Teen Scene
July 2025
Recent Releases
Amelia, If Only
by Becky Albertalli

Thinking she’s in love, Amelia drags three of her friends on a road trip to meet her favorite YouTuber. Along the way, Amelia discovers her feelings for her friend Natalie run deeper than those for her internet obsession. Read-alikes: Jennifer Dugan’s Melt With You; Julian Winters’ Right Where I Left You.
The Beautiful Maddening
by Shea Ernshaw

Seventeen-year-old Lark lives in a decaying family home where white petals cause the locals to fall in love with anyone who bears the Goode last name, but when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, she finds herself falling into a feeling she has spent her life trying to avoid.
A Forgery of Fate
by Elizabeth Lim

After Truyan’s father disappears, she supports her family by forging artwork. If marrying cursed half-dragon, half-human Elang might help her to locate her father, she’ll take that risk, too. This adventurous fantasy with a slow burn romance infuses a traditional "Beauty and the Beast" tale with Chinese mythology.
Best of All Worlds
by Kenneth Oppel

Xavier went to sleep at a lake house with his family, and woke up on a farm under an impenetrable dome. He’s surviving just fine until another family shows up, who may pose a greater threat than whoever put them all in this predicament. Read-alikes: Marieke Nijkamp’s At the End of Everything; Laura Bates’ No Accident.
This Moth Saw Brightness
by A.A. Vacharat

Participating in a university’s clinical study on teen health sounds good to Wayne (who goes by D), especially after his crush Jane joins. When things turn strange, D teams up with his best friend and Jane to investigate the sinister motivations behind the research. This thought-provoking thriller is unputdownable.
Retro Reads
Check out these awesome books from the not-so-distant past.
 
Walls
by Laura Elliott

In the days before the treacherous overnight raising of the Berlin Wall, teenaged cousins Drew, an American army brat in West Berlin, and Matthias, a young communist in East Berlin, become wary friends on opposite sides of the Cold War. Interspersed throughout the story are captioned photographs from the era
The Brightwood Code
by Monica Hesse

In 1918, phone line operator Edda forgot a secret code, and 34 United States soldiers perished. Back home, an anonymous phone caller reciting the code prompts Edda and her neighbor Theo to uncover what the caller wants. This suspenseful mystery sheds light on a little-known aspect of World War I history.
Dragonfruit
by Makiia Lucier

Exiled for her father’s crime, Hanalei studies seadragons and their magical eggs. After escaping kidnappers wishing to exploit her expertise, she returns to her home island of Tamarind. Can she restore justice by finding a dragon egg to save Tamarind’s princess? Read-alikes: Rati Mehrotra’s Flower and Thorn; Joanna Ruth Meyer’s Wind Daughter.
Brownstone
by Samuel Teer

In 1995, Almudena spends the summer with the father she’s never met. Despite not speaking the same language, they build a relationship while renovating the rundown building where he lives. This moving graphic novel’s theme of transformation plays out in Almudena’s life and her father’s gentrifying neighborhood.
Black Girl You Are Atlas
by Renée Watson; illustrated by Ekua Holmes

With poems and mixed media illustrations, this lyrical collection shares stories from author Renée Watson’s upbringing as it invites Black girls to claim their power. Watson uses varied poetic forms including haiku, tanka, and pantoum to celebrate sisterhood. Read-alikes: Angela Shanté’s The Unboxing of a Black Girl; Nikita Gill’s These Are the Words.
Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
Wright Memorial Public Library
1776 Far Hills Avenue, Oakwood, Ohio 45419
(937) 294-7171

https://www.wrightlibrary.org/