Young Adult

The Patron Saints of Nothing book cover

The Patron Saints of Nothing

Randy Ribay

YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Ribay Randy
Read Woke, Young Adult

When seventeen-year-old Jay Reguero learns his Filipino cousin and former best friend, Jun, was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, he flies to the Philippines to learn more.

Victoria's picture

This is the story of Jay- a Filipino-American straddling two countries; the US where he's spent most of his life and the Philippines, where his parents chose to leave shortly after he was born in pursuit of a better life. Author Randy Ribay excels in exploring identity, what it means to look a certain way and be interpreted in another. Another theme I appreciated was no matter how much you feel a part of the country you left behind, you will often be seen as an outsider once you leave making you question where your home really is. This book is an excellent read for young adults and adults. It humanizes victims of the war on drugs in the Philippines and allows the reader to explore the conflict from alternative perspectives. This is an exceptional read and provides many opportunities for discussion around immigration, politics, family tradition and connections. -Victoria

The lightning thief book cover

The lightning thief

Rick Riordan

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Riordan, Rick
Young Adult

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Beth's picture

The basis for the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief directed by Chris Columbus starring Logan Lerman. -Beth

Love is a revolution book cover

Love is a revolution

Renée Watson

ON ORDER BOOK
Young Adult

Harlem teenager Nala is looking forward to a summer of movies and ice cream until she falls in love with the very woke Tye and pretends to be a social activist.

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Thirteen reasons why book cover

Thirteen reasons why

Jay Asher

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Asher, Jay
Young Adult

When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

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Hatchet book cover

Hatchet

Gary Paulsen

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Paulsen Gary
Young Adult

Headed for Canada to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian is the sole survivor of a plane crash, with only the clothes he has on and a hatchet to help him live in the wilderness.

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Lord of the flies book cover

Lord of the flies

William Golding

FICTION Golding, William
Young Adult

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Looking for Alaska book cover

Looking for Alaska

John Green

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Green, John
Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

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The fault in our stars book cover

The fault in our stars

John Green

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Green, John
Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life.

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Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone book cover

Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone

J. K Rowling

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Rowling, J. K.
Young Adult

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches. This is the first Hary Potter book.

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Holes book cover

Holes

Louis Sachar

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Sachar, Louis
Young Adult

As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

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