla.

For younger teens, Cassandra Clare teamed up with Holly Black to write the Magisterium books, a fantasy series perfect for Harry Potter fans in grades 6 and above. The Magisterium is a school where potential mages learn to control the elements and prepare to fight the source of evil magic in their world. The series contains 5 books:

1. The Iron Trial
2. The Copper Gauntlet
3. The Bronze Key
4. The Silver Mask
5. The Golden Tower

All are available as ebooks in OverDrive!

-Karen, Teen Librarian