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| The Poet X by Elizabeth AcevedoStarring: 15-year-old Xiomara, who isn't afraid to speak with her fists when she's harassed on the street, but who discovers that poetry offers an outlet for her family frustrations, her doubts about her Catholic faith, and her feelings about her secret boyfriend.
About the author: Slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo makes her debut with this bittersweet, hard-hitting novel in verse.
Try this next: Isabel Quintero's Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, for another memorable Latina character finding her voice. |
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| Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi AdeyemiFeaturing: Zélie, a divîner with dormant magic abilities who's fed up with King Saran's brutal oppression; Amari, the rebellious princess who hopes to reawaken the magic in Zélie and others like her; and Inan, the crown prince who's determined to stop them.
Book buzz: This vivid, fast-paced trilogy opener is already generating excitement among readers on social media.
Further reading: Looking for another richly drawn Afrofantasy series? Try Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch or Tochi Onyebuchi's Beasts Made of Night. |
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| A Girl Like That by Tanaz BhathenaWhat it's about: Piecing together how (and why) headstrong orphan Zarin and her childhood friend Porus wound up dead by the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Who it's for: With postmortem narration, a diverse cast, and an unflinching portrayal of abuse, A Girl Like That will grab readers looking for unconventional stories about girls who defy society's rules. |
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| Time Bomb by Joelle CharbonneauWhat it's about: A bombing at their high school leaves students Frankie, Rashid, Tad, Z, Diana, and Cas trapped together, dependent on each other to survive but all too aware that any of them could be the bomber.
Read it for: Multiple perspectives, shifting alliances, and steadily building suspense.
Reviewers say: "A powerful page-turner that doesn’t let up until its explosive finale" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Prettyboy Must Die
by Kimberly Reid
What it's about: A CIA prodigy who hides behind the identity of an everyday student, Peter Smith finds his cover blown by a classmate's viral photo and tweets about Peter's prowess on the track field, leading to an attack on his school and his resolve to take down a murderous hacker.
Read it for: The mystery, fast paced action, and plot twists
Who's it for: Fans the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz and Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff
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Focus on: Australian Fiction
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| The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-FattahWhat it's about: the unlikely romance between Mina, a smart prep school student whose family came to Australia as refugees from Afghanistan, and Michael, a white classmate whose family founded a very vocal anti-immigrant group.
Why you might like it: Along with realistic dialogue and alternating narration, this love story offers insight into the deeply personal side of politics. |
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| The Dead I Know by Scot GardnerWhat it's about: Even as Aaron Rowe struggles with sleepwalking, repressed memories, and an unstable family situation, his new job at a funeral parlor provides him with an unexpected sense of belonging.
Who it's for: If you appreciate dark humor, psychologically complex characters, and you're not squeamish about corpses, this book is for you.
Try this next: Jason Reynolds' The Boy in the Black Suit for another teen guy who finds solace at a funeral home. |
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| The Dark Days Club by Alison GoodmanStarring: Lady Helen Wexhall, whose supernatural abilities complicate her social debut in 1812 London and provoke a personal dilemma: should she marry the Duke of Selburn and be a respectable lady, or join the rakish Earl of Carlston as a demon-fighter with the Dark Days Club?
For fans of: Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy.
Series alert: This atmospheric historical fantasy series continues in The Dark Days Pact. |
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Get it together, Delilah!
by Erin Gough
Starring: Seventeen-year-old Delilah Green, who is doing her best to deal with a chaotic life--she is running the family café, The Flywheel, by herself because her father is on a vacation trying to get over his wife deserting him; she is getting flack at school because she is a lesbian, and one of the "in-girls" has started to come on to her, and she is hopelessly attracted to a girl named Rosa, who dances the flamenco outside the café every evening.
Reviewers say: "Eminently readable prose; a relatable narrator; and a realistic, grounded lesbian romance will leave readers cheering for Delilah to find her way" (Booklist).
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Munro vs. the Coyote
by Darren Groth
What it's about: Struggling with trauma and rage in the aftermath of his younger sister's death, 16-year-old Munro goes to Australia on a student exchange in the hope of silencing the angry voice in his head, an effort that is complicated by the disappearances of fellow members of his residence team.
Recommended for: Fans of The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, and Winger by Andrew Smith
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| Lucy and Linh by Alice PungWhat it is: A series of letters from Lucy Lam to her friend Linh, describing Lucy's experience as a poor, Chinese-Australian scholarship student at a wealthy, mostly-white prep school in Melbourne -- a place where fitting in comes at the cost of being yourself.
Why you might like it: Whether or not you've experienced mean girls and microaggressions like the ones Lucy faces, you can relate to her attempts to figure out who she is and who her real friends are. |
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Velocity
by Chris Wooding
What it's about: Best friends Cassica and Shiara have grown up in Coppermouth, a dust choked town in the Outback. Dynamic as a pair because of respective strengths that make them a formidable drag racing team, they have set their sights on winning the year's biggest, most dangerous race only to find their efforts challenged by fundamental personal differences.
For fans of: Mad Max: Fury Road and NASCAR
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact the Fremont Public Library District at 847-566-8702. |
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