News & Updates

September is Library Card Sign-up Month!
Get in Your Element this Fall with a Library Card!
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when the Bay County Library System joins the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide to remind everyone about the valuable resources available with a library card.
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Familiar Characters, New Stories: Disney Teen Novels
As readers are transitioning from choosing books from the children’s room to the teen section, there is sometimes a want for something familiar but elevated. In the past ten years Disney has been building an amazing selection that features the characters you know and love (or in the case of villains...
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Disclaimer(s)
Bay County Residents Only
This high demand special collection/program is limited exclusively to Bay County resident cardholders only.
Please alert staff to any food allergies.
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Disclaimer(s)
Please register each person individually, including adults.
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Disclaimer(s)
Participant must be in grades sixth through twelfth (6-12) to register for this program
Disclaimer(s)
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.
Participant must be in grades sixth through twelfth (6-12) to register for this program
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
Disclaimer(s)
Bay County Residents Only
This high demand special collection/program is limited exclusively to Bay County resident cardholders only.
Please alert staff to any food allergies.
Registration is required. Please register in person, by phone, or online.
New Teen Reads
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Tales from the Pizzaplex #8: B7-2: an AFK Book (Five Nights at Freddy's)
Five Nights at Freddy's fans won't want to miss this collection of three chilling stories that will haunt even the bravest player...
How do you know what's imagined and what is not? . . . After spending most of his life trying to become an animatronic, Billy wakes up in the hospital to an entirely new reality. Travis can't shake the feeling that something eerily familiar is haunting him. And nightmares make Rory's days and nights blend together until it's hard to tell what's what. In the world of Five Nights at Freddy's, reality can be worse than you could ever envision . . .
In this eighth volume, Five Nights at Freddy's creator Scott Cawthon spins three sinister novella-length tales from uncharted corners of his series' canon. In the world of Five Nights at Freddy's, everything comes with a price to pay.
Readers beware: This collection of terrifying tales is enough to rattle even the most hardened Five Nights at Freddy's fans.
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Dragging Mason County
A laugh-out-loud YA debut that examines the realities of small-town queer life and celebrates the transformative power of drag--perfect for fans of RuPaul's Drag Race and Pumpkin.
Peter Thompkins needs a public image overhaul. After a tense confrontation with one of the few other queer kids in his small-town high school, rumors about him are becoming more elaborate by the day. Meanwhile, his best friend Alan (aka teen drag queen Aggie Culture) is throwing Mason County's debut Drag Extravaganza. Although Peter is a self-described "dragnostic," he decides to help produce the show, hoping to prove that he isn't a self-hating gay. In the process, he finds himself facing down angry guard dogs, angrier bigots, and a very high-strung church lady. As backlash grows, Peter begins to wonder whether he's setting fire to his already damaged reputation and if his friendship with Alan will survive past curtain call.
At turns touching, sharply funny, and a little absurd, Dragging Mason County explores the pains and pleasures of queer community through one teen's journey to self-acceptance.
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The Scarlet Veil
This dark and thrilling vampire romance--set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series--is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas!
Célie Tremblay has always been a good girl: kind and beautiful, a daughter of whom every parent would be proud. She surprises the entire kingdom when she defies tradition to become the first huntswoman--including her new captain and fiancé, Jean Luc, who rules the huntsmen with an iron fist. He isn't the only one concerned for Célie's safety, however. Though her friends try to protect her from the horrors of her past, mysterious whispers still haunt her, and a new evil is rising in Belterra--leaving bodies in its wake, each one drained of blood.
Determined to prove herself in her new role, Célie tracks the killer to the lair of Les Éternels--ancient creatures only spoken about in nursery rhymes--and catches the attention of their king, a monster who hides his plans for her behind beautiful words and sharp smiles. Now Célie has new reason to fear the dark because the closer he gets, the more tempted she feels to give in to his dark hunger--and her own.
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The Haunting
#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with another pulse-pounding, twisty read!
Haunted by the past . . .
Penny's trying to forget about her ex, Nash. His father was arrested for the brutal murder of four teenagers on Devil's Night last year. Penny's parents have forbidden her to have anything to do with Nash or his family. It's hard not to think of what happened as spooky season gets underway—but she's trying.
That stops when she goes to the Halloween store with her friends to find a costume. What she finds instead is ripped from a horror movie: a classmate bleeding out on the floor of a dressing room. Stabbed.
Is a copycat killer on the loose? The adults are saying no. But Penny knows better. -
Find Him Where You Left Him Dead
AT DAWN HE’LL BE GONE AND YOU’LL BE HERE FOREVER.
Kristen Simmons's masterful breakout horror novel that's "Jumanji but Japanese-inspired" (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in a nightmarish folkloric underworld.
“Twists, turns, and genuine palpable emotion.” —David Levithan • “Haunting and unforgettable.” —Melissa de la Cruz • “A nightmare I didn’t want to end.” —Terry J. Benton-Walker • “Absorbing.” —C. L. Herman • “Bone-chilling.” —Lauren Shippen • “Heart-pounding.” —Margaret Rogerson • “Twisted.” —Lish McBride • “Won't let me sleep!” —Chelsea Mueller • "Full of surprises." —C. J. Redwine • “Intense.” —Kendare Blake
Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.
Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.
Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.
As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:
They have one night to complete seven challenges or they'll all be stuck in this world forever.
Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.
And once again, not everyone will make it out alive. -
There's No Way I'd Die First
A spine-tingling contemporary horror-comedy novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer.
Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?
With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.
Except…maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he's just getting started.
A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she’s a Final Girl. -
A Pretty Implausible Premise
In this touching novel, Hattie and Presley's instant connection seemed implausible--almost impossible--but falling in love is exactly what they needed to escape the ghosts of their pasts.
Head-spinning, Taylor-Swift-song-level feelings. Their instant connection seems implausible, even impossible, as they start to realize all they have in common. Both are grieving, living in worlds haunted by ghosts; both have a parent who's out of sight, not out of mind; and both were forced to give up their Olympic dreams. Connected by experiences only they understand, Hattie and Presley fall into a whirlwind romance--flirting at their workplace, sleeping side by side beneath the stars, ice skating to a playlist all their own. But like the wildfires surrounding their California town, the trauma that haunts them is unrelenting. Can they overcome their losses without losing each other? Or will their ghosts break them apart?
Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Rachel Lynn Solomon, A Pretty Implausible Premise explores the power of a love beyond comprehension, and how seemingly implausible connections can be the ones we need the most.
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This Dark Descent
"A fierce and darkly magical thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat." —Ava Reid, award-winning author of Juniper & Thorn
The Shadows Between Us meets Six of Crows in this spellbinding new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, and pulse-pounding action, where the eldest daughter of a renowned family on the verge of ruin joins forces with a mysterious, rogue enchanter and a handsome, ambitious heir to win a deadly race.
Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To save her ranch, Mikira has only one option: she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige.
Mikira’s mission soon unites her with Arielle Kadar, an impressive yet illicit enchanter just beginning to come into her true power, and Damien Adair, a dashing young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle. Both have hidden reasons of their own to help Mikira -- as well as their own blood feuds to avenge...
Steeped in Jewish folklore, This Dark Descent is a pulse-pounding new fantasy full of forbidden magic, sizzling romance, and epic stakes. In a world as dangerous as this, will the need for vengeance butcher Mikira’s chances of winning the Illinir ... or will another rider’s dagger? -
Nightbreaker
"Action-packed and utterly vivid, Nightbreaker leaps to life with its formidable world and spirited protagonist. As soon as you start reading, you won’t want to stop."
—Chloe Gong, #1 NYT bestselling author of These Violent Delights
Fifteen years ago, The Vanishing thrust Manhattan into darkness, forever changing the City That Never Sleeps. By day, resilient New Yorkers have adapted, clinging to the vestiges of their cosmopolitan lives. By night—well, you never go out at night unless you have a death wish.
Or unless you're Rei Reynolds.
Rei attends an exclusive New York prep school, but unlike her classmates, she welcomes nightfall. That's when she can secretly hunt Deathlings, the deadly creatures that have prowled Manhattan's subway tunnels and blood-soaked streets since the Vanishing. After they brutally slaughtered her parents years ago, Rei is desperate for vengeance.
To get it, Rei must qualify for—and win—the Tournament, a competition to join the ranks of the city’s legendary Deathling hunters. Rei’s nightly pursuits should give her an advantage, but the other competitors are fierce, and in some cases familiar: enter Kieran Cross, Rei’s most infuriating rival . . . and ex-boyfriend.
As the Tournament progresses—and the cutthroat competition escalates—everything Rei believed about who she can trust is called into question. Soon enough, she’s caught in the crosshairs of the elite who want to keep the city's ruling class in power, as well as those who will stop at nothing to bring it down. Because sometimes it's not the monsters waiting in the dark you should fear . . . it's the ones who dare to walk into the light.
Coco Ma's exhilarating urban fantasy thrusts readers into an immersive world of thrills and chills, featuring the smart, sardonic post-apocalyptic heroine you’ll soon wish you could be. -
The Society for Soulless Girls
A sapphic enemies-to-lovers retelling of Jekyll & Hyde, this dark academia thriller follows two roommates who must solve an infamous cold case of serial murders on their campus after an arcane ritual gone wrong prompts another death.
Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous unsolved North Tower murders at the elite Carvell Academy of the Arts, forcing the school to close its doors.
Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless freshman Lottie Fitzwilliam is determined to find out what really happened. But when her beautiful but standoffish roommate, Alice Wolfe, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual in a book hidden in Carvell’s library, the North Tower claims another victim. Is there a killer among them . . . or worse, within them?
Exploring possession and ambition, lust and bloodlust, femininity and violence, The Society for Soulless Girls is perfect for fans of The Secret History, A Lesson in Vengeance, and The Grimrose Girls. -
Midnight at the Houdini
A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, she'll be trapped there forever unless she's able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!
Life has gone according to plan for Anna—she stays in the background, letting her sister, Emily, shine in the spotlight. But on Emily’s wedding night, Anna learns that her sister is moving away, abandoning her—and all their shared dreams. Devastated, Anna leaves the reception in the middle of a raging storm, taking shelter in a hotel she’s never seen before: the Houdini.
The Houdini is a hotel unlike any other, with sumptuous velvet couches, marble tiled floors, secret restaurants, winding passageways, and an undercurrent of magic in the air. And when Anna meets Max, who has lived his entire life inside its walls, she’s captivated. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.
But there’s a terrifying secret hidden in the Houdini. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped there forever unless she can find a way to break free from its dreamlike magic. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?
Enchanting, mysterious, and utterly fantastic, Midnight at the Houdini will cast its spell on you. -
What the River Knows
The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.
Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.
With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.
What the River Knows is the first book in the thrilling Secrets of the Nile duology.
"Expertly plotted, explosively adventurous, and burning with romance." - Stephanie Garber #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Take a plucky heroine, a historically grounded Indiana Jones-esque adventure through Ancient Egypt, and add a surprising dollop of magic — it’s a recipe for a delightful read." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
People to Follow
In Olivia Worley's pitch-perfect debut, People to Follow, ten teen influencers come to a remote island to star in a reality show, but when one of them winds up dead, they realize that this time, the price of getting “cancelled” could be their lives.
A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.
Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars--including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators--it’s about to turn into a nightmare.
When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these social media moguls find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game...and one of them might be pulling the strings.
With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled--like, literally--before their #1 follower strikes again. -
The Rosewood Hunt
Irresistible intrigue, captivating suspense, a swoony friends-to-rivals-to-lovers romance, and heartbreaking betrayal drive this thrilling debut novel that is perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games and Knives Out.
Lily Rosewood has lived with her grandmother since her dad's death a year ago. She and Gram have always been close--Gram's role as chair of their family's luxury coat business has inspired Lily's love of fashion, and Lily hopes to follow in Gram's footsteps one day.
Then Gram dies suddenly, and Lily's world is upended. Gram's quarter of a billion dollar fortune is missing, and Lily has been banned from the manor she and Gram shared.
But Gram has always loved games, and even in death, she still has a few tricks up her couture sleeve. When Lily and three other seemingly random teens get letters from Gram sending them on a treasure hunt around Rosetown, they hope the fortune will be the reward. But they're not the only ones hunting for Gram's treasure, and soon the hunt becomes more dangerous than they ever could have imagined.
*****
"Readers be warned: once you pick up Mackenzie Reed's debut, you won't want to put it down. The Rosewood Hunt is a fun, twisty, fast-paced mystery with just the right amount of angsty drama, perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games and Goonies."--Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas, The Night in Question, and The Lucky Ones
"A captivating mystery full of secrets, family betrayals, and intrigue wrapped inside a fabulous treasure hunt that will leave readers spellbound. Reed seamlessly weaves classic mystery elements with a truly touching story of family and greed."--Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
"Such a fun adventure! Mackenzie Reed has crafted a fast-paced, exciting mix of treasure hunt, romance, and family secrets that fans of The Inheritance Games will surely gobble up."--Diana Urban, author of Lying in the Deep
"The Rosewood Hunt is a heart pounding thrill ride. With a breakneck pace, jaw-dropping betrayals, and dizzying twists, this high stakes treasure of a hunt kept me guessing to the final page."--Dana Mele, author of People Like Us and Summer's Edge
"A high-stakes exploration of grief, greed, and what it means to choose your own family, The Rosewood Hunt is a perfectly twisty mystery filled with complex characters and reveals that will leave your heart racing. A must-read for any National Treasure or The Goonies fan!"--Victoria Wlosok, author of How to Find a Missing Girl
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The Search for Us
“A sharp-witted and illuminating, impressive sophomore novel.” - Isaac Blum, author of the award-nominated The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen
Two half-siblings who have never met embark on a search together for the Iranian immigrant and U.S. Army veteran father they never knew.
Samira Murphy will do anything to keep her fractured family from falling apart, including caring for her widowed grandmother and getting her older brother into recovery for alcohol addiction. With attendance at her dream college on the line, she takes a long shot DNA test to find the support she so desperately needs from a father she hasn’t seen since she was a baby.
Henry Owen is torn between his well-meaning but unreliable bio-mom and his overly strict aunt and uncle, who stepped in to raise him but don’t seem to see him for who he is. Looking to forge a stronger connection to his own identity, he takes a DNA test to find the one person who might love him for exactly who he is—the biological father he never knew.
Instead of a DNA match with their father, Samira and Henry are matched with each other. They begin to search for their father together and slowly unravel the difficult truth of their shared past, forming a connection that only siblings can have and recovering precious parts of their past that have been lost. Brimming with emotional resonance, Susan Azim Boyer's The Search for Us beautifully renders what it means to find your place in the world through the deep and abiding power of family.