Recent Releases for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month |
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Hollow Fires
by Samira Ahmed
Chicago high-school journalist and Indian American Safiya Mirza investigates the murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi boy who was wrongfully arrested, labeled a terrorist and eventually killed. As she gets closer to solving the case, Safiya faces increasing danger. Told in alternating perspectives with multimedia clippings, this novel contains themes of Islamophobia, white supremacist radicalization, and more.
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Queen of the Tiles
by Hanna Alkaf
When her late best friend’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again during the Scrabble competition, with cryptic messages suggesting that her death was no accident, Najwa Bakri, surrounded by suspects, must find out who’s behind these mysterious posts. Pitched as They Wish They Were Us meets The Queen’s Gambit, the well-rounded cast reflects Malaysia's ethnic diversity.
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Once Upon a K-Prom
by Kat Cho
Instead of going to prom, seventeen-year-old Elena Soo wants to spend her time saving the local community center. She is determined to keep her priorities straight even when her childhood best friend--who is now a K-pop superstar--returns to make good on their old pact to go to prom together.
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Debating Darcy
by Sayantani Dasgupta
A life-long speech competitor, Leela Bose loves nothing more than crushing the competition, all while wearing a smile. But when she meets the incorrigible Firoze Darcy, a debater from an elitist private school, Leela can’t stand him. Unfortunately, he’ll be competing in the state league, so their paths are set to collide. But why attempt to tolerate Firoze when Leela can one-up him? The situation is more complicated than Leela anticipated, though, and her participation in the tournament reveals that she might have tragically misjudged the debaters -- including Firoze.
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Tokyo Dreaming
by Emiko Jean
When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. Just when life seems perfect, everything threatens to fall apart. Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to make things right, which means upping her newly acquired princess game.
Series alert: This is book #2 in the Tokyo Ever After series.
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Bright
by Jessica Jung
When Rachel Kim, a K-pop sensation, fashion icon and influencer, is tempted to give up her anti-love vows after meeting Alex, she must learn to follow her heart when a shocking act of betrayal darkens her bright world.
Series alert: This is the second book in the Shine series.
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Café Con Lychee
by Emery Lee
Theo Mori and Gabriel Moreno have always been at odds. Their parents own rival businesses—an Asian American café and a Puerto Rican bakery—and Gabi’s lack of coordination has cost their soccer team too many games to count. Stuck in the closet and scared to pursue his own dreams, Gabi sees his parents’ shop as his future. Stuck under the weight of his parents’ expectations, Theo’s best shot at leaving Vermont means first ensuring his parents’ livelihood is secure. So when a new fusion café threatens both shops, Theo and Gabi realize an unfortunate truth—they can only achieve their goals by working together.
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Flip the Script
by Lyla Lee
As an avid watcher of K-dramas, Hana knows all the tropes to avoid when she finally lands a starring role in a buzzy new drama. She can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend, heartthrob Bryan Yoon, who might be falling in love with her. After all, she promised the TV producers a contract romance, and that’s all they’re going to get from her. But when showrunners bring on a new lead actress to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest, can Hana fight for her position on the show, while falling for her on-screen rival in real life?
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Her Rebel Highness
by Diana Ma
In Heiress Apparently, Gemma Huang’s big acting break led her to Beijing, where she uncovered an incredible family secret. This second novel in the Daughters of the Dynasty series delves further into Gemma’s complex and storied legacy, moving back one generation to tell the story of Gemma’s mother, Lei, as she finds love against the backdrop of 1980s China and the Tiananmen Square protests and makes a difficult decision that forever alters the course of her life.
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An Arrow to the Moon
by Emily X.R. Pan
When Hunter Yee transfers to Fairbridge High, Luna Chang catches his eye. They’re drawn to each other, even after discovering their families’ feud. Hunter and Luna’s secret relationship prompts mysterious fireflies to follow Luna and an ominous crack to split the earth. Understanding these developments and ending the feud requires turning to Chinese lore.
Read it for: the lyrical, contemporary reimagining of the tale of Houyi and Chang’e, with shades of Romeo and Juliet.
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My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding
by Sajni Patel
During her sister’s extravagant wedding week, Zurika, a naturally gifted violinist, secretly enters a high-profile music competition. Unfortunately, the groom’s South African cousin Naveen is a fellow competitor, a talented singer, and her aunties' potential match for her. If Zurika isnt careful, she may not only fall for Naveen, but mess up her sister's big day and disappoint her parents.
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Beauty and the Besharam
by Lillie Vale
Seventeen-year-old Kavya has always been told she's too bold, ambitious, sassy. In one word: besharam. When her public breakup is witnessed by her nemesis, Ian Jun, Kavya vows to lay low by working over the summer as a princess for children's birthday parties. Little does she know that Ian will be working at the same place. Kavya and Ian's friends are exhausted by their rivalry, so they devise a series of challenges throughout the summer. But as the competition heats up, so does the romantic tension.
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Loveboat Reunion
by Abigail Hing Wen
In this companion novel to the New York Times best-seller Loveboat, Taipei, Sophie and Xavier find themselves on a wild, nonstop Loveboat reunion, where they hatch a plan to control their own futures. Sophie and Xavier recognize their talents are not flaws, and they just might have another chance at being together.
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Marvel Voices : Identity
by Gene Luen Yang
Celebrate the greatest Asian characters and creators from across the Marvel Universe! Some of the best super heroes in comics get the spotlight in action-packed and heartfelt tales - including Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, Jubilee, Silk, Wave, Wong and Jimmy Woo!
Series alert: This is the newest installment of Marvel Voices, including Heritage, Legacy and Pride.
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Love, Decoded
by Jennifer Yen
When the friend-matching app she co-created for an app-writing contest goes viral and leads to scandal, top student Gigi realizes her desire to be the best could cost her the people she cares about. This contemporary retelling of Emma blends romance, friendship and computer programming.
Series alert: This spin-off features characters from A Taste for Love (2021).
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Contact your library for more great books for ages 14 and up!
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