Teens
Welcome to the Teen page! You can find our seating area and young adult fiction collection around the corner, near the back entrance. Make use of our study tables, computers, resources, and our Youth Services Librarian! You can also reach out to Jules at jrichards@metuchenlibrary.org for more information.
Upcoming Teen Programs
Get involved with the library! Teens can volunteer as members of our active Teen Advisory Board (TAB), or as Summer Library Volunteers.
TAB is open to Metuchen residents grades 6–12 and has a 15-hour service minimum for the year. We have one meeting a month, and additional Committee Meetings as needed. Members of TAB will work to plan, coordinate, and lead library events and will help decide what events and features they want to see at the library. They will volunteer at annual events like Makers Day or the Lunar New Year Festival, and comprise our Homework Buddies Service. But our most important philosophy at TAB is to enjoy hanging out and make sure we have as many ice cream parties as possible!
Summer Volunteering is open to all teens grades 9–12 and has no minimum hour requirement. No experience is required for Summer Volunteering. Teens will learn about our library and help with organization and more! Under the Teen Services Librarian, volunteers will work independently and in groups to learn how the library works, including how we process a book, how we shelve it, and how we locate it. Volunteers can also help create displays, write book reviews, and decorate the teen space. The application will always go up on the second Wednesday of June at 12pm. Volunteering will always begin in July and end in August.
School-year Volunteering is available to teens grades 9–12 who have volunteered consistently for one Summer Session, are active members of TAB, and/or who have significant prior library experience. The Teen Librarian takes no more than 5 committed volunteers at the beginning of the school year, pending the review of their in-person application. These volunteers are dedicated, detail-oriented, and capable of learning more complicated elements of library work.
Further information can be found on the respective application, as can the contact info of the Teen Services Librarian.
Looking for more immediate help with homework or studying? Check out Brainfuse for live tutoring, a writing and language lab, and even test prep. Log in using your Metuchen library card! Looking for practice tests to ace your drivers exam? Check out DrivingTests.org!
Brainfuse HelpNow
Brainfuse HelpNow offers personalized academic assistance in core subjects (math, reading, writing, science) through live tutoring, a 24/7 Writing Lab, live language lab, academic content, and practice tests for skills-building (including SAT preparation), and much more.
Mango
Learn languages in a fun and efficient way with real-life conversations, native-speaker audio and cultural context so you can speak like a local. Choose from 70 languages!
Peterson’s Test and Career Prep
Access full-length, timed practice exams and explore articles with tips on applying, paying, and preparing for college. Explore career modules covering job search strategies, resumes, cover letters, and interviewing.
Access Peterson’s Test and Career Prep
Driving Tests
Find practice tests on driving techniques, road signs, laws and regulations, and commercial endorsements.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com, is an online educational site with thousands of courses and video tutorials that helps individuals grow business, technology, and creative skills.
Have questions about your mental and/or physical health? The resources below offer regularly updated content designed especially for teens. They’re a great place for teens to research topics of interest privately. If you are in need of an emergency resource: call or text to 988, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
The Youth Alliance – Help Hotlines Page
This webpage from The Youth Alliance provides a list of national hotlines that provide anonymous, confidential information to callers. Teens can find numbers for suicide, mental health, abuse, sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse support, runaway, and more.
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine – Mental Health Resources Page
The SAHM has promoted the health and well-being of adolescents for over 50 years. The “Mental Health Resources for Adolescents and Young Adults” page gathers an array of verified resources with useful descriptions–based on the teen’s topic of interest within the world of mental health. Don’t want to sift through all the links? No problem! Take a look at the links below.
Access Mental Health Resources
Go Ask Alice
Alice is a team of Columbia University health promotion specialists who have been dedicated to answering your teen health questions for 25 years. They cover a range of physical and emotional health topics, including nutrition, reproductive health, relationships, and self-care. Ask Alice anything!
Amaze
Amaze promotes open and honest communication regarding puberty, reproduction, relationships, sex, and sexuality. It is a resource for both teens and adults to find age-appropriate and affirming content, delivered using fun animated videos.
Looking for a book to read? Check out some great external resources to find a perfect fit, or even try out a new genre! You can also find resources created by the Youth Services Librarian.
Comics Plus
The library now offers unlimited, simultaneous access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, manga, and picture books through Comics Plus. There are no holds, wait lists, or monthly borrowing limits, so you can read anytime you want, as much as you want! Each week new titles are added to Comics Plus — with collections that include great reads for all ages.
Access Comics Plus below or download the Comics Plus app to your smartphone or tablet.You will need a Metuchen Public Library card and your PIN number to access Comics Plus.
Comics Plus – Teen Collection
Recommended for Grades 6-12
Youth Librarian’s Book List Collection
A series of book lists to help you navigate the YA section based on content/topic.
Access Youth Librarian’s Book List
Metuchen CARES Book List
Find YA fiction and non-fiction materials on topics such as teen mental and physical health. These books are thanks to a generous sponsorship from Metuchen CARES, a committee which focuses on prevention, recovery, and education regarding substance use disorders.
Access Metuchen CARES Book List
NoveList K-8
NoveList K-8 is the resource for young readers to turn to when looking for the next book to read. Offers reading lists, award-winning titles, series coverage, and the ability to search for books by reading level.
Goodreads Young Adult New Releases
Keep up to date with the newest releases in young adult fiction! Then, you can use our catalog to search for these exciting new titles, or search the New Young Adult fiction shelf in the teen area. Don’t see a book you really want? Email Jules at jrichards@metuchenlibrary.org to request it!
Access Young Adult New Releases