STAFF PICKS
SUMMER 2025
ALEX'S RECOMMENDATIONS
Kindling
by Traci Chee

After the war is over, seven outlawed kindlings?—?elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives?—?must confront their pasts, their trauma and their grim fates to reclaim who they once were and fight one last time. Simultaneous.
Swing
by Audrey Meeker

"Marcus McCalister wants to fit in. So much so that he's still playing on a soccer team with his childhood friend Ted, despite not liking soccer--or Ted--all that much. Izzy Briggs wants to stand out. Being labeled the "weird kid" for her bold fashion choices is the price an aspiring designer must pay for a life of greatness--but being confident isn't always easy. So when Izzy and Marcus are paired together to perform a swing dance routine for a gym project, it's no surprise that everything goes up in flames, including their grade in the class. Until their gym teacher proposes a deal: if the pair performs the swing routine in the upcoming talent show, they'll receive extra credit and a passing grade. They accept. . . but Izzy has her own proposal for Marcus: this time, she gets to be the lead"
Bocchi the Rock! 1
by Aki Hamazi

High school student Hitori Gotoh just wants to be popular, but the thought of interacting with her classmates makes her fall to pieces. Her solution, become a rock legend so cool that people approach her instead!
 
Goth Girl, queen of the universe
by Lindsay S. Zrull

In a scheme to reunite with her estranged biological mother, foster kid Jess joins a cosplay team working toward a competition in New York, but along the way she learns the value of the family you choose for yourself.
Skip and loafer. 1
by Misaki Takamatsu

"Mitsumi is bound for high school in Tokyo! She's got book smarts, but this small-town girl is about to find out she's massively unprepared for the social norms of big city high schoolers"
HAYLEY'S RECOMMENDATIONS
Wander in the dark
by Jumata Emill

"When Black teenager Amir is accused of murdering Chloe Danvers, a rich White girl, he and his half-brother Marcel set out to prove his innocence and discover that in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths. Simultaneous eBook."
Morgana and Oz . 1
by Miyuli

Morgana belongs to a long line of witches, and Oz to the rival vampire clan. After a chance encounter...and maybe a few stray spells...these two need to find a way to work together, or risk all-out war between coven and clan.
My love story with Yamada-Kun at LV999. 1
by Mashiro

"College student Akane has just been dumped by her boyfriend. Heartbroken, she decides to quit the online RPG they used to play together--but instead of deleting her account, she logs in and battles low-level enemies to relieve her stress and hurt feelings. There she meets Yamada, an elite pro gamer so reclusive that Akane can't decide if he's awkward or alluring. When Akane encounters her ex at a gaming convention, she makes the snap decision to pretend Yamada is her boyfriend, and soon the two of them are spending time together both in the game and in real life. The problem is, Yamada is only interested in the game. As Akane's feelings grow, will Yamada's focus shift?"
Run on your new legs. 1
by Wataru Midori

"Shouta Kikuzato's hopes of starting on his school's prestigious soccer team are derailed when a terrible incident costs him his leg. Now in his first year of high school (again), Kikuzato has resigned himself to never reaching his athletic dreams. But when Chidori, a passing prosthetist, notices Kikuzato's artificial limb--and speed--as he races through the train station, the specialist proposes a partnership: Chidori will build Kikuzato a brand-new leg designed solely for speed. All Kikuzato has to do is run!"
Emmett
by Lev AC Rosen

Playing matchmaker for his friends at Highbury Academy, handsome, clever and rich Emmett tries to find his occasional friend-with-benefits the perfect match, but instead learns that gifted as he may be, he has no idea what he's doing when it comes to love. Simultaneous eBook.
RANDI'S RECOMMENDATIONS
Breathe and count back from ten
by Natalia Sylvester

"Verâonica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body. Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verâonica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor. She decides it's time to seizecontrol of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her--the truth about her own body."--Amazon
Looking for Smoke
by K. A. Cobell

When a classmate is murdered during a traditional Blackfeet giveaway, Mara, Loren, Brody and Eli, the last people to see her alive, must take matters into their own hands and clear their names-even though one of them may be the killer. 100,000 first printing.
The renaissance of Gwen Hathaway : a novel
by Ashley Schumacher

Determined nothing in her life will change again after the death of her mother, Gwen Hathaway works the ren faire circuit with her father and meets Arthur, an actual lute-playing bard who ropes her into becoming Princess of the Faire, which dramatically changes her plans. Simultaneous eBook.
Dead things are closer than they appear
by Robin Wasley

During a magical apocalypse, which has unleashed monsters and murderers, ordinary teen Sid Spencer teams up with a ragtag crew of would-be heroes to save the world as she knows it and do something extraordinary. Simultaneous eBook.
The forest king's daughter
by Elly Blake

Cassia wields a powerful ring that can distort enemies, and after she is abducted by Zeru, who wants the ring back that he gave Cassia years earlier, they travel to a place they thought only existed in storybooks. Simultaneous eBook.