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| The Silence Between Us by Alison GervaisWhat it’s about: After unwillingly transferring from a Deaf school to a hearing school, 17-year-old Maya has to deal with lip-reading, working with an interpreter, and stereotyped assumptions of her classmates -- including Beau, the popular guy who seems interested in her.
Why you might like it: whether Maya’s experiences feel familiar to you or offer new insights, her coming-of-age story (inspired by the author’s own) is both honest and absorbing.
Try this next: Whitney Gardner’s You’re Welcome, Universe. |
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| The Downstairs Girl by Stacey LeeWhat it’s about: Witty, opinionated advice columnist “Miss Sweetie” has 1890 Atlanta buzzing, and nobody suspects that she’s really 17-year-old Jo Kuan, a sharp-minded, Chinese American lady’s maid who’s begun to wonder if it’s time to leave her anonymity behind.
Why you might like it: Jo is a compelling character with a lot to say about race and gender in the post-Civil War South, as well as a lot of questions about her hidden family history. |
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| The Merciful Crow by Margaret OwenWhat it’s about: When a routine job takes an unexpected turn, Fie -- future chief of the Crows, Sabor’s lowly caste of undertakers and mercy-killers -- has to decide if the promise of protection for the Crows is worth the risk of a dangerous quest.
Read it for: diverse characters, pulse-pounding adventure, and an intriguing system of magic.
Series alert: This debut fantasy is the 1st in a duology. |
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How to be luminous
by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Losing her ability to see colors when her mentally ill mother disappears without warning, 17-year-old artist Minnie struggles to endure the possible losses of her family, future and first love. By the author of The Square Root of Summer.
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Here there are monsters
by Amelinda Bérubé
Moving to a small swamp community to give her troubled sister a chance to start over, 16-year-old Skye is horrified when her sister becomes fixated with the nearby woods before going missing.
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| The Closest I've Come by Fred AcevesWhat it's about: Stuck living in a poor neighborhood with his mom and her abusive boyfriend, it's hard for 15-year-old Marcos Rivas to see any way out. He's got solid friends and a surprising new crush, but when an unexpected opportunity arises, Marcos is afraid to let himself hope.
Author alert: Get in on the ground floor with this authentic, gritty debut from author Fred Aceves.
For fans of: Jason Reynolds and Matt de la Peña. |
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| American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottStarring: Teodoro “T” Avila, who’s only just started getting his life on track when his golden-boy brother, Manny, returns from the Iraq War with PTSD.
What happens: T’s take-charge sister Xochitl tricks her brothers into joining her on road trip that might help Manny find himself again.
Why you might like it: You won’t soon forget this unvarnished yet hopeful look at mental illness and the importance of family. |
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| Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemoreFeaturing: the Nomeolvides women, keepers of the garden at La Pradera estate and bearers of both a gift and a curse: they can make flowers grow with their bare hands, but if they fall in love, their beloved is doomed to disappear.
What happens: Estrella Nomeolvides finds a mysterious boy in the garden, prompting the family to unearth some long-buried secrets.
You might also like: Lana Popović’s Wicked Like a Wildfire, another lush and leisurely paced tale of magical realism. |
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| Burn Baby Burn by Meg MedinaThe setting: New York City, 1977, when disco music wafts from radios, a serial killer called Son of Sam is on the loose, and high school grad Nora López is trying to hang on to her family and her hopes for the future.
What happens: Money is tight and her delinquent brother's behavior is getting more frightening, but Nora’s relationship with co-worker Pablo is getting hotter than the sizzling summer weather.
Read it for: intense emotions and vivid atmosphere. |
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sanchez
Fiction. Even after the sudden death of her dutiful, traditional sister Olga, 15-year-old Julia Reyes -- all bad attitude and desperation to escape her overbearing immigrant parents -- feels like she can never measure up. But then Olga's secrets begin to surface... Similar to Isabel Quintero's Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, this debut novel is a moving, authentic coming-of-age story starring a nontraditional Latina.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 13 and up! |
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