Teen Scene
December 2025

Recent Releases
Hazelthorn
by CG Drews

After his guardian suddenly dies, Evander is freed from his bedroom prison at the Hazelthorn mansion. Now he must contend with the heir, Laurie, who tried to kill Evander once but fascinates him nonetheless. With a lush, carnivorous garden, this thriller is a gothic twist on The Secret Garden.
Coldwire
by Chloe Gong

The alternative to a harrowing world of extreme weather and disease is NileCorp’s virtual reality service. Eirale and Lia, soldiers in NileCorp’s military, risk it all to expose injustice in their worlds, real and virtual. Fans of Marie Lu's Warcross and Marissa Meyer's Renegades will enjoy this action-packed cyberpunk trilogy opener.
 
A Time Traveler's History of Tomorrow
by Kendall Kulper

At the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, Genevieve and Ash misuse their scientific powers and accidentally travel to 1893. If they return to their own time, will it even be the same? This inventive romp is a standalone story with companion novels Murder for the Modern Girl and A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife.
 
The House Saphir
by Marissa Meyer

Armand hires Mallory, who can talk to ghosts, to exorcise his ancestral estate. Mallory plans to swindle him out of his money, but instead she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, and Armand is a suspect. This creepy novel is a witty retelling of the Bluebeard myth.
 
Never Ever After
by Sue Lynn Tan

When Yining, adopted as a child, discovers her magical heritage, she leaves her impoverished mountain village to change her fate. Tempted into a lavish world by a ruthless prince, Yining must unlock her full powers to fight for a better future for everyone. Read-alikes: June CL Tan’s Jade Fire Gold; Intisar Khanani’s The Theft of Sunlight.
 
2025 Debuts
As 2026 draws closer, check out these books by authors who published their first books in 2025.
 
All the Noise at Once
by DeAndra Davis

Star quarterback Brandon is happy to have his autistic brother Aiden on the team. When a post-game fight results in Brandon’s unjust arrest, it’s up to Aiden to prove his older brother’s innocence. Read-alikes: Sonora Reyes’ The Luis Ortega Survival Club; Christina Hammonds Reed’s The Black Kids.
 
Salvación
by Sandra Proudman

The magical sal negra Lola’s mother uses to cure maladies draws travelers to their home, but it also attracts threats. That’s why Lola adopts the guise of Salvación, a masked vigilante protecting her people from colonizers and deadly magic. This swashbuckling tale takes inspiration from the character Zorro.
 
Honeysuckle and Bone
by Trisha Tobias

Despite Carina’s mother forbidding travel to her home island of Jamaica, Carina takes a temporary job there nannying for a wealthy family. As strange things start happening in the house, Carina fears a tormented spirit may be after her. Read-alikes: Kyrie McCauley’s All the Dead Lie Down; Trang Thanh Tran’s She Is a Haunting.
 
First Love Language
by Stefany Valentine

Although Catie loves her adoptive mother, she is curious about her biological mother’s Taiwanese culture. Given the chance to learn Mandarin from her coworker Toby, she’ll happily provide him dating advice, despite her own inexperience. This sweet, thoughtful romance delves into the complexities of transracial adoption.
 
A Language of Dragons
by S.F. Williamson

After accidentally fanning the flames between the government and the rebels, Vivian makes a bargain. She’ll exchange her knowledge of dragon languages for her parents’ freedom. This gripping historical fantasy, set in an alternate London in 1932, reimagines dilemmas code breakers faced during World War II.
 
Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 14 and up!
Des Plaines Public Library
1501 Ellinwood St.
Des Plaines, Illinois 60016
847-376-2814

www.dppl.org