Teen Scene: August 2025
New Young Adult Materials
Click here to receive this newsletter by email each month. 
Fiction
Up in smoke
by Nick Brooks

Cooper King is pressured by big brother figure Jason to go on a looting spree during a local march, the unthinkable happens: gunshots ring in the air and someone ends up dead. After Cooper flees, the news shows four teens in ski masks near the scene of the murder; Cooper and his friends. Cooper fears the cops will come knocking at his door, and the pressure only mounts when a suspect is taken into custody: Jason. Monique, Jason's sister and Cooper's longtime crush, is willing to go any length to clear her brother's name. Even if she needs to go into the belly of the beast and confront the killer herself. When she teams up with Cooper, they fall down the investigation rabbit hole and start to fall for each other. But little does Monique know that within this web of deception, Cooper is shrouding the truth that he was there when the shots went off. If the pair fail to uncover the real murderer, Jason will get locked up for a crime he didn't commit and drag down Cooper with him.
The gone book
by Helena Close

Matt's mam left home when he was 10. He writes letters to her but doesn't send them. He keeps them in his Gone Book, which he hides in his room. Five years of letters about his life. Five years of hurt. Matt's dad won't talk about her. His older brother is mixed up with drugs and messing with dangerous characters. His friends, Mikey and Anna, are the best thing in his life, but Matt keeps pushing them away. All Matt wants to do is skate, surf, and forget. But now his mam is back in town and Matt knows he needs to find her, to finally deliver the truth.
Goodbye, my princess
by Wo Si Cun Fei
 
Qu Xiaofeng has been living in Shangjing for three years now. A naïve, happy-go-lucky treaty bride from the desert kingdom of Xiliang, she has everything she could ever want as the crown princess of the Li Empire—everything except the crown prince’s heart. Because Li Chengyin is a heartless boy. Cruel, jealous, and ruthless, he has given his adolescence to the cutthroat contention for the throne and, now that he is the heir presumptive, largely ignores his bride in favor of the girl he seems to really love. Xiaofeng doesn’t mind much. It leaves her more time to sneak out of the manor to go drinking and riding in the streets, living just the way she wants to. But one day another boy shows up, claiming to be a sweetheart from a life she can’t remember having lived. As Xiaofeng puzzles out the tangled threads of her past and her complicated feelings about the enigmatic, distant husband she loves and hates in equal measure, what she doesn’t realize is that she’s setting a course straight to tragedy. Because the only place more dangerous than the palace is the crown prince’s court, the only thing harder to be than a king is his heir, and the path to the throne is paved with blood. 
The Other Side of the Ocean
by J.D Netto

For most sixteen year olds, life is all about friends, fun, and family. But for Matt Franco, it's different. Because Matt and his family are undocumented immigrants--like many other Brazilian emigres in his town. And that means he can't get a job, he can't get a driver's license, and as for college? Get real. But Matt is also carrying a burden much closer to his own heart. Matt is gay. And right now, he's the only one who knows it. But that changes when handsome, kind-eyed, and charming transfer student James Alberte walks into class. Because James isn't just some queer teen crush. He's everything Matt could ask for--and it's James' love, strength, and support that helps Matt finally come out to the world. Unfortunately, love doesn't necessarily make Matt's situation any easier. He's still stranded by his immigrant status, with a future that seems headed for a dead end. And if he's ever going to be happy, Matt will have to decide what he wants, where he's headed--and who he is at heart.
A Theory of Dreaming
by Ava Reid

All stories come to an end. Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll. But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories? With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking. As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his. Are dreams ever truly just dreams?
Always be my bibi
by Priyanka Taslim

Sixteen-year-old Bibi Hossain's summer plans for romance take an unexpected turn when her sister gets engaged, sending her to Bangladesh for the wedding, where she experiences major culture shock and a possible romance with the groom's younger brother.
Let them stare
by Jonathan Van Ness

Sully is ready to get out of Hearst, Pennsylvania. With a fashion internship secured, the gender-nonconforming eighteen-year-old is trading in their stifling small town for the big city. Sully even sells their beloved car, to Bread--er, Brad the most boring (and maybe only other) gay kid in town. When Sully's internship goes up in smoke, they're trapped in Hearst with no cash and no car. Desperate, they go to the thrift store, their personal sanctuary. There, they discover a vintage bag like "put this baby in an airtight case at the MET" vintage. If Sully can authenticate it, the resale value would be enough for a new life in the city. But when they begin to investigate, Sully finds themself haunted. Literally. With the ghost of Rufus, a drag performer from the fifties with no memory of how he died standing--no, floating in their bedroom, Sully's summer has a new purpose: 1) help this ghostly honey unlock his past and move on and 2) make bank after all, the Real Real doesn't take poltergeist purses. With Rufus in tow, and Brad--who's looking pretty scrumptious these days playing chauffeur, Sully delves into the history of the town they're so desperate to escape. Only to discover that there might be more to Hearst than they ever knew.
Pretty girl county
by Lakita Wilson

Reya and Sommer, former best friends from different socioeconomic worlds, reunite to help each other achieve their dreams, but as old wounds resurface and new challenges arise, they must navigate whether their friendship can be rebuilt.
Non-Fiction
Banned together: our fight for readers' rights
by Ashley Hope Pâerez

A multi-genre, young adult anthology that spotlights the transformative power of books while equipping teens to fight for the freedom to read, featuring the voices of 15 diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators.
Future millionaire : a young person's step-by-step guide to making wealth inevitable
by Rachel Rodgers

No matter how young you are or where you're starting from, you are a future millionaire. Declare it. Know it. Demand it. And, with help from bestselling author and self-made millionaire Rachel Rodgers, start working toward it. Future Millionaires is filled with insights on how to develop the right mindset and build smart money habits that will allow you to follow your dreams, build your wealth, and maximize your potential. 
Graphic Novels
Fitting Indian
by Jyoti Chand

All Nitasha’s parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she is decidedly not. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don’t get that she’ll never be like her doctor older brother. To make matters worse, she’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her. Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She can’t stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself? This authentic and powerful teen graphic novel shines a light on how harmful the stigma of mental illness is and how lifesaving a community that is honest about mental health can be.
We could be magic
by Marissa Meyer
 
When Tabitha Laurie was growing up, a visit to Sommerland saved her belief in true love, even as her parents' marriage was falling apart. Now she's landed her dream job at the theme park's prestigious summer program, where she can make magical memories for other kids, guests, and superfans just like her. All she has to do is audition for one of the coveted princess roles, and soon her dreams will come true. There's just one problem. The heroes and heroines at Sommerland are all, well... thin. And no matter how much Tabi lives for the magic, she simply doesn't fit the park's idea of a princess. Given a not-so-regal position at a nacho food stand instead, Tabi is going to need the support of new friends, a new crush, and a whole lot of magic if she's going to devise her own happily ever after without getting herself fired in the process.
The Smithtown Library(631) 360-2480www.smithlib.org