As with the adult list, this is a list as chosen by me, and reflecting books I have read this year (accepted one I read late December last year, because.....it was good and I wanted to....lol)
Hope you enjoy!
This is a really fun romance story, following Radha and Jai at their performing arts high school during senior year when they meet. The majority of the focus of this book isn't on the romance (which is nice...because life is about many things!).....it's about the journey to figure out and separate their own dreams from what their parents want for them and what society expects from them. I really liked the character building Sharma did, it made a simple teen romance into something a little deeper and more meaningful.
Smedley tackles the topic of sexual assault from a male perspective with the guy as victim and the female as aggressor & abuser. The relationship is shown both in flashbacks, as Owen struggles to figure out how things got to this point, and in the current crisis of dealing with the entire school talking when a trusted friend tells administration about the assault (which Owen never planned to report). Smedley also does a very nice and powerful parallel journey with Owen's father, struggling to overcome PTSD and his need to admit he requires therapy. The two men struggling to show emotion, acknowledging the toxicity of their issues and taking steps to make things better is really beautiful, as is Owen's own journey to realizing he can walk away from his toxic relationship and do better.
When Noa closes his eyes on Earth and wakes up on a spaceship about to explode, he is pretty sure things can't get weirder.....until they do. He is trapped aboard the ship with DJ & Jenny, and none of them know how they got there, or anything about how to control the ship. Together they will face all the dangers of space, as well as murder, aliens, a school dance (yup...a real high school dance), and one really, really bad day (you'll know why when you read it!).
None of these things can prepare Noa for his biggest challenge....falling in love with DJ. After all, love is complicated enough without also trying to stay alive.
Love, love, love this book....funny, adventurous, reads like an episode of your fav SF tv show.
Yadriel has summoned a ghost and now he can't get rid of him.When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo (male witch). With the help of his cousin and best friend, Maritza, he performs the ritual himself and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He is determined to find out what happened and exact justice. Yadriel agrees to help (he really doesn't have much of a choice). There is darkness in this book is in the form of witchcraft (real magic that works), ghosts, and Santa Muerte (a diety of Death); but it is also about transgender bias, family acceptance and not being afraid to follow your heart. Such a good book!
Denver, Dali and Shak are singers from the Poconos dreaming of a music career and all the fame and fortune that will bring. Meeting superstar Sean Mercury Ellis (Merc) seems like a dream come true with his promises to help them......but as they leave home and start doing all that he tells them, they find that not everything is as it appears.
This is a difficult book to read, but it explores the reality of the exploitation possible in the struggle for fame and how strong a girl must be to survive when her dream come true becomes a nightmare.
Sky is struggling with the fact that her best friend Lay Li has deserted her over a guy, as well as the fact that she doesn't fit in anywhere except on the basketball court. She and her sister hate each other, for various reasons and she needs to just figure out how to be happy being herself and ignore all the haters.
This touching story of a girl finding her strength and the willingness to fight to just be herself.
Xiomara feels unheard and stifled due to her mother's fierce focus on religion and also cultural norms of the limitations of being female. Somehow she IS a sin, just vessel for evil and needs to be passive, spiritual and to wait for a man to marry her, protect her and father her children. Xiomara is a fighter, not at all good at passivity. Her questions in religious classes land her in even more trouble as does her blossoming relationship with Aman. In poetry club, she finds a way to give voice to her frustrations, emotions and questions; and in sharing her poetry she finds the strength to speak her truth.
This is a powerful story of a girl struggling against so many issues and while it is not an easy story, it is highly recommended and has rightfully won many awards.
Darius doesn't ever think that he'll be enough. He knows he is a disappointment to his dad (not good at the things his father values). He doesn't speak Farsi as well as his younger sister so he disappoints his mother's family (his mother spoke it more with his sister than with him, so he just never learned as much, but if FEELS like it's his fault somehow). He has clinical depression for which he takes medication, as does his father; but it means that sometimes things get to him and no one seems to understand that, not even his father. Now they are going to Iran because his mother's father is dying, and while he is frightened he will mess everything up, he is excited to meet his family. His grandfather's neighbor has a son who speaks English, who becomes his friend and interpreter; showing him around and explaining things. Somehow he is more confident in this foreign country and he wishes he could find a way to bring this confidence home. He also needs to find a way to reconnect with his father; but it seems that he father doesn't want him around at all....he has even started watching Star Trek with his younger sister, and that was the ONLY thing left that was just his and his father's......
This story is very touching with a believable character struggling to find himself, express himself and just BE. The stark factual information about depression explains what it is, but the story isn't about that; it is just one aspect of him. I love that the character found himself in his mother's home, even if it was difficult to adjust.
Priya has Lyme disease. Brigid has a mystery illness that turns out to be lycanthropy (turns you into a wolf). Through an online support group the two of them, and the other members of the group, are all attempting to make sense of life with their individual illnesses and what (if any) changes to their futures/dreams are happening due to the reality of living with their illness. Priya really wants to help Brigid, and the more involved with her life she gets, the more she realizes that no one's issues are simple.....and that her own issues aren't going away if she ignores them.
This book surprised me with its breezy formatting while delving into deep issues. Yeah, lycanthropy might not be real, but the "what if" portion of it and the inter-personal dynamics read so true. This is a great book, not only because it's a good story but because it will make you think differently about those living with chronic illness.
This graphic novel is set in the 90's at a boy scout camp where a young man realizes his sexuality and faces losing his last bastion of hope and normalcy. ...because he loves the scouts, but "real scouts" can't be gay. For an already struggling and ostracized boy, the thought of losing that last think brings darkness and despair.
This book is a look at anti-gay biases, homophobia and toxic masculinity in the disguise of "boys being boys"...all from the point of view of a lost and hurting twelve year old boy. This is a very hard read, because the imagery and the despair are almost palpable; but I encourage you to do so because denying the darkness exists doesn't help. Providing hope and love and that things do get better will feel even more important after reading; and while it is set in the 90's, none of those issues have really gone away so.....yeah. Read this. Bring tissues.
In this alternate earth science fiction story, we have already figured out space travel, visited Mars and started to explore further out before the 1980's. When an earth like planet is found, it is decided to form an exploration mission to look into the planet and start getting it set up for human habitation so as to relieve the population/ozone/trash/etc issues on Earth. Great Britain won the rights to send the first flight and set up a contest to select 6 teens and 4 adults on the 23 year mission to Terra-Two. The book jumps back and forth between the process of selection & all that happens in the 10 year period leading up to the flight and the first year of the flight itself. The story is told in all 6 voices of the teens/new adults as they recount their issues/worries/etc and their current difficulties of being trapped in a spaceship with others for the foreseeable future.
This was such a fast, exciting read! Jumping around to see everyone's point of view is done very well and adds to the heightened sense of peril and worry. Definitely check it out!
I read volume 1 in 2020, but 2 & 3 are this year, and the story continues to be so good it makes me smile just thinking about it. We get to watch the growing relationship between Charlie and Nick, school trips, coming out to family, adjustments with friends....and just basic falling in love stuff. Oseman has done a superb job. You should read these.
Extraordinaries and Flash Fire were both awesome reads. They follow the story of Nick and his journey to find his "special abilities", falling in love, handling his ADHD and anxiety, and just growing up in general.
Highly recommended, with moments of pure silliness and moments that will make you cry uncontrollably....Klune is an amazing writer.
16 year old Randy loves summers at Camp Outland (a camp for queer teens). He also has had a crush on Hudson for years but knowing Hudson only likes straight-seeming (i.e. super macho sporty guys ...with muscles....etc) makes the possibility of ever dating Hudson impossible. This summer though, Randy is doing a complete makeover...he is turning himself into Hudson's perfect guy...no more makeup, or drama club, or show tunes. However, the longer it goes on, the more he starts to question, if he is hiding who he is, does Hudson really like him after all? This is a really thoughtful and sweet book about being true to yourself and also examines some of the toxic biases against "feminine qualities" and "being too gay". It is a simplistic and fast story, but it has a lot of ground to cover in only a summer (oh and there are some adventures in a shared tent, so not recommended for younger readers). A fun book meant to be enjoyed and make you think.
I hope you enjoyed these selections. Keep reading & don't forget to support your local library!
Saleena
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