Teen Scene
September 2026
If you are in grades 9-12, have a 3.5+ GPA, and want to help mentor kids in grades K-8 with homework and reading after school on Mondays or Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30 PM, apply to be be a Burlingame Library Teen Mentor!
Homework Center runs from September 14, 2026 to November 17, 2026.
There is a mandatory training session for all mentors (new and returning) on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
There will be no HWC on October 12 for Indigenous Peoples' Day. Applications are available at the children's desk.
Applications will be accepted from TEENS ONLY.
Questions? Contact Sarah, Teen Services Librarian at tinkham@plsinfo.org
This program is funded by the Burlingame Library Foundation.
 
 
Celebrate creativity and solidarity this United Against Hate Week!
Poets ages 11-18 are invited to submit poetry to be displayed in the Teen Room for United Against Hate Week (October 18-24).
Poems should reflect United Against Hate Week's themes of justice and equity. 5 poems will be chosen for display.
Deadline to submit your poem is October 1st.
Submissions are online only. 
Submit your poem using this form at:  https://forms.gle/KKXjefkEbgxyHvTK8
 
Teens Create: Paint Your Own Canvas Bag
Thursday, September 3, 2026
4:00 PM- 5:00 PM Upper Level Meeting Room
Get inspired and get ready for the school year with your own custom painted canvas bag! 
Registration required. Register at
https://burlingame.libcal.com/event/16901118
This Program is funded by the Burlingame Library Foundation.
 
Attend a community repair self-help workshop where you can receive help repairing your broken durable goods. 
These gatherings are generously staffed by volunteer Fixit Coaches who share their time, tools and expertise. Bring your broken, non-functioning things — electronic gadgets, appliances, computers, toys, sewing machines, fabric and textile items, etc.– for assessment, disassembly, troubleshooting and possible repair.
Email Cynthia at rider@plsinfo.org with any questions. 
Please Register here. It helps us determine how many coaches we might need and set up our space better. https://www.smcsustainability.org/events/categories/fixit-clinics/
This program is supported by the San Mateo Office of Sustainability and the Burlingame Library Foundation.
 
Join us for our final three swaps this year. These are entirely free.
Please bring something and take something. If you have questions please email Cynthia at rider@plsinfo.org or call the library.
Sep 12: Crafting supplies swap.  
Oct 10: Fall Plant Exchange. Cuttings are welcome too.
Nov 7: Yarn, Fabric, and Sewing Notions
 
For children and teens 10 -18 years ONLY. 
Join us in the Tech Lab and learn how to use a sewing machine and make fun projects. 
This class is open to beginning or intermediate level students ages 10-18 years old. 
We will be using sewing machines with an instructor. No experience necessary. A waiver must be signed by a parent pr guardian. 
Registration is required. Registration for each class will open a month before the program. 
Wednesday, September 16 from 3:45 - 5:45 PM
Wednesday, October 14 from 3:45 - 5:45 PM
Wednesday, November 18 from 3:45 - 5:45 PM
Wednesday, December 16 from 3:45 - 5:45 PM 
 
Recent Releases
You Only Live Twice by Autumn Allen
You Only Live Twice
by Autumn Allen

Ready for life on her own terms, Zakiyyah leaves high school early, attends community college, and begins wearing a niqab. She’s considering finding a spouse who shares her faith, but she’s still discovering much about herself. This earnest, affirming story unfolds through texts, emails, sticky notes, poetry, and more.
Flickerstate by F. A. Davidson
Flickerstate
by F.A. Davidson

People who access the flickerstate can manipulate probability, but there are vicious flickerbeasts in the realm of the future. Needing a cure for flickerbeast bites, Noah teams up with classmates to compete for access to her academy’s archives. Read-alikes: Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning; Petra Lord’s Queen of Faces.
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
Fake Skating
by Lynn Painter

A lot has changed since Dani and Alec fell out of touch in middle school. Finally reunited in hockey-obsessed Southview, Minnesota, they hatch a fake dating scheme that forces them to confront their complicated past. Read-alikes: Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick’s Make My Wish Come True; Ellen O'Clover’s Seven Percent of Ro Devereux.
 
What Lies Beneath the Flowers by Natasha Díaz
What Lies Beneath the Flowers
by Natasha Díaz

Tempted by a $25,000 reward, best friends Pippa and Bidi decide to find missing influencer Estella Aubergine. They infiltrate Estella’s posh private school, but Pippa’s impulsiveness clashes with Bidi’s practicality. This twisty and atmospheric mystery exposes deep truths about friendship, girlhood, and privilege.
Immortal Game by Allison Saft
Immortal Game
by Allison Saft

When Midir of Bri Leith, the fae High King of the Otherworld, hosts a chess tournament, the prize is the granting of a single wish. Chess grandmaster Shea Fury knows this is her chance to reclaim her sister, lost to the fae realm six years ago. Read-alikes: Malindo Lo’s Huntress; Bex Hogan’s Nettle.
Retro Reads
Check out these awesome books from the not-so-distant past.
 
Split the Sky (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Title) by Marie Arnold
Split the Sky
by Marie Arnold

Women in Lala’s family see visions of the future. One such vision puts Lala in a moral quandary: save a member of the Black Student Alliance from death, or do nothing and allow a powerful social movement to rise from the tragedy? Read-alikes: Brittney Morris’ The Cost of Knowing; Lorraine Avila’s The Making of Yolanda la Bruja.
Songlight by Moira Buffini
Songlight
by Moira Buffini

In dystopian Brightland, people with the telepathic ability called songlight are considered “unhuman” and subject to extermination. After Elsa’s boyfriend is imprisoned, she sends out an anguished cry through songlight, drawing her into a vast conflict. This trilogy opener is unputdownable.
The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
The Executioners Three
by Susan Dennard

The morning after Freddie calls the cops on teens partying in the woods -- she heard screaming, okay? -- a dead body is discovered. As Freddie investigates the tragedy, a supernatural legend emerges from the past. This gory mystery infuses a coming-of-age story with 1990s atmosphere.
Rick Riordan Presents: A Touch of Blood by Sajni Patel
A Touch of Blood
by Sajni Patel

During the Fire Wars, naga Eshani bargained her own life away to ensure her people’s survival. Now the Underworld’s gatekeeper needs Eshani’s help healing the plague-stricken realm before the Shadow King claims her. This riveting novel infuses the myth of Hades and Persephone with Indian lore.
Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!
Burlingame Public Library
480 Primrose Rd
Burlingame, California 94010
650-558-7400 x3

www.burlingame.org/library