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Yeseni and the Daughter of Peace
by Solange Burrell
'Powerful' Irenosen Okojie, author of Butterfly FishThe year is 1748. Elewa, known as 'the Daughter of Peace', bears a heavy responsibility on her young shoulders: to maintain the fragile truce between the warring peoples of her West African kingdom.But as she begins to understand her role in the peace negotiations, even greater pressures emerge. Elewa discovers that she has Yeseni, a powerful gift that allows her to see events from any point in time, and to travel into the past and future.When she experiences horrific visions of life aboard a slave ship, she realises she has to face the ultimate crossroads. She could use her gift to intervene in the past and try to prevent the transatlantic slave trade ever taking place. But that means she, as the Daughter of Peace, would be leaving her village behind at a precarious moment in the reconciliation process.Whichever path she chooses to take, the future of her people lies on her shoulders.
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All the Noise at Once
by Deandra Davis
Three starred reviews A Black, autistic teen tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested in this propulsive (Jas Hammonds, award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments), moving story about brotherhood, identity, and social justice. All Aiden has ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. An overstimulation meltdown gets in the way of Aiden making the team during summer tryouts, but when the school year starts and a spot unexpectedly needs to be filled, he finally gets a chance to play the game he loves. However, not every player is happy about the new addition to the team, wary of how Aiden's autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called. Brandon interferes on behalf of his brother, but is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When he's wrongly charged for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away, and the brothers' relationship is tested. As Brandon's trial inches closer, Aiden is desperate to figure out what really happened that night. Can he clear his brother's name in time?
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Needy Little Things
by Channelle Desamours
Seventeen-year-old Sariyah, who can sense people's immediate needs, must use her ability to solve her friend's mysterious disappearance while dealing with family challenges and avoiding the same danger that befell her friend.
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If We Were a Movie
by Zakiya N. Jamal
Rochelle 'The Shell' Coleman is laser focused on only three things: becoming valedictorian, getting into Wharton, and, of course, taking down her annoyingly charismatic nemesis and only academic competition, Amira Rodriguez. However, despite her stellar grades, Rochelle's college application is missing that extra special something: a job. When Rochelle gets an opportunity to work at Horizon Cinemas, the beloved Black-owned movie theater, she begrudgingly jumps at the chance to boost her chances at getting into her dream school. There's only one problem: Amira works there--and is also her boss. ... Horizon's in trouble, and when mysterious things begin happening that make Horizon's chances of staying open slimmer, it's up to the employees to solve the mystery before it's too late--but will love also find its way into the spotlight?--Provided by publisher.
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Dropping Beats
by Nathanael Lessore
Aspiring young rapper Shaun Growls Thompson navigates through embarrassing incidents, family troubles, and friendship challenges, finding support from a new friend and ultimately hatching a plan to save his family from eviction.
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Finding Prince Charming
by Jamar J. Perry
In this swoonworthy YA romance, an ordinary teenage boy finds himself accidentally fake dating a crown prince.
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Blood & Breath
by Qurratulayn
I sucked in the last breath I would ever call my own and sealed my contract with one word: revenge. Born into the persecuted Magi class, Evan Wilde keeps her true identity under wraps. Her days are spent drawing up simple contracts--a task Magi are banned from performing--which call devils from beyond the veil to carry out clients' requests in exchange for a bit of blood or breath. It's not until Evan lies dying in an alley, the victim of an illegal blood sacrifice, that she draws a contract for herself. A devil can take the last of her life--if it grants her revenge. Such a hasty, open-ended contract can only lead to trouble. But when a devil named Jack accepts her terms, Evan decides to make the most of her borrowed time. With Jack's help, she infiltrates high society, posing as part of the ruling Necro class--the group responsible for oppressing Magi and perpetuating illegal blood sacrifices. Dining and dancing by day, unleashing her devil at night . . . for the first time in her life, Evan no longer lives in fear. She even finds friends--and love--within the circles of her supposed enemy. It turns out that, for all their corruption, Necros are the only ones keeping the devils at bay. If Evan and Jack topple their society in revenge, the veil between worlds could vanish, leaving devils to wreak havoc. Evan's vendetta against Necros could destroy the entire world, including her newfound friends and love. But even if she changes her mind, Evan is not the only one out for blood. Jack didn't indenture himself for nothing; in fact, Evan's contract could be the key to enacting his own twisted vengeance . . . .
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Under the Neon Lights
by Arriel Vinson
Sixteen-year-old Jaelyn Coleman falls in love for the first time at her local, beloved roller-skating rink, just as news hits it is shutting down amidst her neighborhood quickly gentrifying--
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Tempest
by K. Ibura
After Veronique's parents died, her grandmother raised her on a farm in rural Louisiana. For sixteen years, it's just been Veronique, MawMaw, and an ocean of trees. That's because Veronique has a secret--one MawMaw has warned her she must always keep safe. Veronique has the power to control the wind. But when MawMaw falls ill, Veronique is forced to move to New Orleans to live with family she never knew she had. New Orleans is a far cry from her old quiet life, but Veronique finally gets her chance for a normal life--one with school, friends, and even love. But when her new life threatens her ability to control her powers, she quickly learns that the world is bigger and more dangerous than she'd ever imagined. Veronique must uncover what MawMaw was trying to protect her from before it's too late.--Provided by publisher.
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