Young Adult
Shut up, this is serious
Carolina Ixta
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Ixta Carolina
Young Adult
Belen Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant--by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about because he's Black and her parents are racist.
Accountable : the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed
Dashka Slater
371.829 /Slater
Young Adult
"When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as "edgy" humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account. Pretty soon, everyone knew. Ultimately no one in the small town of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the account's discovery. Not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids who followed it. Not the adults--educators and parents--whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse. In the end, no one was laughing. And everyone was left asking: Where does accountability end for online speech that harms? And what does accountability even mean?" -- Page [2] of cover.
As adults, we can guide our teens at home, teachers can intervene in the classroom, but what about on social media, and even more difficult, private accounts? In her latest non-fiction work, Slater (author of the fantastic 57 Bus,) recounts in meticulous journalistic detail a racist Instagram account that was established at a high school and the fallout it created. She shines a light on past trauma, blatant racism, the students who have to deal with the repercussions, and asks, who is accountable? While personally, the book felt a little too lengthy in parts, this is an important read that could be used to foster conversations in book clubs and beyond! -Victoria
Last chance dance
Lakita Wilson
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Wilson Lakita
Young Adult
"Leila is crushed when Dev, her boyfriend of four years, breaks up with her right before graduation. Just when she's thinking she wasted her entire high school experience on a dead-end relationship, her best friend Bree reminds her that Last Chance Dance is just around the corner. A high school tradition, the Last Chance Dance gives all the students one last opportunity to find love before they graduate. All Leila has to do is submit three unrequited crushes to the dance committee and if any of her crushes list her too, they'll get matched. Presto: new relationship, just like that. To her utter amazement, Leila is matched with all three of her choices--and with someone she never expected, Tre Hillman, her chemistry partner and low-key nemesis. But as graduation and the dance approaches, and each date seems to change her mind (and her heart)--Leila must figure out what--and who--she really wants. It's her last chance, right?"--
Not usually one for the romance genre (with the exception of Eleanor and Park, Heartstopper, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,) this one will be added to a small but growing list. Leila was a great character and I found myself rooting for her to find someone new to fulfill her dreams. This is a great back to school read; not too heady, but fun, touching, and relatable. -Victoria
Lore
Alexandra Bracken
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Bracken Alexandr
Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Every seven years there is a hunt offering mortal descendants of gods the opportunity to claim their divinity by killing any of nine immortals made mortal for one night. Lore Perseous has no desire to participate in the Agon, embittered because her family was killed by a rival who then ascended to godhood. When a childhood friend asks her to help, and a wounded god offers an alliance, Lore overlooks the steep cost of this decision in exchange for vengeance.
I chose this book to take on a recent trip to Greece, and it was perfect! A little mythology, but very up-to-date in terms of scenario and personalities involved. This book is suitable for adults and high-level YA, and made for a great beach read. Dialogue is snappy and the main characters are likable, and very human even while being, well, not entirely human (or mortal, I guess). The action takes place in New York, but those of you looking for an exciting, modern take on what Greek myth might look like today won't be disappointed. -Candice
I kick and I fly
Ruchira Gupta
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Gupta Ruchira
Young Adult
"On the outskirts of the red-light area in Bihar, India, Heera is living on borrowed time until the day her father decides to sell her into the sex trade to repay his loans. It is, as she's been told, the fate of all women in Girls Bazaar to end up there. But what if she can learn to fight back against 'fate'? When a local hostel owner presents her with the opportunity to practice kung fu, Heera begins to learn that her body isn't an object to be preyed upon, but a vessel through which she can protect herself. She will face unimaginable barriers -- expulsion from school, the unapologetic forces of nature, and a local trafficker who won't take his sights off her. But fate can change, and heroics are contagious. As Heera starts to piece together the whereabouts of a missing friend through a pen pal in the United States, and a competition takes her to New York, the desire to ensure her friend's survival might just lead her to make the ultimate risk" -- Page 2 of cover.
This is an incredibly insightful and powerful book. It tells a story of the caste system, and the how the peoples (namely women,) from the Nat tribes have endured the worst the system affords. This story is about fate, family but mostly destiny carved out by looking beyond what has been pre-ordained for you. Parts of this book are obviously difficult to read, but it is a necessary and wonderful debut. Author Ruchira Gupta is the founder-president of Apne Aap Women Worldwide and Apne Aap International, an organization committed to ending sex trafficking in India. -Victoria
Heartstopper
Oseman, Alice, author, artist.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Oseman Heartstopper
LGBTQ+, Young Adult, Romance, Graphic Novels
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book. -- Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
This lovely graphic novel series is full of hope and joy as spring blooms while Nick and Charlie fall in love. This is perfect to read in one sitting with a sweet beverage or ice cream in hand. -Bailey
The magic fish
Trung, Le Nguyen, author.
GRAPHIC NOVEL Trung
Young Adult, Graphic Novels
"Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tíên still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tíên, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?"--
This lovely graphic novel is perfect for spring, with a beautiful color pallet and a delightful story of a boy trying to share himself through stories. -Bailey
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline, author.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Boulley, Angeline
Young Adult, Fiction
Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, either in her hometown or on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source of a new drug. How far will she go to protect her community, if it threatens to tear apart the only world she's ever known? -- adapted from jacket
With the next title set in this community, Warrior Girl Unearthed, coming out soon, Firekeeper's Daughter might have to be my next read. -Casey
The last true poets of the sea
Drake, Julia, author.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Drake Julia
Fiction, Young Adult, Literary Fiction
Inspired loosely by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, teenaged Violet is shipped off to Maine after her brother's hospitalization, where she searches for the lost shipwreck that her great-great grandmother survived and for answers about her family's long struggle with mental illness, all while falling in love.
I'm always in for a Shakespeare retelling, and Twelfth Night is one of my favorites. I've heard The Last True Poets of the Sea is really good, but have yet to get to it. Maybe this year! -Casey
Me (Moth)
McBride, Amber, author.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Mcbride Amber
Fiction, Young Adult
Moth, who lost her family in an accident, and Sani, who is battling ongoing depression, take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors, which helps them move forward in surprising, powerful and unforgettable ways.
Added by Casey
This one drew me in from the beginning! Belén, one of the main characters is a sound narrator astute in her intuition and just a lovely character to share space with. Leti is a character we've all known in some form where the best laid plans often go off the rails and we're there watching how that all plays out. This is a story about the love of friendship, how families shape us, how images (good and bad) of our bodies are forged, and how to try to make sense of ourselves and our place in the world in our teen years. The story is set in Oakland, where the author grew up and this setting really brings it all together. A fantastic debut for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo! -Victoria