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Tweens (5th-6th)

Cover image of Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II. Contains a girl dressed in red coat and hat, carrying a small brown suitcase. She is holding the hand of an unseen adult. The girl is reflected in the water puddle on the cobblestone streets. There are also three war planes reflected in the puddle.

This year's Mildred L. Batchelder Award, given to an outstanding children's book translated into English, is the wonderful Italian middle grades memoir Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II. Sensitive and age appropriate, this standout book is an ideal shared read aloud for older children.

We've done quite a few cooking programs at the Green Hills Teen Center. Learn about some of my favorite dishes we've created and have some recommendations for related cookbooks!

The Boston Tea Party was the first event that ignited the Revolutionary War.  It was the first step to the country becoming The United States of America and preceded the Declaration of Independence by about two and a half years.

The Trail of Tears is a part of the American story that is often ignored. This blog lists some of the children's books that are available as well as short day trips to significant places in the life of one Uchi girl.

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When kids learn and succeed in the kitchen it gives them confidence to try new foods and to be creative. A new series from Nashville Kids Cook provides a chance to learn these skills!

With the changing times and means to educate while schools are closed, it can be difficult for parents-now-turned-teachers to homeschool on such short notice, and possibly without a lot of resources. That's where Metro Archives and the Library come in handy. And who says educating can't be fun? So here's a word search I created with words and names pertaining to the founding of the city of Nashville. 

Blockbuster titles by some of the stars of the children's writing world are coming out during this last quarter of 2019. Get out your library card and prepare to place holds!

Is your child obsessed with the creepy and macabre? Can they not get enough of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and plan on moving on to Stephen King? You’ll find that these books are terrifying while being a little more age appropriate.

Whether you have room for a acre mini-farm or a single pot in a sunny window, your child can benefit from growing things! 

Looking for a challenge this summer? Work your way through 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up and 101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up!

Textbooks are filled with the accomplishments of men throughout history but where are all the women? 

Reading stories before bed is a great way to engage with your child and ensure their lifelong love of books and stories. It is also a key opportunity to bond with your child and show them how much you enjoy reading and books too.

Is your tween's favorite holiday Halloween? Do they love creepy, spine-tingling reads? Are you worried they aren't ready for certain titles? Check out these titles that are varying degrees of terrifying.

As Stephen King once said, “Books are uniquely portable magic.” Every time you crack open a book, you enter a new world filled with adventure and possibility. Imagine the sense of wonder a child feels each time they discover a new book they just cannot get enough of! 

An original author, creating a fictitious author writing what amounts to fan fiction, that was then borrowed by another fictitious character for more fan fiction, and then back to the original author who took the fictitious author's character and wrote her own fan fiction? What's not to love about that?

Next week is Banned Books Week – a holiday with which you may not be familiar, but trust me, it’s big news around libraries.

Believe it or not, many movies are adapted from books. More recently, several of those movies were once Young Adult books. Here's a list of upcoming feature films that are based on Young Adult novels.