Hayner Library Honors Teen as Reading Challenge Winner

ALTON - Hayner Public Library District recently honored a local teenager for her participation in a yearlong reading challenge.

Kiera Edwards, age 16, read a book in a different genre every month throughout 2025 and wrote a report about each one. Kiera and her mother, Ashley, expressed their appreciation for Hayner’s TeenSpace programming, which is targeted toward local teenagers. The mother-daughter duo noted that the library has provided them with great opportunities to connect with other families.

“I really enjoy participating in it. It’s very fun. It's a very welcoming, teen-friendly space,” Kiera said. “The library is a very nice space for people to come and interact. It’s very home-ish, to say the least.”

Kiera shared that she loved reading “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and can’t wait to download a few horror books on her new Kindle, which was Hayner’s prize for the winning teen. She commended Megan Dees, who oversees the TeenSpace programming, as “a very good supervisor.”

Dees started the TeenSpace programming three years ago to provide a safe, free, and fun space for teenagers across the Riverbend region. She goes out of her way to come up with activities and events that the teens enjoy.

It’s paid off. The teens come in droves and often express their appreciation for the experiences she provides.

“Honestly, they’ve told me a bunch of times how honored they are to have this space,” Dees said. “I let them be who they are. It benefits them because I listen to them. It gets more people to come in because they’re like, no, it’s a fun, safe spot to come hang out, do fun things, talk about books, talk about life in general. They very much appreciate what we do here.”

And their parents are equally thankful. Ashley explained that she homeschools Kiera, and she wanted her daughter to have opportunities to spend time with people her age. Since Kiera started attending the TeenSpace activities at age 13, she has “blossomed” into a bright, confident young person.

“She needed to be able to get out and meet some new friends and new people, and [TeenSpace] just gave us the best opportunity,” Ashley said. “It’s helped her a lot with her confidence. Watching her be confident and gain new friends and learn how to navigate those new friendships, it’s just been awesome.”

Ashley shared that she has also met several parents through the TeenSpace programs, and commented that she has friends she never would have met “if it wasn’t for the library.” Both Kiera and Ashley are thankful for how Hayner has allowed them to grow and connect to the community.

This is exactly what Dees wanted to achieve when she started TeenSpace. She makes it a point to take the teens seriously and support them at the library and beyond.

“Honestly, the most important thing that I do for the teens is I listen to them. I take their input, because that’s where it all starts,” she explained. “They’re the next generation. We need to listen to what they have to say. Of course, it goes both ways, obviously. But it’s just important to give them a good space to come hang out, have fun, listen, and then they get to have fun and do fun challenges. I just take what they have to say and kind of make it work for the library and then we all have fun.”

Dees encourages teens or parents to contact her with any questions at (618) 433-2872 or megan.dees@haynerlibrary.org. You can also view a full calendar of upcoming events and additional information about TeenSpace at the official Hayner Public Library District website at HaynerLibrary.org.

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