LibGuides: WHS Summer Reading 2024: Recommendation Lists

Realistic Fiction

American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Call Number: FIC ZOBOI
ISBN: 9780062473042
Publication Date: 2017-02-14
Fabiola Toussaint, a young Haitian immigrant to the United States, must navigate her life, school and relationships, while dealing with her loud cousins after her mother is detained by the United States immigration department.
Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Call Number: FIC OSHIRO
ISBN: 9781250167026
Publication Date: 2018-05-22
Six years ago, Moss Jefferies' father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media's vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks. Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals in their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration. When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz; Benjamin Alire Sáenz
ISBN: 1442408928
Publication Date: 2012-02-21
Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk
Call Number: FIC WOODFOLK
ISBN: 9781524715878
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Autumn, Shay, and Logan, whose lives intersect in complicated ways, each lose someone close to them and must work through their grief.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
ISBN: 9780525552963
Publication Date: 2018-08-28
Clinically-depressed Darius Kellner, a high school sophomore, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but it is their next-door neighbor, Sohrab, who changes his life.
A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
ISBN: 9781481415200
Publication Date: 2018-09-18
Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and friends, Annabelle, eighteen, runs from Seattle to Washington, D.C., becoming a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to her recent trauma
Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
ISBN: 9780593177051
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
Nima doesn't feel understood. By her mother, who grew up faraway in a different land. By her suburban town, which makes her feel too much like an outsider to fit in and not enough like an outsider to feel like that she belongs somewhere else. At least she has her childhood friend Haitham, with whom she can let her guard down and be herself. Until she doesn't. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen, the name her parents didn't give her at birth: Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might just be more real than Nima knows. And more hungry. And the life Nima has, the one she keeps wishing were someone else's . . . she might have to fight for it with a fierceness she never knew she had
Juba! by Walter Dean Myers
Call Number: FIC MYERS
ISBN: 9780062112712
Publication Date: 2015-10-13
In Five Points, New York, in the 1840s, African American teenager William Henry "Juba" Lane works hard to achieve his dream of becoming a professional dancer but his real break comes when he is invited to perform in England.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
ISBN: 9780525555254
Publication Date: 2021-01-19
1954, in San Francisco's Chinatown, seventeen-year-old Lily Hu falls in love with Kathleen Miller.
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson; Renée Watson
Call Number: FIC WATSON
ISBN: 9781681191058
Publication Date: 2017-02-14
Tired of being singled out at her mostly-white private school as someone who needs support, high school junior Jade would rather participate in the school's amazing Study Abroad program than join Women to Women, a mentorship program for at-risk girls.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Call Number: FIC ACEVEDO
ISBN: 9780062662804
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli; Aisha Saeed
Call Number: FIC ALBERTALLI
ISBN: 9780062937049
Publication Date: 2020-02-04
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate--as long as he's behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers- or almost anyone, really- Jamie's a choke artist. There's no way he'd ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes . . . until he meets Maya. Maya Rehman's having the worst Ramadan ever. Her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing--with some awkward dude she hardly knows--is beyond her. Going door to door isn't exactly glamorous, but maybe it's not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer--and so are Maya and Jamie.
Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson; Ellen Hagan
Call Number: FIC WATSON
ISBN: 9781547600083
Publication Date: 2019-02-12
Frustrated by the way women are treated--even at their progressive New York City high school--two best friends start a Women's Rights Club, post their essays and poems online, and watch it go viral, attracting positive support as well as trolls.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
ISBN: 9780062882769
Publication Date: 2020-05-05
Sixteen-year-olds Camino Rios, of the Dominican Republic, and Yahaira Rios, of New York City, are devastated to learn of their father's death in a plane crash and stunned to learn of each other's existence. A novel in verse told in two voices.

Biographies & Memoirs

The Beautiful Struggle (Adapted for Young Adults) by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Call Number: 92 COATES
ISBN: 9781984894038
Publication Date: 2021-01-12
A memoir from Ta-Nehisi Coates [adapted for young adults], in which he details the challenges on the streets and within one's family, especially the eternal struggle for peace between a father and son and the important role family plays in such circumstances.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Call Number: 92 OBAMA
ISBN: 9781524763138
Publication Date: 2018-11-13
Former first lady Michelle Obama reflects on her childhood, path to becoming a lawyer, her relationship with former president Barack, her time in the White House, and life after the presidency. She looks back at the struggles of being a woman of color in white male-dominated professions, and how she overcame to succeed alongside her husband. Mrs. Obama discusses her personal initiatives as first lady, including a focus on health, physical activity, and nutrition, while also looking at her dual roles as a professional mom. She finally reflects on her husband's political career, from the early arguments about his desire to run for president to the campaign trail, and finally to his swearing in as the forty-fourth president. Includes a selection of candid photographs.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Call Number: 92 WOODSON
ISBN: 9780399252518
Publication Date: 2014-08-28
The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South.
Forager by Michelle Dowd
ISBN: 9781643751856
Publication Date: 2023-03-07
A memoir of the author's experience growing up in an apocalyptic cult, with an emphasis on how understanding the natural world was her key to escape and survival.
Pieces of a Girl by Stephanie Kuehnert
ISBN: 9780525429753
Publication Date: 2024-03-26
Years before she would become a published author . . . years before she would find a voice and a home in the Riot Grrrl movement and emerging zine community, Stephanie Kuehnert struggled to find her place. Told in varied narrative styles, including journal entries, original illustration, and pages torn from her actual teenage diaries and zines, this is the story of Stephanie Kuehnert's life as a struggling outsider who survived substance and relationship abuse to become a strong and powerful young woman after years trapped in a cycle that sometimes seemed to have no escape.
Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman
Call Number: 920
ISBN: 9780805093391
Publication Date: 2017-04-18
An account of the relationship between brothers Theo and Vincent van Gogh draws on hundreds of letters written by the master artist that illuminate how Theo supported Vincent throughout the latter's creative and interpersonal struggles.

Poetry

Black Girl Magic by Mahogany l. Browne; Jess X. Snow (Illustrator)
Call Number: 811 BROWNE
ISBN: 9781250173720
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
Presents a poem that looks at a journey of an African-American girl from girlhood to womanhood.
Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing
Call Number: 818 EWING
ISBN: 9781608468560
Publication Date: 2017-09-12
A series of poems by Eve Ewing.
Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
Call Number: FIC ILOH
ISBN: 9780525556206
Publication Date: 2020-09-22
A mixed-heritage dancer's coming of age within the African diaspora is shaped by abuse at the hands of a cousin, her mother's descent into addiction, and her father's efforts to create a Nigerian-inspired home in America.
Native Voices by CMarie Fuhrman (Editor); Dean Rader (Editor)
Call Number: 811 NATIVE
ISBN: 9781946482181
Publication Date: 2019-04-01
An anthology of indigenous poetry, with some prose and essays
Native Voices by CMarie Fuhrman (Editor); Dean Rader (Editor)
ISBN: 9781946482181
Publication Date: 2019-04-01
An anthology of indigenous poetry, with some prose and essays.
Poemhood: Our Black Revival by Amber McBride; Erica Martin; Taylor Byas; L. L. C. Ashwin Writing (Photographer)
ISBN: 9780063225282
Publication Date: 2024-01-30
Featuring contributions from an award-winning, bestselling group of Black voices, past and present, this powerful poetry anthology elicits vital conversations about race, belonging, history and faith to highlight Black joy and pain.
Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott; Loveis Wise (Illustrator, Cover Design by)
ISBN: 9781368045247
Publication Date: 2020-01-14
Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls.
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
ISBN: 9781449486792
Publication Date: 2017-10-03
A transcendent journey about growth and healing, ancestry and honoring one's roots and expatriation, and rising up to find a home within yourself.
Voices in the Air by Naomi Shihab Nye
Call Number: 811 NYE
ISBN: 9780062691842
Publication Date: 2018-02-13
Ninety-five poems pay tribute to essential voices past and present that have the power to provoke us, lead us, and give us hope.

Go Deeper with a Good Series!

Arc of a Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman
ISBN: 9781442472433
Publication Date: 2017-11-28
"In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes'). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe--a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn't"
The Brooklyn Bruja Series by Zoraida Cordova
ISBN: 9781492620945
Publication Date: 2016-09-06
Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. But she's hated magic ever since it made her father disappear into thin air. When a curse she performs to rid herself of magic backfires and her family vanishes, she must travel to Los Lagos, a land in-between as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland, to get her family back.
The Crown of Feathers Series by Nicki Pau Preto
ISBN: 9781534424623
Publication Date: 2019-02-12
Veronyka, sixteen, leaves her controlling sister and disguises herself as a boy to join a secret group of warriors who ride phoenixes into battle.
The Dimple and Rishi Series by Sandhya Menon
ISBN: 9781481478687
Publication Date: 2017-05-30
When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.
The Empirium Trilogy by Claire Legrand
ISBN: 9781492656623
Publication Date: 2018-05-22
Rielle may prove to be one of the Prophesized Queens, if she survives the trials, and a thousand years later bounty hunter Eliana helps a girl who could be the answer to the prophecy.
The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black
ISBN: 9780316310277
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
Jude, seventeen and mortal, gets tangled in palace intrigues while trying to win a place in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, where she and her sisters have lived for a decade.
The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
ISBN: 1250027438
Publication Date: 2013-05-07
Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.
Legend by Marie Lu
ISBN: 9780142422076
Publication Date: 2013-04-16
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.
The Legendborn Series by Tracy Deonn
ISBN: 9788418509278
To discover the truth behind her mother's mysterious death, a teen girl infiltrates a magical secret society claiming to be the descendants of King Arthur and his knights.
The Nightmare-Verse by L. L. McKinney
ISBN: 9781250153906
Publication Date: 2018-09-25
In this urban fantasy "Alice in Wonderland" story, Alice is modern girl living in Atlanta and juggling real life with an over-protective mom, a best friend, and school with her job as a Dreamwalker, one trained to kill creatures known as Nightmares in the dream realm called Wonderland. Then her mentor is poisoned, and Alice must travel deep into Wonderland--deeper than she's ever gone before--to find the antidote.
The Shadow Player's Trilogy by Heidi Heilig
ISBN: 9780062380814
Publication Date: 2018-09-25
Jetta has the old, forbidden magic--she, with just a drop of blood, can bind wandering spirits to the shadow puppets that have made her family the most famous troupe of shadow players in Chakrana. If anyone ever found out, Jetta could be jailed, or worse. Rebellion and desperation begin to rise in the land, and Jetta's power becomes hard to hide--especially from Leo, a young smuggler with secrets who, together with Jetta, may just light the spark of full-blown rebellion.
The Shadowshaper Cypher by Daniel José Older
ISBN: 9780545591614
Publication Date: 2015-06-30
When the murals painted on the walls of her Brooklyn neighborhood start to change and fade in front of her, Sierra Santiago realizes that something strange is going on--then she discovers her Puerto Rican family are shadowshapers and finds herself in a battle with an evil anthropologist for the lives of her family and friends.
Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
ISBN: 9781627792127
Publication Date: 2015-09-29
"Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction--if they don't kill each other first"
The Star-Touched Queen Series by Roshani Chokshi
ISBN: 9781250085474
Publication Date: 2016-04-26
Treated with scorn and fear in her father's kingdom because of a formidable horoscope, 16-year-old Maya commits herself to her education only to land in an arranged marriage that culminates in her sudden elevation to the throne, a situation that is threatened by dark secrets and Otherworldly magic.
The Tiger at Midnight Series by Swati Teerdhala
ISBN: 9780062869210
Publication Date: 2019-04-23
Esha moonlights as an elite assassin for the rebel forces, always seeking vengeance for what she lost in the coup. Meanwhile, Kunal, a soldier for the ruling powers, trains morning to night to protect his homeland, but secretly wishes he could see more of the world, even as the world grows more violent. The two's paths cross, but they learn they are only pawns in a greater game, and that the future of the kingdom depends on the unforgivable choices Esha and Kunal must make.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before Series by Jenny Han
ISBN: 9781442426719
Publication Date: 2016-01-26
Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out-of-control when someone finds her cache of secret love letters and mails them to the boys to whom they are addressed.

PRIDE Lists!

Epic Reads LGBTQ+ YA Books to Read All Year Long

Abe Books 30 essential LGBTQ+ books for YA readers

Goodreads YA LGBT Books and Queer Releases of 2023

YA Pride LGBTQIAP+ YA Books by Asian Authors and Queer YA Books by Black Authors Spreadsheet

BRIGHTLY Pride and Less Prejudice: LGBTQIA+ Books for Teens

Book Riot A PLETHORA OF PRIDE: 25+ LGBTQ BOOKS FOR TEENS

Fantasy/Science Fiction

Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
Call Number: FIC BROWN
ISBN: 9781250309853
Publication Date: 2020-01-14
A black teenager named Echo believes she is a wizard and uses her magical abilities to cope and rise up out of her crime-infested and poverty-stricken east Cleveland neighborhood, and reach beyond her dysfunctional family's drug addiction. She meets wise female wizards along the way who teach her to use magic and uses a portal that transports her to a rich, mostly white school on the west side of town where she meets Elena, a Muslim teen whom she is convinced also has magical powers.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
ISBN: 9781250250469
Publication Date: 2020-09-01
Yadriel, a trans boy, summons the angry spirit of his high school's bad boy, and agrees to help him learn how he died, thereby proving himself a brujo, not a bruja, to his conservative family.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Call Number: FIC ADEYEMI
ISBN: 9781250170972
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger; Rovina Cai (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781646140053
Publication Date: 2020-08-25
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz
Call Number: FIC KARCZ
ISBN: 9780062467775
Publication Date: 2017-07-25
A beautiful and evocative look at identity and creativity, The Gallery of Unfinished Girls is a stunning debut in magical realism.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
ISBN: 9780735269934
Publication Date: 2021-09-21
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall of China. It doesn't matter that the girls die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But when she gets her vengeance, it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a rare kind of female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead. To tame her frightening yet valuable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest male pilot in Huaxia, yet feared and ostracized for killing his father and brothers. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will take over instead, then leverage their combined strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. Or die trying.
Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
Call Number: FIC BARRON
ISBN: 9780062870957
Publication Date: 2019-09-03
Though born to a family of witch doctors, Arrah has yet to see her powers develop--and her mother is growing especially disappointed. The only way to gain powers is to sell years of one's life for a mere glimpse of power--an option Arrah would never consider. However, children begin disappearing and Arrah trades years of her life to attain the power to help stop the abductions. By doing so, however, she learns of an ancient evil, The Demon King, whose magic is rising and who's hunger could destroy the world.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Call Number: FIC DEONN
ISBN: 9781534441606
Publication Date: 2020-09-15
To discover the truth behind her mother's mysterious death, a teen girl infiltrates a magical secret society claiming to be the descendants of King Arthur and his knights.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Call Number: FIC EMEZI
ISBN: 9780525647072
Publication Date: 2019-09-10
In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen-year-old Jam's mother created, a hunter from another world seeking a real-life monster.
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Call Number: FIC OLDER
ISBN: 9780545591614
Publication Date: 2015-06-30
When the murals painted on the walls of her Brooklyn neighborhood start to change and fade in front of her, Sierra Santiago realizes that something strange is going on--then she discovers her Puerto Rican family are shadowshapers and finds herself in a battle with an evil anthropologist for the lives of her family and friends.
A Song below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
Call Number: FIC MORROW
ISBN: 9781250315328
Publication Date: 2020-06-02
In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school's junior year. But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, when Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment. Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it's only Tavia and Effie's unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.
Strike the Zither by Joan He
ISBN: 9781250258588
Publication Date: 2022-10-25
As three warring factions try to gain control of the kingdom, orphaned Zephyr, a strategist serving Xin Ren, infiltrates an enemy camp where she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who might just be her match.
The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Call Number: FIC JOHNSON
ISBN: 9780545417792
Publication Date: 2013-03-01
In a Brazil of the distant future, June Costa falls in love with Enki, a fellow artist and rebel against the strict limits of the legendary pyramid city of Palmares Três' matriarchal government, knowing that, like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.
War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
Call Number: FIC ONYEBUCHI
ISBN: 9780451481672
Publication Date: 2019-10-15
In 2172, when much of the world is unlivable, sisters Onyii and Ify dream of escaping war-torn Nigeria and finding a better future together but are, instead, torn apart.

Graphic Novels/Comic Books

Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition by Tee Franklin; Alyssa Cole; Gabby Rivera; Marguerite Bennett; Gail Simone; Shawn Pryor; Jenn St. Onge (Artist); Sara Alfageeh (Artist); Paulina Ganucheau (Artist); Beverly Johnson (Artist); Ariela Kristantina (Artist)
Call Number: 741.5 FRANKLIN
ISBN: 9781534309838
Publication Date: 2018-11-20
They met and fell in love in 1963, but Hazel and Mari couldn't be together because their parents wouldn't allow it. For fifty years, each of them lived a life they didn't want, but reconnected and used what time they had left to be together, with and without their family's blessing.
Heartstopper #1: a Graphic Novel by Alice Oseman (Illustrator)
Call Number: 741.5 OSEMAN
ISBN: 9781338617436
Publication Date: 2020-05-05
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.
Juliet Takes a Breath: the Graphic Novel by Gabby Rivera; Celia Moscote (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781684156115
Publication Date: 2020-12-01
Ever since nineteen-year-old Juliet Palante told her family she's a lesbian, her mother has barely spoken to her. So when Juliet is awarded an internship with her favorite author, she leaves her home in the Bronx behind to spend the summer in Portland. There she discovers a world unlike any she's ever known, where she's welcomed just as she is, and where she discovers that she can truly love all of herself.
Malice in Ovenland by Micheline Hess (Illustrator)
Call Number: 741.5 HESS
ISBN: 9780996769228
Publication Date: 2016-08-31
Lily Brown is a bright, curious, energetic young girl from Queens, New York. When her mom forces her to stay home for the summer and do chores, Lily fumes. Little did she know that the greasy oven in the kitchen was going to give her more excitement and adventure than she could possibly handle.
Quincredible Vol. 1 by Rodney Barnes; Selina Espiritu (Illustrator); Kelly Fitzpatrick (Colorist (comics))
Call Number: 741.5 BARNES
ISBN: 9781549302824
Publication Date: 2019-06-04
Black high school sophomore Quinton West, who lives in New Orleans and struggles with bullying and an unrequited crush, dreams of being a superhero and saving his community from crime. Then a meteor shower strikes and suddenly Quin develops the ability of invulnerability. He learns that others have been given gifts as well. As things in the city grow worse, Quin and his parents are targeted by criminals. Quin joins with other superheroes to stop the person behind the violent takeover of his community.

Nonfiction

Body Talk: 37 voices explore our radical anatomy by Kelly Jensen
Call Number: 306.4 BODY
ISBN: 9781544454320
Publication Date: 2020
"Thirty-seven contributors--including model Tyra Banks, gymnast Aly Raisman, and bestselling YA authors--explore the world in their unique bodies through essays, lists, comics, and art"
Caste (Adapted for Young Adults) by Isabel Wilkerson
ISBN: 9780593427958
Publication Date: 2022-11-22
In this young adult adaptation of the bestselling nonfiction work; narratives about real people that reveal an insidious phenomenon in the United States: a hidden caste system. Caste is not only about race or class; it is about power--which groups have it and which do not. Isabel Wilkerson explores historical social hierarchies, including those in India and Nazi Germany, and explains how perpetuating these rankings dehumanizes vast sections of society. Once we learn the reasons behind caste and see the often heartbreaking effects, Wilkerson says, we can bridge the divides and make way for an inclusive future where we are all equal.
Girl Rising by Tanya Lee Stone
Call Number: 371.822
ISBN: 9780553511499
Publication Date: 2019-09-24
Follows girls who are coming of age in the developing world and confronting barriers to their education
Immigration Stories from an Atlanta High School by Tea Rozman Clark, Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, Lara Smith-Sitton
Call Number: 305.9 GREEN
ISBN: 9781949523058
Publication Date: 2019-04-09
collection of twenty-one personal essays written by refugee and immigrant students, and one current teacher, from Cross Keys High School, Clarkston High School, and DeKalb International Student Center in Atlanta, Georgia
March: Book One by John Lewis; Andrew Aydin; Nate Powell (Illustrator)
Call Number: 741.5 LEWIS
ISBN: 1603093001
Publication Date: 2013-08-13
Presents in graphic novel format the life of Georgia congressman John Lewis, focusing on is youth in rural Alabama, his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement.
Play It Loud! by Sara Gilbert; Kathleen Baxter (Consultant Editor); Alexa L. Sandmann (Consultant Editor)
ISBN: 9780756542436
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Examines musical history, discussing how music reflects social, political, and cultural changes throughout the world, and describing people and events of significance.
Rising Class by Jennifer Miller
ISBN: 9780374313579
Publication Date: 2023-03-28
his eye-opening YA narrative nonfiction follows three first-generation college students as they navigate their first year--and ultimately a global pandemic.
Tell Me Who You Are: sharing our stories of race, culture & identity by Priya Vulchi & Winina Guo
Call Number: 305.8 GUO
ISBN: 9781984886972
Publication Date: 2019
The authors recount their experiences talking to people from all walks of life about race and identity on a cross-country tour of America. Spurred by the realization that they had nearly completed high school without hearing any substantive discussion about racism in school, the two young women deferred college admission for a year to collect first-person accounts of how racism plays out in this country every dayand often in unexpected ways.Guo and Vulchi reveal the lines that separate us based on race or other perceived differences and how telling our stories and listening deeply to the stories of others are the first and most crucial steps we can take towards negating racial inequity in our culture.

ALA Youth Media Awards

ALA 2024 WINNERS AND FINALISTS

Stonewall Book Award
ANDER & SANTI WERE HERE by Jonny Garza Villa
The Stonewall Awards honor books and authors for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

Sydney Taylor Book Award
GOING BICOASTAL by Dahlia Adler
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.

Schneider Family Book Award
TILLY IN TECHNICOLOR by Mazey Eddings
The Schneider Family Book Award honors books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.

Pura Belpré Award
WORM: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez
The Pura Belpré Awards honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children’s and young adult books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience

Alex Award
MAAME by Jessica George
STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi
FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
THE TALK by Darrin Bell
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.

Other Book Lists

Book Trailers

Young Adult Book Trailers
Bay Shore - Brightwaters Public Library