Pierce County Library System: * Award Winners for Teens (website only): Award Winners for Teens

Canto Contigo
by Jonny Garza Villa

When Mariachi star Rafael Alvarez moves to a new school, he anticipates claiming the lead vocalist role, but instead faces a rival with a familiar face as he navigates family issues, competition, and complicated feelings for his rival.

Night Owls: A Sydney Taylor and National Jewish Book Award Winner
by A. R. Vishny

Clara loves rules. Rules are what have kept her and her sister, Molly, alive-or, rather, undead-for over a century. Work their historic movie theater by day. Shift into an owl under the cover of night. Feed on men in secret. And never fall in love. Molly is in love. And she's tired of keeping her girlfriend, Anat, a secret. If Clara won't agree to bend their rules a little, then she will bend them herself. Boaz is cursed. He can't walk two city blocks without being cornered by something undead. At least at work at the theater, he gets to flirt with Clara, wishing she would like him back. When Anat vanishes, and New York's monstrous underworld emerges from the shadows, Clara suspects Boaz, their annoyingly cute box office attendant, might be behind it all--

Not Like Other Girls
by Meredith Adamo

A girl risks everything to find her former best friend in this powerful debut mystery about trauma, girlhood, and what we deserve.

Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire
by Paula Yoo

Winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction AwardA Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the YearA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA Publishers Weekly Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of the YearAward-winning author Paula Yoo delivers a comprehensive, kaleidoscopic account of what happened before, during, and after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising (Horn Book Magazine, starred review).

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins
by P. Djèlí Clark

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats. Nor do they have tails. But they are most assuredly dead ... Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins-resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories-have only three unbreakable vows. First, the contract must be just. That's above Eveen's pay grade. Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen's a professional. She's never missed her mark. The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen's newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn't supposed to remember and a vow she can't forget--

Everything We Never Had
by Randy Ribay

Set in the 1930s to today, [this novel follows] four generations of Filipino American boys [who] grapple with identity, masculinity, and father-son relationships--]cProvided by publisher.

Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . .: A Love Story
by Jason Reynolds

In a series of moments spanning two years, seventeen-year-old Neon navigates the progression of his relationship with Aria, culminating in a case of the jitters as the two intend to take the next big step in their relationship.

Kwame Crashes the Underworld
by Craig Kofi Farmer

Discover a stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and Amari and the Night Brothers.

White Smoke
by Tiffany D. Jackson

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper. The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its ... secrets. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.--

Brownstone: A Graphic Novel
by Samuel Teer

In the summer of 1995, almost-fifteen-year-old Almudena is sent to live with her estranged Spanish-speaking father, and together they renovate a brownstone and build a relationship while Almudena navigates the Latin American side of her heritage for the first time--

How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
by Tony Keith Jr

Odyssey Award for Audiobook Excellence WinnerPoet, writer, and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. makes his debut with a powerful YA memoir in verse, tracing his journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, George M. Johnson, and Jacqueline Woodson.Tony dreams about life after high school, where his poetic voice can find freedom on the stage and page. But the Boogeyman has been following Tony since he was six years old. First, the Boogeyman was after his Blackness, but Tony has learned It knows more than that: Tony wants to be the first in his family to attend college, but there's no path to follow. He also has feelings for boys, desires that don't align with the script he thinks is set for him and his girlfriend, Blu.Despite a supportive network of family and friends, Tony doesn't breathe a word to anyone about his feelings. As he grapples with his sexuality and moves from high school to college, he struggles with loneliness while finding solace in gay chat rooms and writing poetry. But how do you find your poetic voice when you are hiding the most important parts of yourself? And how do you escape the Boogeyman when it's lurking inside you?

Shut Up, This Is Serious
by Carolina Ixta

Belen Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant-by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about because he's Black and her parents are racist.--

Chronically Dolores
by Maya Van Wagenen

Dolores Mendoza is not thriving. She was recently diagnosed with a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. The painful disease isn't life threatening, but it is threatening to ruin her life. Just when things seem hopeless, Dolores meets someone poised to change her fate. Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones is glamorous, autistic, and homeschooled against her will by her overprotective mother. After a rocky start, the girls form a tentative partnership. Beautiful, talented Terpsichore will help Dolores win back her ex-best friend, Shae. And Dolores will convince Terpsichore's mom that her daughter has the social skills to survive public school. It seems like a foolproof plan, but Dolores isn t always a reliable narrator, and her choices may put her in danger of committing an unforgivable betrayal.--Provided by publisher.

For additional reading ideas, talk with your library staff