Teen Scene
September 2025
Recent Releases
Fateless
by Julie Kagawa

Forced to steal an ancient artifact, skilled thief Sparrow accidentally releases a mythical Deathless King bent on destruction. Though she and assassin Raithe make an unlikely team, they may be able to challenge their fates and stop the devastation. Read-alikes: Tahereh Mafi’s This Woven Kingdom; Katy Rose Pool’s There Will Come a Darkness.
Codebreaker
by Jay Martel

Mia usually spends her birthday solving puzzle-filled scavenger hunts designed by her father. This year, the stakes are sky high, because she must unravel the government conspiracy that has sent her father on the run. This suspenseful thriller will draw fans of code-cracking mysteries.
Island creatures
by Margarita Engle

Cuban childhood friends Vida and Adâan rediscover each other in Florida where they work together to protect endangered animals while navigating their complicated homelives
Very Dangerous Things
by Lauren Muñoz

Although the criminology-focused J. Everett High School always fakes crimes for its students to solve, this year’s game ends with an actual poisoning. Can top student Dulce set aside her grudge to clear her ex-best friend Sierra’s name? Read-alikes: Lauren Munoz’s Suddenly a Murder; Kara Thomas’ The Champions.
A Mastery of Monsters
by Liselle Sambury

August’s brother disappears, leaving her a note claiming monsters are real and leading her to the Learners’ Society. This secretive group will train August to prevent a shapeshifter from becoming permanently monstrous. Fans of dark academia and flawed characters will enjoy this intricately plotted fantasy.
Retro Reads
Check out these awesome books from the not-so-distant past.
 
The Atlas of Us
by Kristin Dwyer

Atlas, a high school dropout grieving the loss of her father, joins a program to repair trails in the Western Sierras. The new friendships she forges -- one of which may be turning romantic -- help her find her footing again. This authentic and banter-filled story portrays Atlas learning to live with loss.
A Place for Vanishing
by Ann Fraistat

Needing a fresh start after a mental health crisis, Libby and her family move to the crumbling mansion where her mother grew up. Infested with bugs and adorned with insect-shaped masks, the house’s sinister history begs to be uncovered. Read-alikes: Julia Lynn Rubin’s Primal Animals; Trang Thanh Tran’s She Is a Haunting.
Malicia
by Steven Dos Santos

While making a documentary about the haunted Dominican theme park where his mother and brother were murdered in a mass killing, Ray and his friends discover secrets about each other as an ancient malignant presence threatens to plunge them into madness and destroy them one by one. Simultaneous eBook.
This Day Changes Everything
by Edward Underhill

Hailing from different states, Abby and Leo arrive in New York to march with their bands in the Thanksgiving parade. After getting lost in Manhattan, they turn what could be a catastrophe into a scavenger hunt. This upbeat LBGTQIA+ romantic comedy will appeal to fans of “one fateful day” stories.
Under the Surface
by Diana Urban

On the first day of their school trip to Paris, Ruby and her friends head to an exclusive party in the Catacombs. There, they quickly realize someone is lurking, and he’s much scarier than the millions of bones underground. Read-alikes: Gabriella Lepore’s Bad Like Us; Keely Parrack’s Don’t Let In the Cold.
Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!
Central Arkansas Library System
100 Rock St.
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
501-918-3000

www.cals.org/