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Three Things I Know Are True
by Betty Culley
What it's about: Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clay's father's gun. Now Jonah needs round-the-clock care just to stay alive, and Liv feels like she's the only person who can see that her brother is still there inside his broken body. With Liv's mom suing Clay's family, there are divisions in the community that Liv knows she's not supposed to cross. But Clay is her friend, too, and she refuses to turn away from him--just like she refuses to give up on Jonah.
Why you might like it: This powerful novel in verse is a stunning exploration of tragedy, grief, compassion, and forgiveness.
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No True Believers
by Rabiah York Lumbard
What it's about: Salma Bakkioui has always loved living in her suburban cul-de-sac, with her best friend Mariam next door, and her boyfriend Amir nearby. Then things start to change. Friends start to distance themselves. Mariam's family moves when her father's patients no longer want a Muslim chiropractor. Even trusted teachers look the other way when hostile students threaten Salma at school. After a terrorist bombing nearby, Islamaphobia tightens its grip around Salma and her family. Salma and Amir find themselves with few allies as they come under suspicion for the bombing.
Why you might like it: Fans of the riveting mystery in Courtney Summers's Sadie and the themes of race and religion in Samira Ahmed's Internment will be captivated by this exploration of the intersection of Islamaphobia and white supremacy
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Pumpkinheads
by Rainbow Rowell; illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
What it's about: It's Halloween, and high school seniors Deja and Josie are working their final shift at Omaha's best pumpkin patch. Outgoing Deja wants to make their last night together as exciting as possible -- and that means getting shy Josie to finally talk to the girl of his dreams.
Book buzz: Popular creators Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks team up for the first time in this fast-paced graphic novel packed with charmingly awkward characters and cozy fall colors.
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We Used to Be Friends
by Amy Spalding
What it's about: At the start of their senior year in high school, James (a girl with a boy's name) and Kat are inseparable, but by graduation, they're no longer friends. James prepares to head off to college as she reflects on the dissolution of her friendship with Katwhile, in alternating chapters, Kat thinks about being newly in love and having a future that feels wide open.
Told in dual timelines--half of the chapters moving forward in time and half moving backward--We Used to Be Friends explores the most traumatic breakup of all: that of childhood besties.
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| Kingdom of Souls by Rena BarronWhat it's about: Despite being the daughter of two powerful witch doctors, Arrah hasn't been gifted by the orisha of magic. Desperate, Arrah performs a risky ritual, gaining enough magic to see a threatening plot...but maybe not enough to stop it.
Series alert: Look for the sequel, Reaper of Souls, in February 2021.
Further reading: For another intricately plotted Afrofantasy series opener featuring intrigue and fierce magic, try Amanda Joy's A River of Royal Blood. |
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Witch Born
by Nicholas Bowling
The scene: It is 1577 and one month ago Alyce's mother was burnt at the stake as a witch, and Alyce escaped from the witchfinders using her own poorly understood powers, only to be locked up in Bedlam.
What happens next: Another pair has come for Alyce, only they seem different (and a lot easier to escape). With the help of an innkeeper and a boy, Alyce sets out to find out about her mother's mysterious past--and finds herself in the middle of both a political war between rival queens, and a supernatural war, and not really sure which side she is on.
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| Winterwood by Shea ErnshawFeaturing: Nora Walker, who’s descended from a long line of forest witches; Oliver Huntsman, who’s rescued by Nora after he inexplicably survives a winter storm; and the ancient, ominous woods that surround their town.
What happens: Though Nora is drawn to Oliver, she begins to suspect that he knows more than he should about the local boys who’ve gone missing.
Reviewers say: “a delectably immersive, eerie experience” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Merciful Crow by Margaret OwenWhat it’s about: When a routine job takes an unexpected turn, Fie -- bone witch and future chief of the Crows, a lowly caste of undertakers/mercy-killers -- has to decide if the promise of protection for the Crows is worth the risk of a dangerous quest.
Read it for: diverse characters, pulse-pounding adventure, and a fascinating system of magic.
Series alert: This fantasy is the 1st in a duology, followed by The Faithless Hawk. |
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Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
by Jessica Spotswood
What it's about: History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features fifteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure--and to kill.
Why you might like it: This collection reveals a universal truth: there's nothing more powerful than a teenage girl who believes in herself.
Read it for: Culturally and ethnically diverse characters; settings ranging from historical to dystopian
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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