"No one wanted to fall into the hands of the enemy. But it was growing harder to distinguish who the enemy was."
~ from Ruta Sepetys' Salt to the Sea |
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| We Are the Ants by Shaun David HutchinsonFiction. Sixteen-year-old Henry Denton has only 144 days to decide whether or not to save the world. The same aliens who have subjected Henry to repeated, mortifying abductions have now given him a choice: press a button and call off the scheduled destruction of Earth…or don't. And honestly, considering that he's tormented at school, his family is a mess, and his boyfriend committed suicide, Henry doesn't see much evidence that humanity is worth saving. If you enjoy books by outside-the-box writers like A.S. King and Andrew Smith, you'll appreciate the deep questions, edgy humor, and unflinching honesty in We Are the Ants. |
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| The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca PodosMystery. After her father, a best-selling mystery writer, disappears in the middle of the night, Imogene Scott feels sure that she's meant to follow him. Recklessly hiding some of the clues from the police (and from her stepmother), she launches her own investigation instead. Guessing that her father's disappearance has something to do with her mother's abandonment years earlier, Imogene uses the skills she's learned from fictional detectives to dig into her family's past…and maybe figure out her own future. With a twisty plot, bleak New England atmosphere, and a prickly, persistent heroine, this debut novel is a must-read for mystery fans. |
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| It's All Your Fault by Paul RudnickFiction. Caitlin Mary Prudence Rectitude Singleberry has lived up to her straitlaced name for 17 years. So how did she end up tattooed, pierced, and in jail? Obviously, the blame lies with Heller Harrigan, the out-of-control teen celebrity who also happens to be Caitlin's cousin. See, Caitlin was recruited to be Heller's chaperone until the premiere of her first big movie, a Hunger Games-style blockbuster. It was only for one weekend, but it turns out that 48 hours is more than enough time for the mismatched cousins to get into trouble with the law (and blow up on Twitter). Over-the-top situations blend with sharp social satire in this hysterically funny read.
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| Salt to the Sea by Ruta SepetysHistorical Fiction. When the Wilhelm Gustloff sank in 1945, over 9,000 of its passengers lost their lives. Yet before it embarked on that doomed voyage, the Wilhelm Gustloff offered a last chance of escape for thousands of Eastern European refugees fleeing from the brutality of World War Two. Salt to the Sea follows four of the ship's passengers: Joana, a guilt-ridden Lithuanian nurse; Emilia, a pregnant Polish teen; Florian, a secretive Prussian artist; and Alfred, a young Nazi soldier. Similar to Allan Wolf's The Watch That Ends the Night, this gorgeously written tale of a deadly shipwreck is "heartbreaking, historical, and a little bit hopeful" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Memory of Light by Francisco X. StorkFiction. Following a suicide attempt, Vicky Cruz wakes up in a hospital psych ward feeling empty, and not just because her stomach was pumped. Her family is broken, she's lost the people she's cares about the most, and she just can't pretend to be okay anymore. At least in her therapy group, she doesn't have to pretend: Mona, E.M., and Gabriel may all have different backgrounds, and diagnoses, but they all offer the support (and the challenges) that Vicky needs to face the hard work of living. Readers who relish this intense, emotional exploration of mental illness may also want to try Benjamin Saenz Alire's Last Night I Sang to the Monster.
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UnSlut : a diary and a memor
by Emily Lindin
A girl who at a young age became the target of derogatory labels that progressed to sexual bullying shares excerpts from her diary accompanied by adult reflections to raise awareness of the dangers of bullying in the past and present. Simultaneous eBook. 25,000 first printing.
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Focus on: Magical Realism
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| Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia BlockApocalyptic Fiction. Earthquake, flood, and an influx of people-eating giants have turned the city of Los Angeles into a rubble-strewn hellscape. Into this perilous wasteland wanders a girl named Pen, desperately hoping to find the family she lost. As she searches, Pen is joined by a crew of other unlikely survivors, including leather-clad Hex, who forges a passionate relationship with Pen despite his claims of heartlessness. Though savvy readers will note certain parallels with The Odyssey, you don't need to have read Homer's epic to enjoy this dark, dreamlike story (which is followed by a sequel, The Island of Excess Love). |
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| Ask the Passengers by A.S. KingFiction. Astrid Jones is stuck. Between the narrow-minded, gossipy residents of her small town and her needy, kind of messed-up family, she doesn't know what to do with all of the love she has in her heart. So Astrid lies on her back on a picnic table, staring up at the sky, and sends her love to the passengers in airplanes flying overhead. She doesn't know whether it has any effect, but she has no idea when she'll figure out how to love just one special someone, either. Fans of philosophical, emotional reads about rules, labels, and conformity will be entranced by Ask the Passengers. |
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Every day
by David Levithan
Waking up in the body of a different person every day and struggling to pass through each experience without raising alarm, "A" endures a lonely existence before falling in love with a girl named Rhiannon, with whom he endeavors to reunite.
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| September Girls by Bennett MadisonMagical Realism. Sam thinks of them as "the Girls." These blonde, strangely accented, impossibly beautiful young women seem to be everywhere in the little beach town where Sam, his brother, and his dad have come to spend the summer. Sarcastic, lazy, and prone to drinking, Sam doesn't usually attract female attention (even his mom bailed on him), yet the Girls are inexplicably drawn to him. But who are they? Where did they come from, and what do they have to do with local legends about curses and mermaids? Sam's raunchy narration provides unexpected insights into the haunting themes of love and loss woven throughout this unusual modern fairy tale. |
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| Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCallFantasy. There's a dead body in the swimming hole. After discovering the drowned man near her Texas home, 15-year-old Odilia Garza wants to call the police. Her four younger sisters, however, persuade her to join them on an illicit road trip to return the body to his family in Mexico. Part epic journey and part realistic drama (the sisters confront some hard truths about their family), The Summer of the Mariposas is a unique and unforgettable read. Want another lyrical, magic-tinged story starring a Latina heroine? Pick up Meg Medina's The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind. |
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| Dope Sick by Walter Dean MyersMagical Realism. Injured and on the run after a drug deal gone south, 17-year-old Jeremy "Lil J" Dance ducks into an abandoned building in his Harlem neighborhood. Inside, he discovers Kelly, a strange squatter with an even stranger TV that shows Lil J decisions from his past -- leaving school, failing his pregnant girlfriend, developing a drug habit -- and possibilities for his future. Though Lil J suspects Kelly might a hallucination, he can't help considering the question Kelly asks: "If you could take back one thing you did…what would it be?" Popular author Walter Dean Myers combines magical realism and urban fiction in this complex, gritty, and inventive tale. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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