Dwight Foster Public Library: Young Adult Books: September 2026

The Hardest Ones to Fool (a Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick)
by Christina Li

A bold young adult thriller about a teen scammer who won't let boys, friends, or even murder get in her way. Amelia Wu is great at relationships. So great, in fact, that she's in three of them. Why choose between the suave debate team captain, the charming indie filmmaker, and the tennis star when she can be with them all? The catch? None of them know about each other. It works perfectly. They're in love with her-or the versions of her that they get. Amy. Ellie. Mia. And she's in love with the lavish dinners, fancy yacht trips, and expensive gifts. Times three. But schemes always get complicated, don't they? When Amelia's best friend ends up dead, her alleged murder shocks their placid beachside city. And soon, Amelia's carefully planned relationships start to dangerously unravel. In a fit of desperation, Amelia teams up with her academic nemesis Jackie, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and a self-proclaimed true crime junkie, to get to the bottom of this. After all, Amelia needs to keep her boyfriends close and her enemies closer if she wants to keep her scam-and herself-afloat.

Whenever You Are
by Martine Leavitt

Two teens in juvenile detention may have found a way to free themselves ― not just from their cells, but from the mistakes that got them locked up in the first place. Clem is a would-be poet who has been in “training school” ever since he caused the accident that maimed the nice lady who says she only wants him to do something fine with his life. But how, when even his parents have given up on him? Then Clem meets Finn, whose history is even more traumatic. Clem tries to help Finn adjust to detention, but when the boys are placed in solitary confinement, euphemistically called “administrative segregation,” Finn deteriorates, both physically and mentally. He’s ranting, saying he’s found a portal in his cell and a way to change their lives ― past, present and future. And then he disappears. Clem is interrogated by detention officials, a social worker, a doctor and a mysterious man in a suit, who ask him about the days leading up to Finn’s disappearance. As he tells them the story, he puzzles over what really happened to Finn, and the unexpected clues he's left Clem to find a better future.

Barbie: Dreamscape
by Alex Aster

Out of the box. Into the unexpected. Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in a pink-hued paradise called Heartland where everything is in order and everyone has a role to play, thanks to the mysterious and all-powerful beings who will soon assign her a Fate at graduation from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked hard to earn a good one. Her years of endless studying and acing every challenge are about to pay off. But when the unthinkable happens and Barbie is left Fateless—the first in Heartland’s history—her carefully ordered world shatters. Shaken and uncertain, Barbie must confront a future she never imagined: one with no clear path forward at all. Yet when a mysterious necklace begins to pulse with hidden power, she is drawn beyond Heartland’s protective mists into a daring journey across extraordinary lands. From sun-drenched shores to treacherous, ever-shifting landscapes, to shadowed forests steeped in secrets and magic, each realm will test Barbie’s courage, sharpen her wits, and awaken strengths she never knew she possessed—all while drawing her ever closer to a buried truth that could change her world forever. A richly imagined coming-of-age tale from the premier voice in teen fiction, this is a story about defying expectations, rewriting the rules, and discovering that the greatest possibilities lie in stepping out of the box…and into the unexpected.

Palestine: A Primer
by Rashid Khalidi

Come for a walk with me, if you would, along the streets of Jerusalem. My family has walked has walked these streets for more than a thousand years. . . Rashid Khalidi invites readers to learn more about Palestine in what is both a deeply personal and yet expansive account of the last hundred years of the country's history. By blending detailed research with firsthand experiences, this book is equal parts compelling and informative--the perfect educational resource for all ages. From the Balfour Declaration to Israel's siege of the Gaza strip, Khalidi delivers a thorough portrait of the intricacies of the geopolitical conflict occurring in the middle east. This edition features a plethora of maps, photographs, and illustrations. There has never been a more engaging way to learn about the history of this region.

Stepping Up: A Graphic Memoir
by Kiara Valdez

A timely and vibrant teen graphic novel memoir about community, friendship, and self-discovery told through the eyes of a high school freshman Kiara, one of the few Black students at her predominantly white boarding school—perfect for fans of Almost American Girl and Brownstone! Kiara is a long way from Washington Heights. She’s at Phillips Academy Andover—the prestigious school of her dreams. But her bulky financial aid laptop in a room full of brand-new Macs, her classmates’ endless chatter about overseas vacations, and everyone’s pristine North Face jackets have her feeling like she’ll never fit in. Then she discovers the all-star step team, SLAM. Kiara will gladly endure long practices, sore muscles, and chafed palms to finally find her place on campus. That is, until tragedy strikes and those closest to her are hurt, and she realizes exactly what it means to be an Andover student. Because at a school where her wealthy white classmates can get away with almost anything and students like her are made to feel lucky to even be at the academy to begin with, is belonging really what Kiara wants? And is she brave enough to step up—for herself and her friends?