| She Drinks the Light by Yasmin AngoeAddae grew up on South Carolina’s Golden Isle, where the Kinfolk uphold the traditions of the founders, African people who escaped enslavement. Although Addae rarely goes to the mainland, she risks exposing her island’s supernatural nature to find her missing best friend. Read-alikes: Xan Kaur’s When Devils Sing; Tigest Girma’s Immortal Dark. |
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Right as Rain
by Tashie Bhuiyan
Recent high-school graduate Megh Rashid has plans to escape to the other side of the country for college and leave behind the stormy household she's been trapped in for years. But things are complicated when she gets struck by lightning right before the start of a prestigious summer internship that's key to her getting accepted to her dream university, and she wakes up to a storm cloud that follows her everywhere, seemingly attuned to her every emotion.
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| The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel GriffinAn immortal Starmaker keeps Reverie in eternal sunshine, protecting the mountain village from the deadly Frost. When Aurora becomes the Starmaker’s successor, she grieves the simple life she envisioned for herself while also developing feelings for her new mentor. This whimsical standalone novel reads like a classic fairy tale.
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| PostScript by Cory McCarthyThe “grids went down,” effectively ending human civilization, when West was 12. Now 18, he meets Emil, who brings him into his ragtag community. Fans of the video game The Last of Us and its television adaptation will appreciate this postapocalyptic tale about finding happiness against all odds.
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| Lies We Tell About the Stars by Susie NadlerIn near-future San Francisco, “The Big One” has rocked the earthquake-prone city. Although everyone else believes Nicky perished in the quake, Celeste hasn’t lost hope that she may find her best friend alive. Read-alikes: Cassandra Newbould’s Climate of Chaos; Jen Storm’s Little Moons.
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| If We Never End by Laura Taylor NameyWhile spending the summer with her beloved aunt in mystical hotspot of Sacred, Oregon, Sylvie buys an antique watch she thinks she can resell. Instead, the watch summons the ghost of 19-year-old Penn, who has amnesia. This dreamlike ghost story proves love transcends time and space.
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| Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O'SullivanTrying to restore his noble family’s name, Ionáin fakes magic abilities with his commoner best friend Éadha’s help. As Ionáin starts training to become a full-fledged Channeler, with Éadha alongside him in a lower-status role, the two uncover the ugly truth about magic. Read-alike: Julia Riew’s The Last Tiger.
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| Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-GoveaEstela is stressed. She’s got college applications looming, a Spanish teacher who scorns heritage speakers, and a landlord threatening to evict her family. The racial tensions ignited by her school’s Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest bring everything to a head. This poignant novel balances angst with moments of humor and joy.
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| Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions by Ahmad SaberWith a college scholarship on the line, Ramin joins the soccer team for his last Physical Education credit. The good news? His crush is a welcoming teammate. The bad news? Someone threatens to out him if he doesn’t sabotage his team. This funny, heartfelt tale explores the courage required to live authentically.
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| To the Death by Andrea TangEager to gain independence from her famous father, Tamsin agrees to a magical duel against undefeated champion Lysander. There’s danger from every side: the deadly magic, the revenge plot Tamsin’s unwittingly embroiled in, and her blossoming crush on Lysander. Read-alikes: Kacen Callender’s Chaos King; J.D. Myall’s Heart’s Gambit.
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April is Middle Eastern and Northern Africa/Southwest Asian and North African Heritage Month (MENA/SWANA)
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Fustuk: A Graphic Novel
by Robert Mgrdich Apelian
Seventeen-year-old Katah Fustukian has always felt like the odd one out in his family of chefs. Unlike his older siblings, he is useless in the kitchen, and too young to have known their late father—a legendary Hye chef who’d made a name for himself in the Pars Empire. But with his mom’s illness worsening, Katah hopes that his vision-like dreams are a sign of magic stirring within him—especially after they lead him to Az, a powerful div with some mysterious connection to his family. In an attempt to save their mom’s life, he and his siblings strike a deal: Az’s help in exchange for a dish that rivals their father’s. But after the siblings clash over what to cook, Katah will have to make sense of his magic and family history—and wager far more than a single meal to meet Az’s demands. Apelian utilizes the Armenian and Persian languages untranslated for sound effects throughout.
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Where No Shadow Stays
by Sara Hashem
Seventeen-year-old Mina is always focused on what comes next: exams, school dances, opportunities for a picnic by the lake. Filling up the future keeps her from lingering over how little she knows about her history or where she comes from. Anytime she asks her father questions about Egypt--or about her mother's mysterious death--he struggles to open up. When Mina receives an invitation from an aunt she's never met to visit the Haikal mansion, her mother's childhood home in El Agamy, Mina accepts. But when Mina returns from El Agamy, she doesn't come back alone. A sinister entity follows Mina from the Haikal mansion to her tiny California town.
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Good Morning, Salwa (Buuza!! Volume 1): An Original Graphic Novel
by Shazleen Khan
On New Year's Eve 1997, in the bustling city of Salwa, Zach, a down-on-his-luck phone operator, receives a misdialed call from a distressed man named Zhen which sparks an undeniable connection. Zach is thrown into a search for his mystery man that stretches across multiple cities and a tangled web of exes, missed connections, and frenemies. Set in the vibrant, low-fantasy realm of Dawlat Al-Harir--an eclectic melting pot inspired by Silk Road history and rich Asian and African Islamic cultures--BUUZA!! is a queer YA romance that features a blend of magical realism and political drama.
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One Word, Six Letters
by Adib Khorram
Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn't be more different--or so it seems. When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they'd rather ignore. Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he's caused. Meanwhile, Farshid, an Iranian Baha'i, is left to untangle his own feelings--about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity. This novel is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.
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Azadi Means Freedom: Fighting for Gender Equity Through the World's Most Popular Game
by Maryam Shojaei
Maryam Shojaei's brother, Masoud, was captain of Iran's national team and player in three World Cup tournaments. But Maryam and her mother and sister never saw him play in Tehran's famous Azadi Stadium. For forty years no woman--not one of the over 40 million women and girls in that country--has been allowed in any stadium, except for those brave enough to sneak in disguised as men and run the risk of being arrested and imprisoned. Here is Maryam's story of taking on her own government and a global sports organization to fight for girls' and women's rights.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
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