AUBURN — The Auburn Public Library has been selected to receive a competitive grant from the American Library Association to host a reading and discussion program designed for at-risk teens.

The library is one of only two New England libraries selected for the grant, which is the second Great Stories Club grant awarded to the library this year. The Auburn Public Library will partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine Auburn/Lewiston to present the program to area teens.

As one of 75 Great Stories Club grant recipients selected from across the country, the library will work with groups of six to 10 teens to read and discuss three books in which young adult narrators use the creative arts to move past challenges.

“Teenagers are inundated by choices, and it is often difficult for them to see the long-term implications of their everyday actions,” said Donna Wallace, teen librarian. “We’re excited to introduce our teens to these three stories of young people using the arts to respond productively to hardship.”

The theme is The Art of Change: Creation, Growth and Transformation. Book titles include: “Buck: A Memoir” by M.K. Asante, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, and “The Complete Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. The titles — selected by librarian advisors and humanities scholars — were chosen to resonate with reluctant readers who struggle with complex issues such as incarceration, violence and poverty.

The Auburn Public Library will receive 11 copies of each of the three books, which will be gifted to the book club participants.

Gatherings of the Great Stories Club at the library will begin in late September.

FMI: 207-333-6640, ext. 4.