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| The Counselors by Jessica GoodmanWelcome to: Vermont's charming Camp Alpine Lake. Counselor Goldie is a local whose parents work at the camp, unlike wealthy campers-turned-counselors Ava and Imogen.
What happens: When Goldie's boyfriend Heller is found dead in the lake, she needs to uncover her friends' dark secrets before they discover hers.
Try this next: Caroline George's The Summer We Forgot or Anica Mrose Rissi's Nobody Knows But You, two further suspenseful summer camp murder mysteries. |
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| Together We Burn by Isabel IbañezStarring: Zarela Zalvidar, a flamenco dancer who takes up fighting dragons for sport to save her family's legacy.
What happens: Zarela asks brooding dragon hunter Arturo Díaz de Montserra to train her to become a Dragonadora. Meanwhile, she unravels the conspiracy behind a tragic event in her family's arena that left her father injured.
Why you might like it: This fast-paced fantasy features world-building inspired by medieval Spain and a passionate but slow-burning romance between Zarela and Arturo. |
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| Love Radio by Ebony LaDelleThe next Maya Angelou: Danielle Ford focuses on honing her writing skills and avoids everything else, especially thinking about the traumatic assault she experienced.
Enter: Prince Jones, her classmate who dispenses love advice on his radio show and takes care of his brother and disabled mom. He bets Danielle she will fall in love with him by their third date.
Who it's for: anyone who loves love. This moving romance is brimming with romantic, platonic, familial, self, and Black love. |
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| Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph WhiteOn Judgment Day: the Angels, an ecofascist cult, released a plague that killed billions. Their final weapon? Benji, a 16-year-old trans boy, injected with a mutation of the plague, which is slowly transforming him into a humanity-extinguishing monster.
What happens: Benji joins forces with a ragtag group of queer rebels fighting ferociously for survival. But can he control his monster enough to defend his newfound community?
Read it for: a hopeful, visceral, and unapologetically queer take on the apocalypse. |
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| Private Label by Kelly YangWhat it is: a romantic coming-of-age story following Chinese American teens forging their own paths while grappling with parental expectations.
What happens: Aspiring fashion designer Serene Li, whose mother is ill, joins the Chinese Club at school in hopes of communicating with her long-absent father. She meets comedy-loving Lian Chen, a recent immigrant, and their shared experiences create a tender connection.
Author alert: If you enjoyed author Kelly Yang's YA debut Parachutes, don't miss this thoughtful and emotionally intense book. |
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| The Black Flamingo by Dean AttaWhat it is: the story of how London teen Michael finds his voice, both as a poet and a drag performer, in a society eager to label him for how he expresses his gender, his sexuality, and his multiracial identity.
Why you might like it: the intimate, conversational style of Michael's first-person narration.
Book buzz: This own voices novel from spoken word poet Dean Atta (check him out on YouTube) won the 2020 Stonewall Award for Young Adult Literature. |
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| They Went Left by Monica HesseZofia's promise: to find her younger brother Abek so they can live their lives together from A to Z. But Zofia feels broken by trauma and memory loss after her release from a concentration camp.
Zofia's journey: from Poland to a displaced persons camp in Germany unites her with other people holding onto hope despite staggering tragedy. But where is Abek?
Read it for: compelling mystery, moving romance, and a richly detailed depiction of postwar life for Holocaust survivors. |
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| Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliamsInside the Red Creek compound: Agnes tirelessly cares for her family, including her brother Ezekiel, whose diabetes cannot be managed by prayer alone. Bartering with the Outside for insulin makes her begin to doubt the teachings of the Prophet. She needs to escape this cult.
On the outside: a pandemic rages, and Agnes discovers her own mysterious connection to the virus. With danger at every turn, she may have to choose between saving her family and saving humanity.
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| Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb RoehrigStarring: unruly heiress and paparazzi darling Margo Manning, who moonlights as a cat burglar with a talented crew of drag queens -- until an especially risky job threatens to destroy the whole team.
Read it for: biting humor, clever pop culture references, high drama, and even higher stakes.
For fans of: Ally Carter's Heist Society series, as well as Oceans 11-style heist movies. |
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| Crier's War by Nina VarelaWhat it is: the fast-paced opening of a fantasy duology following Ayla's quest to avenge her family's death at the hands of the Automae, created humanoid beings who overtook the kingdom.
What happens: Ayla accepts a position as the handmaiden to the king's daughter, Lady Crier. She didn't plan to fall in love with her target.
Who it's for: fans of the compelling political intrigue and tense romance of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!
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Atlantic County Library System | 40 Farragut Avenue, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Phone: (609) 625-2776 | www.atlanticlibrary.org
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|  | Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson
Atlantic County Board of Commissioners, Maureen Kern, Chairwoman |
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