Time for New & Best Picks for Teen Reads from Saleena for Jan/Feb!
As with the adult titles, I am doing a "best of" for teens as well. Here are my choices for Jan/Feb (and a reminder that I don't include any books I didn't finish or didn't enjoy....trying to keep things positive (but if teens want to dish on BAD reads, be sure and check out the Discord channel for teens and our section on what we're reading).
Addie is a passionate and talented dancer who faces a lot of prejudice because she doesn't fit the "acceptable" dancer body type. Addie is confident regardless though of her talent and is not ashamed of her body. Her school, however, has a lot of issues with class/status (they tend towards wealthy students, Addie is there on a scholarship), and also lean heavily into body shaming & misogyny. When Addie gets into an exclusive dance school in Milan, but not the scholarship to attend....she wants to figure something out to raise funds that isn't as humiliating as a Go Fund Me; and comes up with a burlesque show, super secret, super exclusive and featuring many of the best senior dancers at the school. The show is classic burlesque, lots of teasing but no nudity (see picture on cover), actually featuring some of the past dance costumes from shows. It is wildly successful but of course the secret leaks to everyone, including administration. It is now a scandal as admin insists it was a sleazy strip show, implying very terrible things about what happened (but didn't); and all the female participants are threatened with expulsion (though the guys just get a "you should know better"). Addie is determined to fight these charges of wrongdoing, and confront the conflicts between the school dress codes & what they assign for dance show costumes. There is a bit of a love interest shown, but most of the book focuses on the friendships and the school atmosphere. I was worried this would devolve into some sort of "if only I was skinny" book, which sadly happens with a lot of books...but this author didn't do that. She had a really strong female character fighting for her beliefs and believing in herself, even with some doubts along the way (which honestly only makes sense, everyone has doubts). I really enjoyed this book and encourage you to give it a try!
I enjoyed this book but it does have a few issues for me....nonetheless I wanted to bring it up because this won the Scheider Family Award 2022, which is for a teen book featuring a person with a disability. This book is about Piper, a girl born deaf, but given implants to "fix" her, and never taught sign as her mother feared it would take away her chances to be accepted and function in "normal" society. That, right there, could have been a book in and of itself....but this book does a lot more, mixing multiple plot points into the story (which was honestly my only issue with it).
So, if you want to read a futuristic, dystopic, SF novel featuring a girl overcoming poverty and a government conspiracy and learning about sign language, the deaf community, organic living and falling in love, as well as finding a new relationship with her mother.....this is the book for you.
The cover of this book makes it look like the book is for little kids, but it's actually a pretty solid story that works for middle or high school due to the content. Andrew Smith likes stories with emotional impact (it's why he's one of my favorite authors), and he also loves weirdness....The Size of The Truth is both.
Summary: Sam is a genius, who has parents pushing him to follow their dreams for him (skip some grades now, early entry into MIT, career as an important scientist). Sam knows he wants different things, but has never been able to talk to them, because he is a weird kid with lots of anxieties. His anxieties mostly are due to PTSD and trauma from being trapped in a well for several days when he was 4, and the town never letting him forget ....(but also never making allowances for the trauma the incident caused). Sam may be only 11, but he has some ideas about what he wants, and as he begins to remember more about what happened in the well, he begins to find the courage to pursue his dreams and maybe to understand that the judgements he has made about other people might be just as wrong as the ones they made about him.
I really enjoyed this book, with it's deep dive into trauma, finding your own path and the stress of parental expectations.....but it is also weird in that you are never sure whether the things Sam remembers happened or if he hallucinated them. I love that weirdness! Maybe there really was a bunch of talking animals, maybe he did see incredible things......or maybe it doesn't matter as long as he finds the courage to be himself. Sigh....this is why I love Smith's writing.
Nicnevin (Nissy) and her family move to the back of beyond from London in order to stay at her maternal grandmother's cottage. It is obvious it's in reaction to something, but we aren't told what it is....nevertheless, Nissy is agitated and unhappy. She finds an older man, she hopes will turn into something (but really, she should know better, as he is way too old for her). Nissy is confronted with all sorts of issues, like figuring out the man she likes (in spite of herself), but also what are these strange dreams featuring the Fae? Should she be worried about all of these strange and grisly murders happening in this tiny town?
This is a fantastical story with a bit of mystery & some horror (which may put some people off as it's a graphic novel), but I found it interesting and well plotted. I do hope there are more coming.
17 year old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were young, something they cannot remember but that left each of them with an identical half moon scar at the base of their throats. Weirdness permeates their lives as well, but after her sisters have taken off to pursue their careers, Iris dreams of a normal life. Then Grey, Iris's oldest sister disappears under suspicious circumstances and all possibilities of normalcy disappear. Iris must retrace Grey's last known steps while trying to unravel what actually happened to them so long ago; because it's apparent that finding out is the only way to save her sister, and maybe all of them.
This was such a strange and interesting book. It has a very goth atmosphere, mixed with magical happenings that don't make sense...until they do. I didn't expect the directions the author took in the story at all, nor how it would end; which was delightful. Definitely a must try book for anyone who enjoys a fantastical horror story.
The King of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his fingers. A mysterious man appears, saves the King and also, in a way, destroys him....for he claims to be the King's Fae son....born during an imprisonment the king doesn't remember. Aric, heir to the throne, has no doubts that Albaric is his brother. He doesn't care about the "out of wedlock" thing, or that his brother is half Fae; he loves him as the brother he has always wished for and the man who saved his father's life. The King hates Albaric and the notion that he could be related is abhorrent to him, so the two go off to seek their fortune elsewhere (basically to give the King time to adjust). Unfortunately, kingdoms & kings are often surrounded by treachery, and circumstances bring them back too soon. Can their trust and brotherly love change a kingdom or will it destroy everything?
I adored this story of love and family. The fact that the legitimate heir cares little about his brother's illegitimate status or his Fae heritage just adds to the depth of the story. There is a distinct fairy tale feel to the story, but there is a lot of action and the characters have so much depth; I fell in love with the tale.
I hope you enjoyed these selections. Keep reading & don't forget to support your local library!
Saleena
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