Teen Scene
January 2026

Join Winter Reading at BPL, December 1, 2025-January 31, 2026 
Open for All Ages
  • Pick up a reading log at the library
  • Mark a starfish for each day you read
  • Children and teens get a free book when they finish their first reading log
  • Complete the log a maximum of four times
  • All ages — Get a ticket for each 5 days of reading to choose from the giveaway prize drawings
  • Drawing for prizes will be Monday, February 2, 2026
Prizes:
Two Large Octopuses
Gift cards for:
Buena's Soft Serve, Plucky's Cafe, Dumpling Kitchen,Top Golf, Five Little Monkeys, Barnes & Noble
Centro Pizza
This program is funded by the Burlingame Library Foundation and by a special donation from the Burlingame Lions Club.
 
Youth Poet Laureate, Will it Be You? 
Applications for the 2026-27 Burlingame Hillsborough Youth Poet Laureate are open from November 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026.
If you're a Burlingame-Hillsborough teen passionate about poetry, civic engagement, and social impact, this prestigious position may be for you! 
To review the full list of rules, duties, benefits, and application requirements, visit
https://tinyurl.com/YPLFAQ2026
For any further questions, please email the Teen Librarian at tinkham@plsinfo.org.
This program is funded by the Burlingame Library Foundation
 
Puzzles, Games, and Toy Swap, Saturday, January 10, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
We have a full year of swaps planned in order to reduce waste and share gently used items. 
The first swap is puzzles, games, and toys. Bring your gently used items and find something new. Anything left over will be donated. Email Cynthia at rider@plsinfo.org with any questions.  
 
Teen Friday: Peace, Love Watercolor, Friday, January 16, 2026, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Lane Room 
Hazy shade of winter got you down? Let the sunshine in at our watercolor workshop!
No skills, no expectations, just paint, paper, and good vibes.
Registration required, drop-ins welcome!
Register at https://burlingame.libcal.com/event/16059823
This program is funded by the Burlingame Library Foundation.
 
Fixit Clinic, Friday, January 23 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Tech Lab
Welcome to the Fixit Clinic. Volunteers will help you fix your broken items. 
Registration is extremely helpful please.
The link is on the San Mateo Office of Sustainability site.   https://bit.ly/itemcheckin 
If you have questions, email Cynthia at rider@plsinfo.org or call the library at 650-558-7400. 
 
Recent Releases
I'll Find You Where the Timeline Ends
by Kylie Lee Baker

Mina, the descendent of a Japanese dragon god, possesses time magic that could help her find her sister, lost somewhere in the timeline. Teaming up with handsome rogue Kim Yejun, also looking for someone, means risking her very existence. Read-alikes: Kate Chenli’s A Bright Heart; Vanessa Len’s Once a Villain.
 
Leave It on the Track
by Margot Fisher

Morgan, aka Moose, moves to Portland, Oregon following the death of her parents in a roller rink fire. Anxious about living with a half-sister she barely knows, Moose finds an incredible and affirming community in roller derby. Read-alikes: Tanya Boteju’s Bruised; Rachael Lippincott’s The Lucky List.
 
Break Wide the Sea
by Sara Holland

Annie, cursed by the finfolk to become a man-eating monster if her heart is broken, witnesses monstrous traits emerging as she grieves her lost parents. Meeting Silas, rumored to be part finfolk, makes her question everything she believes. This seafaring tale steeped in folklore is rich with intrigue and emotion.
There's Always Next Year
by Leah Johnson and George M. Johnson

On New Year’s Day, influencer Dom returns to Indiana hoping for viral success. Meanwhile, his cousin Andy is searching for evidence to stop gentrification in her town. As their paths collide, they must reckon with the truest versions of themselves. Read-alikes: Laura Taylor Namey’s With Love, Echo Park; Elise Bryant’s Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling.
 
The Cuffing Game
by Lyla Lee

Living her Los Angeles film school dreams, Mia creates a dating reality show called The Cuffing Game and casts her longtime crush Noah as a contestant. But their growing connection behind the scenes threatens everything Mia’s worked for. This thoughtful romance explores what authenticity looks like in modern relationships.
 
Persephone's Curse
by Katrina Leno

The four Farthing sisters allegedly descend from underworld goddess Persephone, and Winnie Farthing might actually believe it. Because after banishing the ghost in their New York City brownstone to the underworld, the sisters accidentally open a rift between the worlds. This lyrical story infused with magical realism is, at heart, a family drama.
 
How Girls Are Made
by Mindy McGinnis

Realizing how uninformed her little sister is about sex, Fallon and two friends establish a group to educate young women. Fallon’s friends, however, are grappling with social media obsession and intimate partner violence. This sharp, deeply moving novel explores the ways society fails to keep women safe.
 
Mindworks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction
by Neal Shusterman

A hot tub monster, an all-consuming virtual reality game, and a sky full of bats are just some of the things menacing the characters in this short story collection showcasing science fiction, dystopian settings, and horror. Fans of Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series will also appreciate two new stories from that world.
 
Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
Burlingame Public Library
480 Primrose Rd
Burlingame, California 94010
650-558-7400 x3

www.burlingame.org/library