Celebrate A Month Full of Holidays in February with Great Teen Books!

Life is a party – or at least, it can be if you know what to celebrate! Make this February a little more festive and fun by learning about the special holidays and observances occurring this month. Once you have your calendar marked, finish off your preparations by matching the happenings of the month with great books from our library collection. Pull out your calendar, and get started with this quick guide.

February - Black History Month - We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson

The library has many great historical fiction, nonfiction, and biography titles to help you celebrate and commemorate Black History Month. Want a suggestion to help you get started? Try We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson. This nonfiction selection highlights a lesser-known event in the Civil Rights Movement in which young people (including students from all grade levels) took center stage in the fight for equality.

2/3 – Feed the Birds Day – Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Birds are beautiful and majestic creatures. One recent hit fantasy series celebrates this fact in style with an epic saga about a teen girl’s journey to become a phoenix rider. In Veronyka’s world phoenixes are huge, powerful, and essential avian allies in the fight against an oppressive regime. Follow her quest as she disguises her true identity, joins a secret (and potentially dangerous) clan of phoenix riders, and bonds with her new feathered charges. Fans of birds and sprawling fantasy worlds will find a lot to love here.

2/6 – Ice Cream for Breakfast Day – Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not make it more delicious as well? While enjoying a sugary treat on February 6, make sure to check out this equally sweet realistic fiction novel. In the story, a teen girl named Amelia has the enviable summer job of manager at a traditional ice cream stand in a small tourist town. The plot of this tale involves the friendships she must navigate with her fellow co-workers, an interesting new romance, a mystery going all the way back to the World War II era, and plenty of delicious ice cream. Warning: this book will make you start counting the days until summer vacation begins!

Super Bowl Sunday (2/7) – The Walk On by John Feinstein

“The big game” is a February football tradition here in the United States. Get in the football spirit with this first novel in John Feinstein’s Triple Threat series. In this series, teen Alex Myers is starting as a freshman at a new high school. In middle school, he was a three-sport star (football, basketball, and baseball) but graduating to high school means that everything about the competition will be tougher. This excellent first volume in Alex’s story is all about the football season and features friendships, school drama, a compelling mystery plot line, and lots of sports action.

2/10 – Umbrella Day - The Living by Matt de la Peña

For Umbrella Day, the perfect read should pair with any type of drizzle or downpour. This story is about a Mexican-American teenager who takes a summer job on a cruise ship. Instead of sunshine and summer fun, de la Peña turns up the adrenaline when an enormous storm and ocean wave (stemming from an earthquake) turns the cruise story into a fight for survival. To make matters worse, the survivors soon learn that Mother Nature is not the only foe – a suspicious organization is also out to end the lives of the remaining ship passengers. Get to know The Living by Matt de la Peña, and make sure your umbrella is sturdy and strong!

2/11 – National Inventors Day – Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Celebrate Inventors Day by creating an imaginative new tool or gadget. Find your inspiration with this engaging steampunk and science fiction series set in an alternate history of World War I. In this version of history, the Entente Powers fight with the aid of genetically-modified animals while the Central Powers enlist metal and robotic walkers and machines to help their competing side in the war. Featuring two great main characters (a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the air force and a prince on the run from danger) and fantastically detailed illustrations, this series will be just what you need to get those creative juices flowing.

2/16 – Do a Grouch a Favor Day – Restart by Gordon Korman or Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

Doing something nice (especially for someone who is a bit grouchy) can brighten the world for everyone and make you a better person in the process. This lesson is precisely what the main characters of two standout stories (Restart by Gordon Korman and Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick) learn when they are forced to volunteer at senior citizens’ facilities. If you like engaging realistic fiction stories as well as grumpy characters who have hearts of gold (even if those hearts are a bit hidden under the surface), do yourself a favor, and grab one of these titles today.

2/22 – International World Thinking Day - Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy

Sometimes the world’s greatest problems can be solved by intelligent individuals with a strong desire to do good. A teenage science genius named Yuri certainly hopes this is true when NASA brings him from Russia to America to aid with an impending asteroid disaster. Life on earth is in grave danger, and as one of the only ones who can save the human race, Yuri is seriously stressed out. He also might be falling in love for the first time. Talk about pressure! Celebrate World Thinking Day by checking out this book, and remember – whatever your problems are, they are not as big as an asteroid heading to earth.

2/26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day – The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani, Disney Twisted Tales Series by Various Authors

Fairy tale-inspired books are some of the most popular titles and series in our teen collections. On a day dedicated to the magic and fun of fairy tales, here are two choices. The School for Good and Evil series has an intriguing premise – what if characters related to classic fairy tales were students and teachers at the same school? Another great pick for this day would be one of the many Disney Twisted Tales retellings. If you enjoy Disney movies both classic and recent, expand your experience with the story by following the movie plot line in a different direction and to a new ending. Start with So This is Love by Elizabeth Lim (a retelling of Cinderella) and expand your Disney adventures from there.

On top of all you have to look forward to in February, you can make every day special by browsing the many interesting, exciting, and entertaining items we have in our print, eBook, and eAudiobook collections. February only has 28 days this year, so make every moment count! Happy reading!