Teens Know Best

What is TKB?

The Teens Know Best (TKB) book club is for teens 12-18 who want to read and review young adult (YA) books that aren’t available to the public yet. YA Publishers read TKB member reviews and use them to influence their future decisions. You can check them out on Facebook, blog, or Instagram.  TKB is a collaborative program of Metropolitan State University and Saint Paul Public Library.

When does TKB meet?

The group gets free pizza and talks about the books from 6:30pm-8:00pm, on the second Tuesday of every month, year-round, with time before and after to select books. Please arrange to be picked up by 8:30.

Where does TKB meet?

The first-floor lounge of the shared Metropolitan State University Library/Dayton’s Bluff Library at 645 E.7th Street, St. Paul.

How do I get access to the books?

Members receive a special Metropolitan State University library card that lets them check out books from the TKB collection. Only teens involved in the program have accessed.

  • The collection is available whenever the Metropolitan State University Library is open.
  • You can find TKB books in the cases in the lounge, identified by the green tape on their covers.
  • Check out as many books as you like.
  • The borrowing period is 28 days with one renewal for an extra 28 days.

Questions?

You can reach Colette Johnson at colette.johnson@ci.stpaul.mn.us or Jennifer DeJonghe at jennifer.dejonghe@metrostate.edu or Emily Ganzel at emily.ganzel@ci.stpaul.mn.us

The Dayton's Bluff library's main phone number is 651-793-1699. The Metropolitan State University Library main phone number is 651-793-1616.

Participation guidelines:

  • At the monthly meetings teens will each talk about at least one book they read, by briefly sharing the highlights. Teens are always allowed to “pass” if they are not prepared to share.
  • Members are encouraged to submit at least one review a month using the form linked above. Non submittal of reviews may be a case for suspension of borrowing privileges.
  • Respect is crucial: everyone deserves to share as much or as little as they like, without interruption – even if you disagree with them.
  • Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and there are no “right” or “wrong” responses.
  • Don’t feel stuck with a book. If you don’t like it, just read something else. However you can still review the book (why you dislike a book is just as important as why you do).
  • Books are “hot-off-the-press” and mostly “not-off-the-press” titles (in other words, not yet in their final published and publicly available form); these are commonly known in the industry as prepublication “galleys” or “Advance Reader Copies” (ARCs).
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