| The poet X by Elizabeth AcevedoStarring: 15-year-old Xiomara, who isn't afraid to speak with her fists when she's harassed on the street, but who discovers that poetry offers an outlet for her family frustrations, her doubts about her Catholic faith, and her feelings about her secret boyfriend.
About the author: Slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo makes her debut with this bittersweet, hard-hitting novel in verse.
Try this next: Isabel Quintero's Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, for another memorable Latina character finding her voice. |
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| Children of blood and bone by Tomi AdeyemiFeaturing: Zélie, a divîner with dormant magic abilities who's fed up with King Saran's brutal oppression; Amari, the rebellious princess who hopes to reawaken the magic in Zélie and others like her; and Inan, the crown prince who's determined to stop them.
Book buzz: This vivid, fast-paced trilogy opener is already generating excitement among readers on social media.
Further reading: Looking for another richly drawn Afrofantasy series? Try Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch or Tochi Onyebuchi's Beasts Made of Night. |
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| A girl like that by Tanaz BhathenaWhat it's about: piecing together how (and why) headstrong orphan Zarin and her childhood friend Porus wound up dead by the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Who it's for: With postmortem narration, a diverse cast, and an unflinching portrayal of abuse, A Girl Like That will grab readers looking for unconventional stories about girls who defy society's rules. |
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| Time bomb by Joelle CharbonneauWhat it's about: A bombing at their high school leaves students Frankie, Rashid, Tad, Z, Diana, and Cas trapped together, dependent on each other to survive but all too aware that any of them could be the bomber.
Read it for: Multiple perspectives, shifting alliances, and steadily building suspense.
Reviewers say: "a powerful page-turner that doesn’t let up until its explosive finale" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Belles by Dhonielle ClaytonWhat it's about: Only the Belles can beautify the gray, red-eyed people of Orleans, and though 16-year-old Belle Camellia is thrilled to become the favourite of the royal family, she soon discovers that the palace is full of ominous secrets, and that there's more to her magic than she ever suspected.
Series alert: Lush and thought-provoking, this series opener will leave you desperate for the next book.
For fans of: Keira Cass' The Selection series or Scott Westerfeld's Pretties. |
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Escape from Syria by Samya KullabA graphic story of intense current events. From the pen of former Lebanon Star reporter Samya Kullab comes a breathtaking and hard-hitting story of one family's struggle to survive in the face of war, displacement, poverty and relocation. When the family home in Aleppo is destroyed by a government-led bomb strike, Walid has no choice but to take his wife and children and flee their war-torn and much loved homeland. Walid's daughter, the young Amina tells the story. As she witnesses firsthand the harsh realities that her family must endure if they are to survive she is forced to grow up very quickly in order to help her parents and brother.The family's escape from their homeland makes for a harrowing tale, but with their safe arrival in the West it serves as a hopeful endnote to this ongoing worldwide crisis.
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Say you'll remember me
by Katie McGarry
When Drix, who was convicted of a crime he did not commit, meets Elle, the daughter of the governor backing a project designed to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents, they have to fight family expectations and their past behaviours to be together
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The day the angels fell by Shawn SmuckerWhen tragedy strikes young Samuel Chambers' family, his search for answers entangles him in an ancient conflict and leads him on an unexpected journey to find the Tree of Life.
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Sparks of light by Janet TaylorA sequel to Into the Dim finds Hope and her fellow Viators racing back in time to Guilded Age New York City, where they navigate the intrigues of late 19th-century high society to prevent the history-changing theft of an invention by Nikola Tesla.
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When light left us
by Leah Thomas
Comforted by a shimmering figure who helps them see, hear and write in inspired ways, three siblings struggle to heal in the aftermath of their father's departure and wonder how they will ever be the same after their transformative experiences. By the award-winning author of Because You'll Never Meet Me.
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Focus on: Australian Fiction
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When Michael met Mina
by Randa Abdel-Fattah
A story about the power of choosing tolerance by the award-winning author of Does My Head Look Big in This? finds basketball enthusiast Michael attending anti-immigration rallies with his parents until a friendship with a Muslim refugee newcomer from Afghanistan compels him to question his family's politics.
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| The dead I know by Scot GardnerWhat it's about: Even as Aaron Rowe struggles with sleepwalking, repressed memories, and an unstable family situation, his new job at a funeral parlour provides him with an unexpected sense of belonging.
Who it's for: If you appreciate dark humour, psychologically complex characters, and you're not squeamish about corpses, this book is for you.
Try this next: Jason Reynolds' The Boy in the Black Suit for another teen guy who finds solace at a funeral home. |
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| Lady Helen and The Dark Days Club by Alison GoodmanStarring: Lady Helen Wexhall, whose supernatural abilities complicate her social debut in 1812 London and provoke a personal dilemma: should she marry the Duke of Selburn and be a respectable lady, or join the rakish Earl of Carlston as a demon-fighter with the Dark Days Club?
For fans of: Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy.
Series alert: This atmospheric historical fantasy series continues in Lady Helen and the Dark Days pact. |
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| Six impossible things by Fiona WoodWhat it's about: After his dad announces that he's bankrupt, gay, and leaving, Dan and his mother have a tough time: they move into a smelly old house, and private school student Dan has to transfer to public school. Thank goodness for Estelle, his dazzling new neighbour and fellow misfit.
Who it's for: "Effervescent and sweet" (Kirkus Reviews), this quirky tale will please romance readers as well as those looking for guy-centric coming-of-age stories. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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