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YA Recommendations April 2026 |
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Ellen Poe: The Forgotten Lore
by Diana Peterfreund
The first book in an exciting YA series about a teen girl, descended from Edgar Allan Poe, who must navigate the haunting legacy of her ancestor while learning to harness her own strength and intelligence, especially as she begins to commune with the dead. What happens when your tell-tale nightmares turn into reality and the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe won't seem to let you alone? For as long as she can remember, sixteen-year-old Ellen Poe's family has claimed to be long-lost descendants of Edgar Allan Poe. But when she moves in with her aunt in a Poe-themed B&B, the nightmares that have always haunted her begin bleeding into Ellen's waking hours. When she stumbles upon a journal in the house, none other than Edgar Allan Poe himself begins visiting her. Has the journal somehow released his ghost? And what does he want with Ellen? Through secret messages in his writings, she learns that the two share the same psychic ability to interact with spirits--which is what ultimately drove him mad. This thrilling series for young adult readers follows Ellen on her quest to learn more about her abilities, the afterlife, and the clues Poe has left for her (ciphers and cryptograms galore), in an effort to not suffer his same fate. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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The Escape Game
by Marissa Meyer
An absolute winner--sharp, suspenseful, and so much fun. --Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying An unforgettable YA murder mystery set in an escape-room themed game show, by Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, and Tamara Moss, rising star and acclaimed author of Lintang series. This gorgeous first edition hardcover features stunning stenciled edges and specially crafted endpapers It's all fun and games until someone ends up dead. Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set. Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master; and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister's murder. Or so everyone believes. But Sierra's not just here to win. She's here for justice. When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia's true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren't high in this competition, they're deadly. If these teens want to win--and survive--the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of all: who killed Alicia Angelos?
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Piper at the Gates of Dusk
by Patrick Ness
Ness expertly weaves discussions of environmentalism, xenophobia, disability, gender identity, misinformation and disinformation, and more around explorations of family, personal agency, and belonging, creating a creative science-fiction roller coaster. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness makes a thrilling return to the world of Chaos Walking with this launch of the extraordinary New World trilogy, in a deluxe package with sprayed edges and endpapers illustrated by Jim Kay. It's been twenty years since the monstrous war that almost tore New World apart, and there's a new generation on the planet. Todd and Viola's sons Ben and Max have known only peace growing up on the family farm outside a bustling human settlement. They dream of the usual things, like school and adventure, until the nightmares begin . . . A sudden sickness has infected the young people of New World with Noise in the form of their worst thoughts about themselves. Some suspect the Spackle, the indigenous people with whom humans have a very uneasy truce. Others wonder about a connection to a mysterious object looming in the sky. And then, one by one, the children of New World begin to disappear. Ben, with his mother's logical mind, and Max, with his father's courageous heart, become caught up in separate quests for answers, journeys that will test their beliefs in their parents, each other, and in their very existence on the planet. Patrick Ness makes a masterful return to New World in this timely work of science fiction, one that looks at the interplay of fear, power, and propaganda, and at the stories we tell ourselves.
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Release Me
by Tahereh Mafi
The searing second volume in a new series set in the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment. Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. Now she wants revenge. To save her sister she needs to get back home and destroy the system that created her. Rosabelle's greatest strength is her ability to deaden her mind and body; it's the only way to survive the surveillance state of Ark Island. But lately her heart has been beating harder; her thoughts are spiraling; her defenses are coming undone. And there's only one person to blame.James Anderson had a plan. Now he has nothing but problems. Rosabelle might be the ally they need in a fight against The Reestablishment, but no one wants to trust an enemy assassin. It doesn't help that Rosabelle's not much of a talker, doesn't work well in groups, and kills people on instinct. Taking her side has cost James nearly everything--but keeping her alive might help save his world.If only he could convince his older brother.Aaron Warner Anderson has a headache. Something dark is coming, and Rosabelle's arrival is just a prelude. In her, he sees shades of himself he can't trust, and worse: he can no longer get a read on the girl. She's a dead battery, emanating no emotional feedback. At least not until James walks into a room...Volcanic tension, breathless reveals, breakneck action--and a dystopian world that never stops raising the stakes: Welcome back to The New Republic.
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Forgive-Me-Not
by Mari Costa
A queer enemies to lovers journey of a lost princess and a changeling who was made to take the heir's place as part of a fey scheme.Aisling is many things to many people: princess, heir to the throne, teenage daughter of two loving parents... She's also about to learn a lot more about herself: changeling. Fey creature. Hunted. Feared. Loved? Forgive-Me-Not is the name given to the true princess -- the lost teenage biological daughter to the king and queen, who's grown up in the chaotic and untrustworthy realm of Faerie. When Forgive-Me-Not breaks into Aisling's room the night before their 18th birthday looking for revenge, the two embark on a long and arduous journey. And what starts as a confrontational and adversarial pairing grows into a bond of mutual understanding, friendship, and maybe something more...
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Someday Perfect
by Kat Schneider
A high school girl at a Christian summer camp deals with crushes and her faith.
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Sunflowers and Lavender
by Maisy Valais
Awkward romantic Penny and shy musician Bianca are thrown together by mishaps from an accidental dognapping to rival bakeries as they navigate stage fright, shifting friendships, and first love.
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Until We Meet Again
by Lily Kim Qian
A poignant and vividly illustrated graphic memoir about a young woman's search for belonging as her immigrant family moves between Canada and China. Lily isn't sure where home is anymore. Her family is constantly on the move, resettling in different towns across Canada and, eventually, in Shanghai, China. Her father plays the role of primary caregiver while her mother is absent for long periods of time. When she reappears, her strange behavior turns Lily's life upside down. As Lily enters her college years, she strives to better understand her family and her place in the world. But can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?
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Batavia Public Library
10 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia, Illinois 60510
630-879-1393bataviapl.org |
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