Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades
Staff Picks

Teen Dark Academia

  • Alison B.
  • Friday, February 04
Dark academia is on the rise. Not sure what it is? Think tweed blazer and plaid skirt uniforms, sprawling gothic architecture campuses and boarding schools, and mysteries with dark and morbid origins. Whether it's joining a secret society, witnessing a murder, or caving under the immense pressure of classes, these students might have to risk it all to accomplish their goals.
Black Boy Joy
Recognize!
Staff Picks

CSMCL's Best Multicultural Children's Novels and Nonfiction of 2021

  • Caitlin B.
  • Tuesday, February 01
The following novels and nonfiction books were all named in the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature's Best Multicultural Children's Books of 2021. Want to learn more about diverse books? Check out this blog post. Want more books? Ask your librarian for their recommendations or call the Children's Room at Richland Library Main (803.929.3434). We can send books to your closest Richland Library location!
We Shall Overcome
Soul Food Sunday
Staff Picks

CSMCL's Best Multicultural Picture Books of 2021

  • Caitlin B.
  • Tuesday, February 01
The following picture books were all named in the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature's Best Multicultural Children's Books of 2021. Want to learn more about diverse books? Check out this blog post. Want more books? Ask your librarian for their recommendations or call the Children's Room at Richland Library Main (803.929.3434). We can send books to your closest Richland Library location!
Blog
Richland Library Main

Let’s Talk Race and Justice Playlist

  • Richland Library
  • Monday, September 25
As Racial Justice Week comes to a close, check out these engaging discussions with past guests, thought leaders and community members that encourage honest dialogue on injustices, anti-racism and diversity.
Skin of the Sea
Skin of the Sea
Staff Picks

Teen Mermaids & Sirens

  • Alison B.
  • Thursday, January 13
Stories of mermaids and sirens are prevalent in myths and legends all around the world. Dive into some YA titles about living below water, iridescent scales of all colors, and the alluring appeal of these mythical beings.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Mommy's Khimar (read Along)
Staff Picks

Great Books for Ages 3, 4, 5

  • Children's Room
  • Friday, January 07
"Night after night, Little Star took tiny nibble after tiny nibble of the Big Mooncake."--A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin Preschoolers are listening to longer books and asking LOTS of questions. They are growing their independence along with their attention spans. Bring your book lover to Richland Library and pick up one of these terrific titles today.
Off to See the Sea
I Want to Be an Astronaut
Staff Picks

Great Books for Toddlers

  • Children's Room
  • Friday, January 07
"Monsters straight ahead! Watch out for the yellow rubber ducky!"--Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes Toddlers are on the move, but they still love a good story. They're learning new words every day and will ask to hear their favorite book again and again (and again). Check out some of these toddler-tested titles to share with your mover and shaker.
You See, I See
On the Go with Mother Goose
Staff Picks

Great Books for Babies

  • Children's Room
  • Friday, January 07
"You see a bustling city. I see adventure ahead!"--You See, I See: In the City by Michelle Sinclair Colman Snuggled in your lap, babies love books with photographs, simple, bright illustrations, rhyming and the sound of your voice. Find your little one's new favorite story from our list of books to share.
Blog
Richland Library Main

Know Before You Share

  • Sara M.
  • Monday, March 14
These days we have access to more information than we've ever had before - which means we have access to more wrong information than we've ever had before.
The Sun is Also a Star
The 5th Wave
Staff Picks

Young Adult Book To Movie Adaptations

  • Thomas M.
  • Wednesday, January 05
Is the book always better than the movie? What if the book is young adult fiction? Sometimes the author's voice is too unique on paper to be translated to the silver screen. Or can actors and visual style add a fresh, new angle? Reading and then watching a story (or vice versa) can lead to interesting insights about what makes one version of a story better... or worse.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

#OwnVoices: Children's Books Reflection of 2021

  • Taelor J.
  • Thursday, June 23
Missed out on 2021 book releases? Don't worry, you can find #OwnVoices books published in 2021 for both younger and older children here. I don't forget to look out for what's to come in 2022!
Blog
Richland Library North Main

2022

  • Zsuzsanna C.
  • Thursday, December 30
The Bad Seed
The Good Egg
Staff Picks

Top Checkouts 2021: Children's eBooks 📱

  • Richland Library
  • Wednesday, December 29
Curious as to what your friends' and neighbors' children were reading in 2021? Us too! Long story, short. It was a good year to be a wimpy kid, a teen wizard, or Dog Man.
A Wrinkle in Time
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Staff Picks

Top Checkouts 2021: Children's Audiobooks 🎧

  • Richland Library
  • Wednesday, December 29
Curious as to what your friends' and neighbors' children were listening to in 2021? Us too! Long story, short. It was a good year to be a teen with magical powers.
Pete the Cat and the Cool Caterpillar
Pete the Cat's Groovy Bake Sale
Staff Picks

Top Checkouts 2021: Children's Fiction 📚

  • Richland Library
  • Wednesday, December 29
Curious as to what your friends' and neighbors' children were reading or being read in 2021? Long story, short. It was a good year to be Mo Willems.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Fairy Tale Comics
Staff Picks

Graphic Novel Adaptations

  • Thomas M.
  • Monday, December 20
How does an artist take the descriptions and inner lives of prose characters and translate them into pictures and poses against backgrounds? This list represents a wide range of stylistic adaptations of prose stories and poems, including manga versions of several classics. Visual elements and speech bubbles can also help developing readers comfortably navigate the text. These graphic novels are great for fresh takes on old favorites as well as gateways for new readers to get hooked.
Database

WORD Force

WORD Force - A Literacy Adventure for K-2 Students is an interactive digital learning course which takes students on an adventure thr

Read More | Access
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: The City We Became - A Review

  • Mahogany S.
  • Thursday, June 23
What we are, what we’re made of, is many worlds coming together. Reality and legends. This world where we’re just people, and that world, where we can be miles-wide cities that just happen to be sitting a couple of feet across from each other because the laws of space, physics, don’t work the same way.
You Should See Me in a Crown
The Poet X
Staff Picks

Teen Fiction For Dormant Readers

  • Thomas M.
  • Wednesday, December 08
Lifelong reading can be a rewarding habit, but some young people may not see themselves as readers. Sometimes called "dormant readers," these teens seem to read and write just fine, but they do not read books for pleasure. Fortunately for them, there are plenty of compelling stories in print, online, and audio. Below is a list of Quick Picks For Reluctant Young Adult Readers titles from the past three years of the Young Adult Library Services Association's selections.
Devil's Pass
Drawn Away
Staff Picks

HiLo Teen Fiction

  • Thomas M.
  • Wednesday, December 08
HiLo fiction stands for High interest, Low reading level. Most HiLo books have certain storytelling techniques in common. Their sentences and paragraphs are short, with generous line spacing. Vocabulary is fairly simple. These features make the text easy to follow. Plots are driven by action and a linear sequence of events. HiLo books are, to use a popular expression, "the books where stuff happens." They can be a building block in the development of a growing reader as well as an engaging, fast-paced read. You won't believe some of the sudden twists and turns these stories take!
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

Dinner Table Talks: Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story

  • Taelor J.
    Heather M.
    Jocelyn T.
  • Friday, November 04
Dinner Table Talks create the opportunity for families to have important conversations centered around books. This conversation focuses on the nonfiction children's biography, Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S.D. Nelson.
The Jasmine Project
Perfectly Parvin
Staff Picks

2021 Teen Books for Younger Readers

  • Jennifer N.
  • Thursday, December 02
Check out the titles below for the same thrilling twists and turns you’ve come to love in young adult literature, with gentle romances and bold adventures.
Blog
Richland Library Main

A-maize-ing Corn Husk Dolls

  • Richland Library
  • Monday, November 29
A perfect Fall activity to spice up your holiday; the art of corn husk doll making is steeped in tradition and fun for the whole family.
Winterkeep
Rule of Wolves
Staff Picks

New Additions to Popular Teen Series

  • Alison B.
  • Monday, November 22
Your favorites go on in these latest additions to popular YA series. From epic fantasy conclusions (A Vow So Bold and Deadly & The Desolations of the Devil's Acre) to anxiously awaited thriller continuations (The Hawthorne Legacy & The Box in the Woods), you won't want to miss the next books in these addictive teen series.
Blog
Richland Library Blythewood

A Filmmaker's Journey

  • Jessica M.
  • Saturday, January 22
“You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks.” – George Lucas, Film Director.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

Dinner Table Talks: Fry Bread

  • Taelor J.
    Heather M.
    Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
Inspired by his family, author Kevin Noble Maillard writes about the love a family has for each other and how the food they make, in this case fry bread, brings them even closer together.
Blog
Richland Library Edgewood

Dinner Table Talks: Dear Martin

  • Taelor J.
    Heather M.
    Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
Dinner Table Talks create the opportunity for families to have important conversations centered around books. This conversation focuses on the New York Times bestselling YA novel, Dear Martin by Nic Stone.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

Native American Heritage Month

  • Zsuzsanna C.
  • Monday, November 07
There are 9.7 million Native Americans belonging to 562 federally recognized nations or tribes that live in the US, each with a unique history.
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Me & Mama

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Thursday, June 23
In Cozbi A. Cabrera's Coretta Scott King Award-winning Me & Mama, the day begins with Mama sings "bright as sun" to welcome her young child to a brand new, exciting day.
The Last Thing He Told Me
Malibu
Staff Picks

Sandhills Staff Picks

  • Morgan R.
  • Wednesday, October 27
Curious to know what our staff read, watch, and listen to? Well you’re in luck, because we can’t wait to share some of our favorites with you! Bonus: You can use one of these titles to fulfil the #BroaderBookshelf 2021 prompt to "Read a book suggested by a Library staff member".
Blog
Richland Library Main

Sandhills Staff Picks of 2021

  • Morgan R.
  • Wednesday, October 27
Curious to know what our staff read, watch, and listen to? Well you’re in luck, because we can’t wait to share some of our favorites with you! Bonus: You can use one of these titles to fulfil the #BroaderBookshelf 2021 prompt to "Read a book suggested by a Library staff member".
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: The Death of Vivek Oji

  • Ronisha J.
  • Thursday, June 23
"The Death of Vivek Oji is a propulsive, titanic book. Emezi doesn't simply tell stories; they create genres, making new stories, new characters, feel as forever as thunder, clouds, and betrayal." -Kiese Laymon
Dear Martin
Black Enough
Staff Picks

Introducing: Nic Stone

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Wednesday, October 20
Author Nic Stone is a YA favorite, and it's no surprise, as her debut novel, Dear Martin, openly and honestly tackles the reality that teens (especially Black teens) face on a daily basis. This book, which is also one of Time Magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time, has led to other great titles that you are sure to enjoy reading. Below are the many titles written by Stone, as well as other titles that include her work that are available for check out from Richland Library!
K-pop Confidential
Wicked Fox
Staff Picks

For Fans of K-Pop

  • Alison B.
  • Tuesday, October 19
Are you a BLINK? ARMY? NCTzen? ONCE? Or just curious about the K-Pop phenomena sweeping the globe with catchy beats, synchronized dancing, idol personas, and more? Do you love swooning over romantic and thrilling K-dramas? Explore the world of Korean pop music and the city of Seoul with the titles below as teens audition to debut, train vigorously, balance fame, date secretly, and chase their dreams.
Hatchet
Alida's Song
Staff Picks

Remembering Gary Paulsen (May 1939 - October 2021)

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, October 14
Gary Paulsen, a well-known YA fiction author, passed away on the morning of October 13, 2021. A list has been created to recognized the amazing contributions he has made to many readers throughout the world.
Blog
Richland Library Wheatley

Is A Four-Year College the Best Choice For You?

  • Jessica Daly
  • Monday, November 15
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic challenged traditionally held notions of almost every aspect of our lives – work and education not least among them. Read on to find out if a four-year degree is worth it, and if not, what are your options?
Blog
Richland Library Main

#OwnVoices: Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (A Review)

  • Ariel H.
  • Thursday, June 23
How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma: Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED. Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either. Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home. What Not to Bring: A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.
Feed
Conjure
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Poetry)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some Poetry titles that are only one word. Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
Nightchaser
Bounty
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Romance)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some Romance titles that are only one word. Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
Less
Cygnet
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Fiction)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some General Fiction titles that are only one word. Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
It
Pivot
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Horror)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some Horror Fiction titles that are only one word. Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
Deathless
Heartless
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Fantasy)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some Fantasy titles that are only one word. Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
Legendborn
Speak
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Young Adult)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some fiction titles that are typically marketed to young adults. Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
Cod
Craftivism
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2021 - One Word Titles (Nonfiction)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Tuesday, October 12
Books with One Word Titles span genres. Here are some non-fiction titles that are only one word. (Some have subtitles but we're not counting those.) Learn more about the Broader Bookshelf challenge and see more lists here.
The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens
Other Boys
Staff Picks

Anxiety is overwhelming. These books can help.

  • Thomas M.
  • Monday, October 11
Anxiety comes in many forms, all of them personal. Recognizing and describing anxiety is an important step in learning how to manage it. The books below include fictional stories where characters struggle with and confront their anxiety, as well as nonfiction books that deal directly with causes and solutions regarding anxiety.
Blog
Richland Library Main

DIY Storytime: How Do You Wokka-Wokka?

  • Heather M.
  • Wednesday, October 27
Curated storytimes that families can share at home with an ebook (How Do You Wokka-Wokka?), songs and rhymes ( Peel Banana | Drama Warm Up, Banana Banana Meatball Song by Blazer Fresh and If All of The Raindrops by Old Town School of Folk Music) and activity (Learn 5 dance sequences choreographed by Barbara Howse-Diemer)
Blog
Richland Library North Main

Book Talk: Dear Martin

  • Jocelyn T.
  • Monday, October 18
Justyce is a Black teen who is ivy school-bound, a good friend, and always tries to do the right thing. Going to a predominately white, upper-class school, however, poses difficulties that lead to Justyce trying to make sense of the injustices that he regularly witnesses.
The Taking of Jake Livingston
The Companion
Staff Picks

Latest YA Horror for Teens

  • Alison B.
  • Monday, October 04
October is here so it's time for some spooky reads! Whether your cup of tea (or pumpkin spice flavored beverage) is horrific hauntings or supernatural scares, this list of YA horror for teens is sure to add a chill to your fall.