Young Adult
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda
Becky Albertalli
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Albertalli, Becky
LGBTQ+, Humor, Romance, Young Adult
"Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity--and that of his pen pal--will be revealed"--
The sun is also a star
Nicola Yoon
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Yoon Nicola
Fiction, Young Adult
Natasha, whose family is hours away from being deported, and Daniel, a first generation Korean American who strives to live up to his parents' expectations, unexpectedly fall in love and must determine which path they will choose in order to be together.
Added by Beth
The poet X
Elizabeth Acevedo
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Acevedo, Elizabeth
Fiction, Young Adult
Harlem. Ever since her body grew into curves, Xiomara Batista has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. She pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers-- especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. Mami is determined to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, and Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. When she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she can't stop thinking about performing her poems.
Added by Beth
More happy than not
Adam Silvera
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Silvera Adam
Young Adult, Fiction
After enduring his father's suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships, and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, sixteen, is already considering the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love.
Added by Beth
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Saenz Benjamin
Fiction, Young Adult
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship--the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
Added by Beth
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
Sherman Alexie
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Alexie, Sherman
Fiction, Young Adult
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Added by Beth
The hate u give
Angie Thomas
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Thomas Angie
Young Adult, Fiction
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
Added by Beth
Blood moon
Lucy Cuthew
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Cuthew Lucy
Young Adult
"After school one day, Frankie, a lover of physics and astronomy, has her first sexual experience with quiet and gorgeous Benjamin - and gets her period. It's only blood, they agree. But soon a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an intimate, affectionate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying, and damaging. In the time it takes to swipe a screen, Frankie's universe implodes. Who can she trust? Not Harriet, her suddenly cruel best friend, and certainly not Benjamin, the only one who knows about the incident. As the online shaming takes on a horrifying life of its own, Frankie begins to wonder: is her real life over?" --Amazon.
A formidable feminist find in verse (that's called alliteration!). -Victoria
Somebody give this heart a pen
Sophia Thakur
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Thakur Sophia
Black History, Young Adult
"In her publishing debut, internationally acclaimed performance poet Sophia Thakur takes you on an intimate journey through love, loss, sacrifice, and self-discovery. In four parts -- titled Grow, Wait, Break, and Grow Again -- she shares her raw self and gives voice to experiences that connect people, inspiring readers to explore the tendencies of the heart." -- Provided by publisher.
Sophia is raw, honest and someone who who built herself up brick by brick to become an indomitable force. Somebody give that heart all the pens she needs! If you don't know her, you need to check her out! -Victoria
Beauty mark : a verse novel of Marilyn Monroe
Carole Boston Weatherford
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Weatherf Carole
Young Adult
From the day she was born as Norma Jeane Mortenson, to her reigning days as a Hollywood icon, Marilyn Monroe lived a life that was often defined by others. This verse novel revisits Marilyn's often traumatic early life of foster homes, loneliness, sexual abuse, teen marriage, and follows her into a hard-won, meteoric rise to stardom that brought with it exploitation, pill dependency, and depression. In covering moments of extraordinary pain and moments of unexpected grace, gumption, and perseverance, we learn the inexorable power of pursuing one's dreams. -- adapted from jacket
A gripping account of a Hollywood icon. You may never see Marilyn Monroe the same way again! -Victoria
An authentic and utterly heart-warming story. Simon is adorable; you will instantly like him and this is a wonderful "love is love" tale! -Victoria